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By
Fabio Scarpello
29 Jul 2010
World Politics Review
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- Washington's decision to partially lift the ban
on contact with Indonesia's Kopassus special forces command has angered
human rights organizations. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that the decision was a result of reforms that the TNI had undertaken. Human rights groups have countered that neither
Kopassus nor the TNI has fully reformed. Both positions are partly
correct.
By Dan Peleschuk
27 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
KYIV, Ukraine -- To many observers, Ukraine's recently elected President
Viktor Yanukovych is the same pro-Russian stooge he was in 2004. Yet smaller details abound that paint a different and perhaps more
nuanced portrait of the Yanukovych administration, one of a limited push
toward Russia combined with a sincere commitment to European
integration.
By Luke Hunt
26 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Kang Guek Eav, a.k.a. Duch, the notorious
commandant of Pol Pot's S21 death camp, was found guilty on Monday of murder, torture and
crimes against humanity by a United Nations-backed court. The
decision was hailed by local and international authorities, but many of the victims were upset by Duch's sentence, which could see him eventually walk out of prison a free man.
By Neeta Lal
23 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
NEW DELHI -- Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna's
visit to Pakistan last week to move the bilateral Composite Dialogue
forward will be joining a long list of Indo-Pak diplomatic debacles. However,
even by the standards of Indo-Pakistani diplomacy, the spat between Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart, Mehmood Qureshi, in Islamabad on July 15, marks a new low in
bilateral engagement.
By Michael Wilkerson
23 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
KAMPALA, Uganda -- Nearly two weeks after three bombs exploded in
Uganda's usually tranquil capital, the investigations into the attacks seem to be
moving swiftly. With Kampala and other parts of Uganda still tense, the apparent
progress has provided some reassurance. But questions remain about what the Ugandan government ought to do next and
whether it is capable of doing so.
By Luke Hunt
22 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is putting the finishing touches on
his second budget since taking office, one that some suspect could
serve as a campaign platform for early elections aimed at winning back
support his party lost in the 2008 voting that brought him to power. Back then, the Malaysian opposition scored unprecedented
gains at the ballot box. But it was a setback that is unlikely to be repeated.
By Roque Planas
20 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Two years ago, former Brazilian President Fernando
Henrique Cardoso called for a shift in the country's drug policy, from policing to treatment. However, it appears that Brazil not only remains committed to
treating drugs as a problem for the police, it is also becoming the first country in Latin America whose drug use is pushing
it to adopt a more aggressive foreign policy towards its neighbors.
By Neeta Lal
16 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Indian National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon had plenty on his diplomatic plate during his three-day visit to China earlier this
month. With the trip coming after a year of renewed strains between the two countries, Menon's task was by no means
an easy one. However, despite the nuanced complexity of Menon's visit, the news on
the Sino-Indian front has been positive.
By Johan Bergenäs
15 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Iran's
top nuclear negotiator are currently involved in a
diplomatic dance over resuming talks on Tehran's nuclear program. If the
talks take place, Ashton could assume the negotiating
role previously played by her predecessor, Javier Solana. While Solana's efforts did
not bear fruit, the circumstances that hampered his attempts have since improved.
By Iain Mills
14 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
BEIJING -- In addition to now holding
three of Iraq's 11 major oil concessions,
China has also been investing heavily in Afghanistan, and recently
signed a high-profile nuclear deal with Pakistan. These significant
strategic developments in all the major geographic theaters of the U.S.
War on Terror further demonstrate the efficacy of Beijing's
economy-first diplomacy and reflect China's growing influence in Central
Asia as a whole.
By James M. Dorsey
13 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Tension between Iran and the United Arab Emirates is rising after the
UAE became the first Gulf state to publicly signal endorsement of
military force to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Though the UAE Foreign Ministry later repudiated remarks
made by its ambassador to the United States, the comments offer a rare insight into the thinking behind closed doors of a key U.S.
ally.
By Shihoko Goto
12 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan's Democratic Party of Japan
took a severe blow in Sunday's Upper House elections, with voters
turning once again to the country's longstanding political hegemon, the
Liberal Democratic Party. Still, the biggest surprise in
yesterday's voting was the strong showing of the start-up Your Party,
indicating that faith in the two major political
parties is fast dwindling.
By Prashanth Parameswaran
07 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
The United States and Japan commemorated the 50th
anniversary of their security alliance last
month with an uneasy sense of ambivalence. The sheer
fact that the alliance, has persisted for so long is reason enough to
celebrate. Yet several
trends in Japanese politics
have added strains to the alliance, and may make it more difficult for Washington and Tokyo to make
necessary adjustments in their relationship.
By James M. Dorsey
06 Jul 2010 |
World Politics Review
Virtually unnoticed, U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime
Minister Benyamin Netanyahu have quietly set the stage to move forward
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, mend their tense personal relations and
build an effective working relationship. In a series of low-key moves, both men have worked to ensure that
their meeting today demonstrates improved relations
since Netanyahu's last visit in March.
By James M. Dorsey
30 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
Once implacable enemies, Turkey and the autonomous Kurdish
Regional Government in northern Iraq are forging ever-closer political
and economic ties, independent of the Iraqi central government in
Baghdad. The relationship is blossoming despite the
failure of Turkey's domestic "Kurdish initiative," but could be threatened by a recent wave of attacks from the northern Iraq-based Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK.
By Eliot Brockner
29 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
In spite of massive international attention and multilateral efforts in
the days and months that followed Honduras' 2009 coup, reconciliation -- both domestically
and internationally -- remains elusive. President Porfirio Lobo has achieved progress in stabilizing the country's finances and,
arguably, its political situation. But a persistent crisis in public
security continues to threaten the country's slow
and bumpy return to normality.
By Fabio Scarpello
28 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
The expectations of a nation will weigh heavily on Benigno "Noynoy"
Aquino's shoulders as he is sworn in as the Philippines' 15th president
on June 30. Aquino was elected with a convincing 42 percent of the vote
in the May 30 election, the biggest electoral mandate in the country's
history. The question he faces now is, Can he deliver? Aquino
seems to be doing most things right, but doubts remain.
By Michael Cecire
25 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
In the early 18th century, King Vakhtang VI of the ancient Georgian
kingdom of Karlti watched as his kingdom was brought to ruin by the onslaught of Persians, Ottomans, and Russians. Today, the
dynamics that marked the 18th century are no less potent.
Georgia and the Caucasus
remain strategic real estate for the historically competing
empires of Persia (Iran), Muscovy (Russia), and the Turks (Turkey).
By Jon Rosen
24 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
BUJUMBURA, Burundi -- For the capital of a country just years removed
civil war, this lakeside city is cosmopolitan. But while the atmosphere may not show it, this city
is on edge. Burundians will go to the polls for the country's first
direct presidential election since its decade-long ethnic conflict ended
in 2003. Monday's vote had been touted as a
symbol of Burundi's hard-earned peace, but recent violence has tempered such rhetoric.
By David Agren
23 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
MEXICO CITY -- Ten years ago, Mexico's National Action Party (PAN) swept
to power on an agenda of change. A decade later, much of the center-right party's agenda has gone unfulfilled, and the PAN
has largely failed to establish itself as a party of government. The PAN faces voters again on July 4, in gubernatorial elections that are expected to once again highlight popular disenchantment
with a decade of PAN rule.
By Lois Kapila
22 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
When Roza Otunbayeva came to power at the head of the Kyrgyz interim
government in April, she knew that the road ahead was going to be tough.
Her reform program would have been difficult even in
less uncertain times. But since the spring, Otunbayeva has been
faced with a spate of riots, murders, violent clashes and burning
villages in the south of the country. And it might not be
over yet.
