World Politics Review

Chavez Faces Challenges Ahead of Elections

Posted By The Editors 18 Aug 2010 Next month, Venezuela will hold elections for the national assembly -- an opportunity that could either support the continued dominance of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez or reveal what some public opinion polls show as a slippage in popularity. Despite mounting domestic issues, Chavez's advantages are numerous while the opposition continues to appear weak.

A Look Inside WikiLeaks

Posted By The Editors 17 Aug 2010 WikiLeaks, the controversial website where anonymous users can submit highly classified government and corporate documents, has recently come under fire for posts involving the war effort in Afghanistan. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange discusses the site and his motivation.

Governments Prepare for Cyber War

Posted By The Editors 12 Aug 2010 NewsHour's Spencer Michels reports from a Las Vegas hacker conference on governmental efforts to stop online tampering that could affect critical infrastructure. Attendees at the DefCon hacker convention explain the United State military's reliance on networks and their extreme vulnerabilities to cyber attack. Michael Hayden, who was director of both the CIA and the National Security Agency, says of the attacks, "If you do something in the cyber-domain, something happens in physical space. This is not just a video game."

Kagame Responds to Critics

Posted By The Editors 11 Aug 2010 Rwandan President Paul Kagame won a landslide victory in the country's controversial presidential election. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Kagame addresses critics who say there was no real opposition represented in the polls and adds that he has no intention of tampering with the Rwandan constitution in the future to extend his time in office as other African leaders have done.

Who is in Charge in Iraq?

Posted By The Editors 06 Aug 2010 Writer and scholar Reza Aslan discusses President Barack Obama's Iran strategy at a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations debate entitled "The Future of Western Relations with the Muslim World." Aslan says he agrees with Obama's initial approach to an unstable Iran, however, a shift in Tehran has caused the once solid policy to be on uneven ground.

Obama: Ending Combat in Iraq

Posted By The Editors 04 Aug 2010 President Barack Obama speaks to the national convention of Disabled American Veterans about the impending troop withdrawal from Iraq, with an emphasis on the country's dedication to its veterans. Click here for WPR's Richard Weitz's take on the speech.

The Long War in Afghanistan

Posted By The Editors 02 Aug 2010 The Guardian's Sean Smith created this short film after a recent five-week trip to Afghanistan. Smith follows first a U.S. helicopter ambulance crew and then a group of U.S. marines on their daily missions.

Viewer discretion is advised. This video contains distressing scenes and strong language.

The New START Treaty

Posted By The Editors 02 Aug 2010 United States Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller delivered a statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the new START treaty. Gottemoeller was the lead United States negotiator on the new treaty. She highlighted the fact that there were no backroom deals during negotiations, despite rumors of the contrary, and emphasized the treaty's importance.

Saudi Arabia, Syria Show Support for Lebanon

Posted By The Editors 30 Jul 2010 King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Bashar al-Assad, Syria's president, held joint talks with Lebanon's prime minister in order to quell tensions in a country on the brink of violence, should a U.N. inquiry into the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri result in accusations toward Hezbollah. Despite the fact that Saudi Arabia and Syria support opposing factions in Lebanon, the country's two leaders visited together as a show of support for overall stability. Al Jazeera's Rula Amin reports from Beirut.

U.N. Court Declares Kosovo Independence Not a Violation

Posted By The Editors 23 Jul 2010 The United Nations International Court of Justice released its advisory opinion that Kosovo's declaration of independence does not violate international law. The decision is non-binding.

Russia Today talks to Bojan Brkic, a foreign policy editor at Serbian Public TV to get the Serbian reaction to the decision. Brkic acknowledges that Serbia will have to face the Kosovo accession issue before moving toward EU membership.

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