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A Coherent Strategy for Pakistan's Tribal Areas Would Draw Lessons from Anbar

By Malou Innocent 05 Sep 2008
World Politics Review

Following years of promising gains since 2001, Afghanistan is in a tailspin. The main forces behind the country's downward spiral are al-Qaida and the Taliban, which have found sanctuary in the vast unpoliced region of western Pakistan known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. While remedies for one conflict never can be perfectly transplanted onto another, U.S. successes in Anbar province, Iraq, hold important lessons for operations in Pakistan's northwest.

Mexico Needs a Comprehensive Security Commission to Overcome Rampant Criminality

By Patrick Corcoran 03 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive TORRÉON, Mexico -- Fernando Martí, the 14-year-old son of a Mexican sporting goods magnate, was kidnapped in June and found dead in the trunk of a car in the nation's capital in August. His ordeal, along with stratospheric levels of drug violence, has provoked a groundswell of outrage across Mexican society. Virtually everyone drawing breath from Tijuana to Cancun agrees that Mexico's rampant criminality must be addressed. However, agreement on exactly how to address this insecurity is conspicuously absent.

Syria's Assad Sees Georgia War as Opening Moscow Options

By Richard Weitz 03 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Last month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. During the meeting, Assad unequivocally stated Syria's support of Russia in its conflict with Georgia. Assad clearly perceives the Georgian crisis as an opportunity to strengthen Russian-Syrian relations. Still, the Syrian government's drive to strengthen ties with Russia does not necessarily imply a more aggressive stance on Damascus' part.

Fukuda's Resignation Should be a Wake-Up Call for Japan's LDP

By Jason Miks 03 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Having criticized his predecessor as irresponsible for his similarly abrupt departure last year, and after only just having announced an economic stimulus package that the ruling coalition hoped would win some votes, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's abrupt departure still raised eyebrows. What it really ought to raise now, but still may not, is the prospect of a snap general election. The public might still be won over by an LDP that looks like it is finally putting the interests of the country ahead of itself.

EU Leaders Talk Tough, but Act Softly, Toward Moscow

By Richard Weitz 02 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive At an emergency Sept. 1 meeting in Brussels, European Union leaders adopted the unexpectedly stern stance of threatening to suspend negotiations with Moscow on a renewed cooperative framework agreement unless Russian troops withdraw from Georgia. But there was widespread reluctance to impose economic sanctions on Russia. The gathering represented the first emergency session of the EU heads of government, formally known as the European Council, since the beginning of the 2003 Gulf War.

Is Europe Again Starting to Like Its American Cousin?

By Frida Ghitis 30 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive LONDON -- Moments after takeoff on a flight from Amsterdam to London, everyone on board, it seemed, had disappeared into a newspaper. With front pages from across Europe held aloft, a glance down the aisle showed one story -- the American election -- dominated the news that day in dailies across the region, with the Georgian conflict coming in a close second. Once again, America and Europe stand on the same side of an international conflict. Once again, Europeans are finding inspiration from across the ocean.

Chinese-S. Korean Summit Aims to Shore Up Nuclear Deal

By Richard Weitz 29 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Immediately after the end of the Beijing Olympics, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his South Korean counterpart, President Lee Myung-bak, reaffirmed their mutual support for achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Seoul summit represented the third meeting of the two presidents since Lee's inauguration in February, and provided more evidence of improving Chinese-South Korean relations, despite expectations that Lee's less accommodating policy toward North Korea would alienate Beijing.

What is a Jew in Germany Permitted to Say Against a Jew in Germany?

By John Rosenthal 28 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive When does "criticism of Israel" cross the line into anti-Semitism and should it be up to the courts to decide? A legal dispute pitting Evelyn Hecht-Galinksi, daughter of one of the symbolic figures of Germany's post-war Jewish community, and political commentator Henryk Broder shines an uncomfortable light on issues of both anti-Semitism and freedom of speech in contemporary Germany. A Cologne court is set to decide next week whether Broder can describe Hecht-Galinski as an "anti-Zionist anti-Semite."

U.S. Energy Interests and the Caspian: The Free Ride is Over

By Peter Kiernan 27 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive While control over routes for the export of oil and gas to Western markets was clearly not the primary cause of the recent hostilities between Moscow and Tbilisi, the vital role of the Caucasus as an energy transit route nevertheless cannot be ignored in the context of Russia's increasingly tense relationship with the United States and its European allies. The recent conflict in Georgia demonstrates that the virtual free ride the United States has had in the region during the last two decades is now over.

Burma: Diplomatic Failure Amid Rumors of a Hunger Strike

By Frida Ghitis 26 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Once again, Burma stands like a conscience-searing mirage on the Asian horizon, reminding us of our failure to help the most desperate. The latest mission from the international community has ended in embarrassment for the United Nations and its ineffectual efforts. It seems no one who matters wants to waste any more time meeting with the U.N. envoy. And now, unconfirmed reports say the iconic leader of the pro-democracy opposition, the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, may have started a hunger strike.

Obama, McCain Should Make U.S.-India Relations a High Priority

By Nirav Patel and Vikram Singh 25 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive As the presidential elections near, Sens. McCain and Obama will be forced to debate and articulate foreign policy positions before a nation transfixed by its fortunes in the Middle East. But what the candidates say, or fail to say, about the world beyond the Middle East, and particularly about the Asia-Pacific region, will have tremendous consequences for American strategy. In particular, both candidates must understand the importance of India to U.S. strategy in the Asia-Pacific.

Tit for Tat: Russia Suspends Relations with NATO

By Richard Weitz 22 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive On Aug. 21, the Russian Defense Ministry announced its decision to halt military cooperation with NATO members. The Russian announcement comes only a week after Moscow tried to convene a special meeting of the NATO-Russia Council to discuss the situation in Georgia, but was rebuffed by the alliance. Instead, NATO foreign ministers met independently of Moscow and threatened to curtail military cooperation with Russia. In effect, Russia and NATO have independently suspended their joint projects.

Danger in Embracing Another of Africa's Visionary Leaders

By Blake Lambert 22 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive The West and its development industry have serially backed a series of African leaders as exemplars for the continent, only to see them come to resemble the autocrats they previously opposed. Yet neither the diplomats nor the donors can refrain from anointing new visionaries. The current favorite is Rwandan President Paul Kagame, admired for his prudent political and economic management after the 1994 genocide. Count Stephen Kinzer, the author and former New York Times correspondent, among Kagame's believers.

Washington and Warsaw Sign Missile Defense Deal Despite Russian Threats

By Richard Weitz 20 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Earlier today, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski signed an agreement negotiated last week that will position 10 American-controlled interceptor missiles at a U.S.-manned missile defense base in Poland. Both governments reached the deal despite strenuous Russian opposition to the move. Although both Warsaw and Washington deny it, the Russian military intervention in Georgia apparently caused a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations.

A New Cold War Would Threaten Israel's Security

By Frida Ghitis 20 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive The new global strategic landscape reflected by the Russia-Georgia conflict could mean a more challenging environment for Israeli security. The rumblings of a new Cold War could well mean that cooperation between the West and Russia on matters crucial to Israel, particularly Iran, is coming to an end. Even worse, a possible new cycle of strategic competition, perhaps a new arms race, between Moscow and Washington could become a game-changer in the Middle East.

Preserving the Southern Philippines' Threatened Peace Deal

By Prashanth Parameswaran 18 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive As the world was fixated on the Beijing Olympics and Russia's incursion into Georgia, a fledgling peace process between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels in the country's restive south was beginning to unravel. The Philippine Supreme Court's suspension of a key peace agreement fanned the flames of violence in the region. The United States should be concerned about these developments, and should work to ensure the Philippine government musters the political will to overcome obstacles to peace.

Despite Growing Opposition, Chavistas Will Escape Elections with Minor Losses

By Michael Busch 18 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive As Venezuela prepares to mark the 10th anniversary of its Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chávez has little cause for celebration. Public confidence in the Bolivarian regime is quickly evaporating. With the country suffering from political turbulence and a deteriorating economy, some predict Venezuela's November's nationwide gubernatorial elections could produce a dramatic shift in the balance of national power. Yet these assessments are premature. Chávez likely will escape the impending vote with minor losses.

Is Ukraine Next? Georgian War Exacerbates Russia-Ukraine Relations

By Richard Weitz 15 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive The war in Georgia has seriously exacerbated relations between Russia and Ukraine's pro-Western government. On Aug. 12, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko joined the leaders of four other former Soviet states in Tbilisi to show solidarity with Georgia and its embattled president, Mikheil Saakashvili. The following day, President Yushchenko boldly imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Russian military units in Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the measures a "serious, new anti-Russian step."

A New German? Olympian Chris Kaman and German Nationality

By John Rosenthal 14 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive The participation of the American basketball player Chris Kaman in the Beijing Olympics as a member of the German basketball squad has caused some eyebrows to be raised. But the story of Kaman's blitz naturalization is not only one of a basketball mercenary in search of a chance for glory at the Olympics or of the German national team's desperation to find a usable center. It also reveals abiding peculiarities in the German conception of nationality that are little known outside of Germany and even less understood.

A Ticking Time Bomb: U.S. Officials Should Not Forget Kashmir

By Nirav Patel 14 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Lost in the news cycles of presidential politics, the Olympic Games and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is a brewing crisis in South Asia. The United States' strategic posture toward South Asia has largely focused on terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan and on nuclear proliferation. This approach has largely ignored the historical conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, which has sparked two major hot wars in the last 60 years. Open conflict threatens once again, and American policy makers can't afford to sit this one out.

Defense Secretary Gates' Counterpoise Strategy: Stressing Irregular Warfare

By Richard Weitz 13 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive When Secretary of Defense Robert Gates unveiled his first (and presumably last) National Defense Strategy (NDS) on July 31, he argued that the best word to describe it would be "balance." Although the document is comprehensive and eclectic in its listing of possible security threats to the United States, its real function is to counterbalance what the secretary sees as the U.S. Defense Department's natural tendency to focus excessively on winning conventional conflicts rather "irregular wars."
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