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09 Mar 2010
The run up to this weekend's Iraqi election -- the second general election held since the fall of Saddam's regime
-- was marked by
speculation, anticipation and no shortage of controversy. Although the elections saw some violence, there is little doubt that
they were a marked improvement from 2005 and a testament that democracy
is taking root in Iraq.
By Matt Stone
03 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
Demonstrating a predictable lack of strategic foresight, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold its
mark-up session for the Armenian Genocide resolution tomorrow. While there is little doubt outside of Turkey that genocide was
perpetrated against the Armenians in the 1910s, the resolution threatens
to undermine U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South Caucasus
at exactly the wrong time.
By Johan Bergenäs
02 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
With the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference around
the corner, President Barack Obama is in dire need of a credible arms
control and disarmament achievement worthy of the lofty agenda he
articulated almost a year ago in Prague. Ridding Europe of U.S. nuclear weapons is one possible goal. But to do so, he will have to
reject flawed and outdated arguments that stand in the way.
By Joshua Foust
01 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
The success of Operation Moshtarak, NATO's military offensive to seize
the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province,
will be determined by how well coalition forces establish a functioning
government now that the bulk of the actual fighting is over. NATO's plan, which it calls "government-in-a-box," should include a stable tax regime as an essential foundation for governance.
By Iranga Kahangama
22 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
The
recent election loss of Sri Lankan opposition candidate Gen. Sarath
Fonseka underlines the island's failure to build on its recently
achieved peace, while his subsequent detention brought to light a threat
to its democracy. Now, upcoming parliamentary elections represent the country's last chance to build an opposition that
can address unresolved ethnic grievances while maintaining a stable multiparty
democracy.
By Sean Goforth
19 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
Latin America's major economies avoided the brunt of the global
financial crisis, except for Mexico, whose 7 percent contraction in 2009
represented the region's worst decline. The drop-off was primarily
traceable to America's recession. This
year, as the panic subsides, Mexico's economy is expected to return to
positive growth of around 3 percent. But Mexico's path to sustainable
development remains problematic.
By Babak Yektafar
12 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
If there is a parallel to be drawn between the events that led
to the Iranian revolution 31 years ago and the events that have besieged
the Islamic Republic in the past eight months, it lies in the erosion
of trust and connectivity between the regime and the Iranian people. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Islamic Republic
is failing to make the
regime accessible to all its citizens.
By Michael Cecire
09 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
TBILISI, Georgia -- Since August 2008, when Russian tanks rolled into Georgian territory, Georgia has been let down by the very Western countries it considered to be its
closest friends. Although the Georgian population continues to register overwhelming
support for integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, there are now
indications that the country's political elite might be losing patience.
By Stephen Herzog
04 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
According to recent reports, NATO will soon develop contingency plans to defend Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania against Russian attacks, marking the first time since the end of the
Cold War that the Atlantic Alliance has specifically pinpointed Russia
as a threat. But labeling Russia as a potential enemy would signal a return to Cold War politics and likely produce unfavorable consequences.
By Michael S. Chase
03 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
A number of critics of U.S. policy toward Taiwan have charged that
continuing to support the island is not worth the risk of alienating an
increasingly powerful and influential China. Some have argued that U.S.
arms sales are no longer needed, given the emergence of a more stable
and constructive cross-Strait relationship over the past year and a
half. Both arguments are misguided.
By Craig Davis
02 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
Most key international policymakers now agree that any successful
strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan hinges on the ability to mainstream
anti-government fighters and potential fighters into the political and
economic systems in those countries. But more attention needs to be given to the difficulties
involved with such an approach.
By Daniel Langberg
29 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
When the National Security Act of 1947 was enacted, the national and
global security environments were exceedingly different from those that
exist today. The current system, which served us adequately from 1947 to 1990, is not up to the task of combating today's global security threats and stands in need of a holistic review and systemic
modernization.
By Chris Bronk
19 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
In the past few years, concerns over the growing risk of cyber warfare
have been supplemented by evidence of actual cyber attacks, many likely
launched with the aid of nation-states. When the United States sounds
the alarm on cyber wrongdoings, China or
Russia are typically "the usual suspects." Given these suspicions, recent reports of U.S.-Russian cyber-security talks should raise flags.
By Alex Evans and David Steven
11 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
The chaos in Copenhagen offered a powerful, and sobering, illustration
of how far the world's governments are from negotiating an accord to
bring climate change under control. History suggests that the climate change priesthood will soldier on, insisting that a deal needs just one more push. Meanwhile, they'll water down expectations and shy away from hard truths. This would be a mistake.
By Andrea Bonzanni
08 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
Last month, the West officially lost the new "Great Game," the 20-year-long
competition for natural resources and influence in Central Asia. Western defeat was already becoming clear with the slow progress of the
Nabucco pipeline and the strategic reorientation of some Central Asian
republics toward Russia and China. Two recent events, however,
confirmed it.
By Iranga Kahangama
06 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
In an effort to end a five-decade-long
internal conflict, India ceded the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh for the
greater good of stability and governance. India's war-weary neighbor,
Sri Lanka, would do well to take a page from New Delhi's playbook as it
looks to foster peaceful relations with its own minority Tamil
population.
By Hendrik Woods
05 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
The governments of the United States and its NATO allies routinely
characterize Afghan President Hamid Karzai as corrupt and incompetent.
Certainly, Karzai has his flaws and his leadership is far from perfect. But he is also a well-educated, non-violent, politically savvy
dealmaker in a country where murder, not compromise, is the customary
political tool.
By Bernard I. Finel
21 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
It has become an article of faith that U.S. counterterrorism
policy is a failure, and
that as a consequence a new approach is required. This perception
served as a major justification for the escalation of the conflict in
Afghanistan, and explains much of the resistance to closing the detention
center in Guantanamo. Fortunately for the United States, the real story is quite different.
By Michael A. Cohen
09 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
When President Barack Obama accepts his Nobel Peace Prize this
week in Oslo, it will likely amplify the grumbling of those who think
he is being rewarded for circumscribing American power. These criticisms miss the point. Barack Obama isn't weak. He just helms a superpower whose power and influence is on the wane.
By Yasser M. El-Shimy
04 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
Through a combination of simplicity and truthfulness, President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo last June to "reset" U.S.-Muslim relations was somehow able to convert skeptics into believers. Six months later, America's standing across the Muslim world is
dwindling back to its status quo ante, for a simple reason: The president did not follow up his words with
actions.
By Richard Fontaine and Daniel Twining
26 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
U.S.-India relations are currently drifting, rather than surging forward as they had been for a decade. To correct this imbalance, President Barack Obama should make it clear that his
administration will deal with India in a way commensurate with its
size, its economic and military potential, and its global ambitions.
