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By Frida Ghitis
29 Jul 2010
World Politics Review
Brazil, like much of Latin America, is showing
astonishing resilience in the face of a daunting economic environment
that cuts across borders. The region that popularized words such as junta and caudillo,
and the countries that for decades served as the inspiration for
caricatures of tin-pot dictators are becoming a place where homegrown
leaders develop savvy economic policies that dazzle development experts.
By David Axe
28 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Fifteen days after twin suicide bombings killed 76 people in Kampala,
Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni used an African Union summit in the
capital city to declare war on the Somali group responsible for the July
11 bombing -- as well as on foreign fighters aiding the group. But to secure its borders, cities and
regional interests, Uganda must do more than target terrorists.
By Richard Weitz
27 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
In terms of volume, the documents posted on the WikiLeaks Web site represent one of the largest publications on the Internet of classified
U.S. government material. But in terms of content, the documents don't tell us anything that most people who have
been following the war don't already know. But the leaked documents are likely to have minor initial
effects that could ultimately have a major impact.
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
26 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
There's no question that globalization, in its modern American form of
expanding free trade, just went through its worst crisis to date. But
while economists debate whether or not we in the West are collectively
heading toward a 1938-like "second dip," it's important to realize just
how myopic our fears are about the future of a world economy that
America went out of its way to create, defend, and grow these past seven
decades.
By Nikolas Gvosdev
23 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
The 2014 Afghan security plan unveiled by President Hamid Karzai this
week at the international conference in Kabul raises once again the
question of whether the U.S. and NATO are moving towards a 21st century
variant of the
"Najibullah strategy"
-- named for the leader of the Afghan government that the Soviets left behind -- as they seek to determine their end game in Afghanistan.
By Frida Ghitis
22 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
In the never-a-dull-moment world of Middle East politics, an important
drama is unfolding in yet another key location. It's time now to take
a closer look at the tense events in the inner sanctum of Israeli
politics, and the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing
coalition could either collapse or suddenly transform itself into
something completely different from what it is today.
By David Axe
21 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
One of U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus' first moves after taking command
of the war effort in Afghanistan was
to begin forming
"community policing units" to help bolster local security in
Taliban-plagued areas. Reaction to the plan was swift and
alarmed. On no fewer than three occasions in the last three
years, NATO has experimented with local security forces.
All these previous efforts failed, sometimes spectacularly.
By Richard Weitz
20 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
The member states of the OSCE took resolute action to assist fellow
member, Kyrgyzstan, which remains vulnerable to further mass violence
and other disorders due to its multiple difficulties. At an informal
meeting this weekend, the foreign ministers of the 56-state grouping
endorsed a package plan to increase the OSCE's presence in the region as
a catalyst to mobilize further international support for the
beleaguered country.
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
19 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
With his selections of Gens. David Petraeus and James Mattis for
command in Afghanistan and Central Command respectively, President
Barack Obama signals his understanding that his previously established
deadline of mid-2011 to begin drawing down combat troops cannot be met. With the original withdrawal date, Pakistan was our only
viable partner. But as that changes,
all potential regional partners should again be on the table.
By Nikolas Gvosdev
16 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
U.S. strategies in two key fronts of the ongoing struggle against
terrorism and extremism -- Afghanistan and Somalia -- are predicated on
one critical element: the eventual emergence of a central government
that can establish its writ throughout the territory nominally under its
jurisdiction. And in both cases, the central governments that
exist on paper seem to offer little hope for success.
By Frida Ghitis
15 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
When the global economic crisis struck, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez
gloated. The woes of capitalism, he believed, would give a boost to his
brand, helping spread Chavismo throughout Latin America. Today,
capitalism appears to be limping back to life thanks to generous
infusions of government funding. The news for Chávez and his followers,
on the other hand, looks rather dismal.
By David Axe
14 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
In the
July issue of the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings magazine, an officer of the Indian navy claimed that
Islamic extremists had teamed up with sea pirates in Somalia to form a
"nexus of piracy and terrorism." In reality, where Somalia's Al-Shabab and other Islamic groups control territory,
pirates are usually among the first targets of the groups' emphasis on
law and order.
By Richard Weitz
13 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Russia and the United States have recently confirmed that
they will miss their already extended deadlines for eliminating their
stockpiles of chemical weapons, as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention. Though this failure could theoretically lead to bitter
denunciations as well as concrete sanctions, in practice, it illustrates the difficulties involved in efforts to destroy their chemical weapons holdings.
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
12 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Despite the worries of American "declinists," the future will not be post-American, but merely post-Caucasian. And
that's a future to which America will readily adapt itself. Indeed, as
global integration proceeds, America's centuries-long experiment in
e pluribus unum ("out of many, one"),
which already marked us as a national progenitor of modern-day
globalization, will continue to be our greatest strength.
By Nikolas Gvosdev
09 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
With all of the comparisons between the presidencies of
Barack Obama and Franklin D. Roosevelt, it is surprising that one of
FDR's most famous programs has not emerged as a possible model for U.S.
policy today: Lend-Lease. Many smaller countries in the world cannot afford to purchase new defense systems. But they do have the resources to pay for
maintenance costs and personnel to use the equipment.
By Frida Ghitis
08 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
In what has become a tragically predictable cycle, a new war breaks out
every few years in the Middle East. Most people in the region generally
agree about where the next major clash will start and which armies it
will involve -- at least as its principal combatants. As for when the
fighting will begin, nobody knows that with certainty. But the drumbeat
of warning signs that the moment could come soon is growing louder by
the day.
By David Axe
07 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
On a number of recent occasions, unannounced Chinese naval flotillas cruised in international waters off the coast of Japan, in contravention of naval protocol if not of international law. The incidents seem to portray China as a maritime
aggressor among nations apparently unprepared to counter any move by Beijing. But Japan is quietly enhancing military capabilities
that themselves pose a threat to the fast-growing Chinese navy.
By Richard Weitz
06 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Almost everyone would welcome greater cooperation between Moscow and
Washington on ballistic missile defense. But decades of frustrating
experience have taught us that this is precisely the wrong issue to make
the centerpiece of the U.S.-Russia reset. Rather than waste time
and goodwill on the endeavor, we need to think more creatively about
deepening bilateral collaboration regarding other issues.
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
05 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
The goal of global partnership between the United States and China has taken a
beating lately. The Great Recession has led too many Americans -- and Chinese -- to
doubt in our own economic system and political institutions, while
encouraging undue appreciation of China's. But what "lithium" can we apply
to this manic-depressive relationship lest it collapse into full-blown
bipolar meltdown?
By Nikolas Gvosdev
02 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Invariably, when Americans engage in nation-building exercises around
the world, it is hoped that the indigenous leaders that emerge will be
cast in the mold of our Founding Fathers. Inevitably, we are disappointed when
the Hamid Karzais, the Nouri al-Malikis and others fail to live up to
these often-idealized expectations. Maybe it would help if we
substituted a different set of historical names and role models.
By Frida Ghitis
01 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
What exactly is President Barack Obama prepared to do in order to
prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons? And just how committed is
the American president to curtailing the Islamic Republic's nuclear
enrichment efforts? Taken together, these questions represent one of the
most important and most consequential unknowns in the realms of
diplomacy, foreign policy, and geostrategic planning today.
