Articles written by Richard Weitz
By Richard Weitz
09 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
At a Feb. 5 session of the Russian Security Council, President Dmitry
Medvedev finally approved Russia's updated comprehensive military
doctrine. But notwithstanding a lengthy period
of discussion and consideration, and despite all the developments of
the past decade, the latest version generally supports the same policies as the
previous military doctrine adopted in 2000.
By Richard Weitz
02 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
On Jan. 29, a Russian pilot conducted a test flight of the first
warplane entirely designed and built by Russian companies since the
Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Russian
sources describe the PAK FA as the first fifth-generation multi-role
fighter/attack warplane built outside the United States, but some
analysts doubt it meets that category's criteria.
By Richard Weitz
26 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
For weeks, U.S. and Russian government representatives have
stated that they expect a new nuclear arms control treaty to be signed
imminently. Nevertheless, the negotiations continue to drag on. The Obama administration wants
to have a treaty in hand, if not formally ratified, by the opening of
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference this May, but a few remaining issues are holding up the process.
By Richard Weitz
19 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
New evidence has arisen suggesting that Google's decision to no longer self-censor its search engine results for Chinese users was triggered by a cyber attack made possible by "inside" help. But in the diffuse and opaque cyber environment, determining whether
seemingly independent actors are acting with the encouragement or
even at the behest of government agencies is difficult.
By Richard Weitz
19 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
China is replete with contradictions that make the country simultaneously a strong and weak state.
By Richard Weitz
12 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
Just 12 days into 2010, the Chinese government has already made more than a half-dozen official statements warning the Obama administration against selling additional weapons to Taiwan. Chinese policymakers are responding to recently awarded contracts announced by the Pentagon, while also seeking to lay down a marker against further sales during the Obama administration.
By Richard Weitz
05 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
The Chinese government recently launched yet
another trial balloon to test international reaction to its expanding
military reach. The move came in the form of an interview reproduced by
the Defense Ministry's Web site, in which a retired admiral called for
China to acquire its first permanent overseas naval base. We can expect to
see similar expressions of such interest in
coming years.
By Richard Weitz
22 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
During his first visit to Moscow as NATO's secretary-general, Anders
Fogh Rasmussen outlined his vision of "a true strategic partnership"
between Russia and NATO by 2020. Unfortunately, the trip
also highlighted persistent divisions between Russia and the West
regarding NATO enlargement, Afghanistan, and other areas that present
serious obstacles to Rasmussen's roadmap.
By Richard Weitz
15 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
At
a regional security conference in Bahrain, a U.S. official deflected charges that Iran was supporting rebels operating along the
Yemeni-Saudi border, while Iran's foreign minister provided a detailed counteroffer to the West's uranium-swap proposal. Both men's remarks reflect the shared interests and mutual suspicions that continue to characterize U.S.-Iranian relations.
By Richard Weitz
08 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
Russian and Indian policymakers still pursue many common objectives
while having few divergent ones. Yet, ongoing improvements in India's
relations with Western countries, especially the United States, present
challenges to Russian policymakers as they strive to maintain Russia's
position as India's most important strategic partner.
By Richard Weitz
02 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
President Barack Obama offered a
vision last night of his plans to stabilize the deteriorating security
situation in Afghanistan. The core idea is to increase foreign support
for the Afghan government and security forces. But the plan depends on partners with a varying degree of commitment.
By Richard Weitz
01 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
During his sojourn in Paris last week, Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin and his entourage of government
ministers and business executives signed a number of important
commercial agreements with their French counterparts. Yet, the most important possible outcome of Putin's jaunt -- the Russian purchase of the French-built Mistral warship -- has yet to be announced.
By Richard Weitz
24 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
The European Union has filled the two new positions established by the Lisbon Treaty with relatively unknown politicians. Most of the press coverage following the appointments has focused on the personalities of the individuals selected for the jobs. But this preoccupation with personalities risks obscuring the more profound implications of the EU's first steps toward implementing the treaty's provisions.
By Richard Weitz
17 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
BEIJING -- Although nuclear arms control is not likely to be a major
agenda item during President Barack Obama's visit to China, it should
be. One of the obstacles facing the president as he seeks to realize
his ambitious arms control goals is the
need to transform the primarily bilateral strategic arms control
relationship inherited from the Cold War into a multilateral framework.
By Richard Weitz
10 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
BEIJING -- One of the issues President Barack Obama will discuss when he visits China next week is the deadlocked Six-Party
Talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis. Over time, the Chinese government has developed a stake in the talks'
successful outcome as well as in maintaining a smooth negotiating
process. But significant differences remain in the two parties' approach to the talks.
By Richard Weitz
03 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
One issue German Chancellor Angela Merkel may avoid raising in her speech to a joint session of Congress today is her new coalition
government's commitment to remove all U.S. nuclear
weapons from Germany within the next few years. The pledge has focused attention on what has
until now been a low-key debate within NATO over whether to retain
nuclear weapons as a core element of the alliance's strategy.
By Richard Weitz
27 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
A bipartisan commission last week reiterated its warning that the U.S. government is responding inadequately to the threat of bioterrorism. The latest report by the U.S. Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism affirms that progress has been made. But according to the commission, "the clock is still ticking."
By Richard Weitz
20 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
A decade after the U.S. Senate declined to ratify the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty, President Barack Obama is preparing an effort
to reverse that decision. But to secure Senate backing this time
around, the Obama administration must first overcome residual concerns
among some senators that the treaty will harm U.S. national security.
By Richard Weitz
13 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Last week was a busy one for efforts to
negotiate a settlement to North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Meetings between various groupings of regional leaders, including a visit to North Korea by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, resulted in some progress. But longstanding obstacles persist, and new impediments have arisen.
By Richard Weitz
06 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Russia's role in the Oct. 1 meeting between Iran and the
P5+1, which appeared to make considerable progress, remains unclear.
Russian leaders clearly do not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. At the same time, Russian observers openly acknowledge that the tensions between Iran and the
West benefits Russia in several ways -- providing it does not escalate into war.
