News

Rights & Wrongs: Argentina, Cuba, Yemen and More

By Juliette Terzieff 03 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive In this week's Rights & Wrongs: Advocacy groups press the IOC to include human rights among the criteria for selecting future Olympic host nations; a court in Argentina sentences two octogenarians for a murder during the country's 1976-1983 "dirty war"; high-profile cases put child marriage in the spotlight in Yemen; and controversy over a system to pay developing countries to halt deforestation pits environmentalists against human rights advocates. Rights & Wrongs appears every week in WPR.

The New Prospectors: Arab Countries Look Overseas for Food Security

By Patrick Wrigley 02 Sep 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Persian Gulf states whose coffers have been bloated by the sustained rise in oil prices are increasingly recognizing that every silver lining has a cloud. The price of oil has been their savior, but it is now having some unwanted side effects, among them food inflation. The rulers in the Persian Gulf are recognizing this and looking at other ways of ensuring food security. Rather than rely on the vagaries of the market and unstable import sources, countries across the region are seeking to buy up the means of production itself.

In Thailand, a People's Coup Against Democracy

By Brian McCartan 28 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Thailand's political scene descended into chaos on Tuesday morning when supposed pro-democracy protesters stormed a television station, took over government buildings and blocked roads in an attempt to force the downfall of a democratically elected government. Samak Sundaravej, a generally unpopular prime minister, has stood firm but resisted using heavy-handed measures that could easily see the return of a military-led government.

Anwar Wins Seat in Malaysia's Parliament, Has Top Job in Sight

By Luke Hunt 27 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- It was a long time coming, but the dissident and sometimes mischievous politician Anwar Ibrahim has bloodied the nose of Malaysia's ruling coalition by winning Tuesday's by-election, marking his return to parliament and positioning himself for a tilt at the nation's top job. "The message is clear," he told thousands of chanting supporters. "We in Permatang Pauh and in Malaysia, we demand change for freedom and justice."

Taliban Violently Campaigns Against Girls' Education in Northwest Pakistan

By Shaheen Buneri 27 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive SWAT DISTRICT, Pakistan -- The Swat valley, a picturesque region in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, was once a tourist destination. Two years ago, however, it became a Taliban haven when Maulana Fazlullah, a hardline cleric turned militant Taliban commander, launched a vicious campaign against the education of girls. Fazlullah's followers have burned or bombed up to 135 schools in the area, and in doing so have put an end to the educational careers of tens of thousands of girls.

Corridors of Power: After the Georgian War and the Olympics

By Roland Flamini 26 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive In this week's Corridors of Power: At home, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili blames the West for his country's war with Russia; Stalin's birthplace, Olympic medals and other Georgian history; Olympic athletes find creative ways to skirt the ban on political protests; and the European Union notes that its member states won more gold medals than any country. Corridors of Power is written by World Politics Review editor-at-large Roland Flamini and typically appears weekly.

Colombia's Uribe at Six Years: A Positive, but Fragile, Legacy

By Anastasia Moloney 21 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive SAN JOSÉ DEL GUAVIARE, Colombia -- The heavy losses suffered by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia have made Colombian President Álvaro Uribe the most popular leader in this country's history as he marks six years in office. Unlike other leaders in Latin America, Uribe's populist message is about improving security, not lifting up the poor. But threats to Uribe's legacy remain in the form of economic problems and the possibility that he will damage the country's democracy in pursuit of a third term.

NATO'S Tepid Response to Russia is Europe's Choice

By Roland Flamini 20 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice got scant comfort from NATO on her mission to press punitive action against Russia following its armed incursion into Georgia. True, the North Atlantic alliance foreign ministers did manage to adopt a united position -- but at the price of tepid language and of retaliatory steps that fell short of what the Bush administration urged. Whether Europe's non-belligerent approach will be more effective than what is widely regarded as American bluster remains to be seen.

Argentine Public Dubious of Government Inflation Numbers

By Roque Planas 20 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Last week, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, the Argentine government's statistics agency, released the official inflation figure for the month of July: 0.4 percent. Such a report would have caused jubilation among the Argentine public, had they believed it. But the coordinators of the report appear to be the only ones who have failed to notice the recent price increases in Buenos Aires, which have been exacerbated by the economic policies of President Cristina Kirchner.

As Kenya Rebuilds, Thousands are Left in the Shadows

By Jon Rosen 19 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive ELDORET, Kenya -- In recent months, this country of 35 million has made great strides in moving on from the violence that killed 1,500 and uprooted as many as half a million. Once bitter rivals, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga have become partners in a new government of national unity that has so far fared better than expected. Beneath the surface, however, the picture is not so rosy. Though thousands of displaced persons have centralized camps, many have returned to what the United Nations terms "transit camps."

Rights & Wrongs: China, U.N. Peacekeepers, Cambodia and More

By Juliette Terzieff 19 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive In this week's Rights & Wrongs: As the Olympics continue, so do concerns about human rights in China; the United Nations finds evidence of abuse by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo; trials of former Khmer Rouge officials move forward amid allegations of tribunal corruption; and the U.N. Human Rights Commission criticizes British anti-terrorism laws. Rights & Wrongs covers the world's major human rights-related news and appears in World Politics Review every week.

Asian Countries Look to Bolster Cyber Defenses

By Jason Miks 18 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive TOKYO -- Reports last week that Georgia was hit by a coordinated cyber attack that compromised government Web sites offered a reminder of the additional front governments must protect when diplomatic or military hostilities break out between nations. It is with these kind of attacks in mind -- and the prospect that such attacks could be used to disrupt critical infrastructure -- that some Asian governments are beginning to examine more closely their countries' vulnerabilities to cyber attacks.

Corridors of Power: Georgia's War, Paraguay's President, and Brazil's New Hero

By Roland Flamini 15 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive In this week's Corridors of Power: Georgia asks "Where are our friends?"; it didn't take long after the U.S.-Georgian military exercise Immediate Response for Georgian troops to test their new readiness; the Vatican releases Paraguay's new president from his vows; and a new movie gives Brazil -- and all of Latin America -- a crime-fighting hero. Corridors of Power is written by veteran foreign correspondent Roland Flamini and appears regularly in World Politics Review.

Westerners and Chinese Alike Criticize Beijing Opening Cermonies

By Iason Athanasiadis 14 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive BEIJING -- In the aftermath of a dazzling opening ceremony dubbed by the world's media its "coming out party," China appears to be experiencing a premature hangover. A growing chorus of Chinese and foreign voices is criticizing the ceremony, albeit for slightly different reasons. Among Chinese critics, the consensus is that the the ceremony did not live up to artistic and cultural expectations, while Western commentators have tended to focus on the symbolic meaning of the ceremony, and its production methods.

Rights & Wrongs: Burma, Child Marriage, Kuwait and Rwanda

By Juliette Terzieff 13 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive In this week's Rights & Wrongs: Pro-democracy activists mark the 20th anniversary of Burma's ill-fated uprising against military rule; Arab countries attempt to combat child marriage; worker demonstrations in Kuwait result in the deportation of hundreds of foreign workers; and a Rwanda government report points the finger at 33 French officials for complicity in that country's 1994 genocide. Rights & Wrongs covers the world's major human rights-related news and appears every week.

Navy Ship Encounters Obstacles on South American 'Soft Power' Mission

By David Axe 13 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive ABOARD THE U.S.S. KEARSARGE -- For decades, the U.S. Navy's roughly three-dozen amphibious ships have carried U.S. Marines across the world's oceans in response to crises. Today the Marines are embroiled in long land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So the empty amphibious ships have assumed a new role: hauling military and civilian humanitarians to developing countries as part of the Pentagon's emerging "soft power" strategy. But with every new strategy come new and unexpected challenges.

Along Turkey's Sun-Drenched Coasts, a European Invasion

By Handan T. Satiroglu 12 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive There are still pieces of Turkey's shoreline that remain undiscovered, but droves of foreigners are fast gobbling it up. The Turkish coastline has witnessed a construction bonanza fueled by moneyed Europeans seeking a relatively affordable place in the sun. Much of Turkey's once pristine coastline has metamorphosed into a coastal suburbia. On Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, cranes and other construction machinery announce the foreign influx, which has created a backlash among Turkish nationalists.

Photo Feature: China at the Start of the Olympics

By Iason Athanasiadis 08 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive BEIJING -- The games of the 29th Olympiad are shaping up as a coming out party for China, a country that seeks to show the world it has arrived as a 21st century power. But China remains a country of contradictions -- an ancient culture amid restless ambition to create a modern society, poverty alongside ostentatious wealth, and political repression in parallel with economic openness. On the eve of the opening of the games in Beijing, Iason Athanasiadis visited Beijing and the northern city of Shenyang.

Bush Says N. Korea Must Do More, Human Rights Under Scrutiny

By Jason Strother 07 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive SEOUL, South Korea -- Following talks here this week with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, U.S. President Bush said North Korea must do more if it wants to retire its membership in the "axis of evil." Despite Pyongyang's declaration of its plutonium-based nuclear weapons program and the recent destruction of the cooling tower at its Yongbyon reactor, Bush said North Korea has a long way to go. For the first time during the six-party talks, U.S. diplomacy appears focused on human rights.

Ahead of the Olympic Games, Excitement and Fear in Beijing

By Iason Athanasiadis 06 Aug 2008 | World Politics Review Exclusive BEIJING -- In Athens, four years ago this week, Greek officials were still scurrying to put the final touches on sporting venues and other civil infrastructure that had been constructed for the games. China's Olympic infrastructure has been ready for much longer, yet Chinese officials are still in panic mode: With just hours to go before the opening ceremony, Beijing's notorious pollution clouds refuse to budge, and Chinese Communist Party officials remain on edge about displays of political dissent.