Articles written by Frida Ghitis
By Frida Ghitis
04 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
In the 11 years since Hugo Chávez became president of Venezuela, the
country has experienced almost constant political and economic drama. Despite the stiff competition of years past, though, 2010 is already
taking shape as a year of reckoning for the country, the man, and the
ideology. Chávez will not go down without a fight. This is the year of the fight.
By Frida Ghitis
21 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
JERUSALEM -- A recent assassination attempt targeting Israeli
diplomats posted to Jordan is a stark reminder that, while the international community
ponders diplomatic formulas and economic sanctions as a way to stop
Iran's nuclear program without going to war, Israel and Iran are
already at war. For now, it is mostly a cold war -- with flashes of
extreme heat.
By Frida Ghitis
14 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
JERUSALEM -- The Obama administration is working hard to correct the
missteps it made in the opening phases of its attempt to mediate a
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The administration is learning from its mistakes and better understanding the nuances of this complicated conflict. And yet, its propensity to make counterproductive moves persists.
By Frida Ghitis
07 Jan 2010 |
World Politics Review
President Barack Obama tried his best to avoid it, but the moment has
now arrived when he has no choice but to impose new sanctions on Iran.
The challenge now is to find the formula that will prove effective in
pressuring the regime without undermining Iranian protesters who have
risked their lives to demand change.
By Frida Ghitis
24 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has faced challenging
times before, but in recent months, Tehran has been confronted with one
crisis after another. The threats of severe international sanctions
over its nuclear program are mounting, just as domestic strife
undermines the legitimacy of the regime. With its plate so full, why
did Iran suddenly decide to taunt Iraq?
By Frida Ghitis
17 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
In the face of criticism from across the political spectrum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech this week presenting the Obama administration's approach to human rights. In it, she articulated a policy that
holds fast to progressive values, while keeping a close eye on the need
to achieve results. She called the new approach "Principled Pragmatism."
By Frida Ghitis
10 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
For countries without the luxury of the large military budgets that fuel
hard power or the massive cultural and economic assets that underpin
soft power, a third way has emerged as a path to global influence. Call
it "Mediating Muscle." But the competition has become fierce between countries vying to become influential players on the global scene by mediating
international conflicts.
By Frida Ghitis
03 Dec 2009 |
World Politics Review
Every few months, Israelis undergo an emotionally wrenching
experience, with one family in particular experiencing it on a level no
other could comprehend. With cruel regularity, the media announce the imminent release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit,
captured by Palestinian operatives more than three years ago. Though Israelis yearn for his release, they fear the cost may prove overwhelming.
By Frida Ghitis
26 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have ranged over the years from
coolly cordial to openly hostile. After all, the two countries have very different histories and conflicting political ideologies, and they stand on opposing sides of
the Shiite-Sunni divide. In recent months, strains in the relationship
have greatly intensified, bringing the neighbors dangerously close to open
confrontation.
By Frida Ghitis
19 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Middle Eastern diplomacy has intensified enormously in recent months, but don't expect to see peace break out any time soon as a result of that new burst of activity. That's because the latest wave of diplomacy has surfaced in a most unlikely place: South America, which is fast becoming a proxy for the not-so-cold war between Iran and Israel.
By Frida Ghitis
12 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
President Barack Obama has managed to improve the popular standing of the United States in many countries previously hostile to it. Ironically, though, relations between Obama and the leaders of U.S. allies have turned rather frosty, particularly in Europe. If Obama's first foreign policy chapter was marked by engagement with America's foes, the next chapter may well require improving ties with its friends.
By Frida Ghitis
05 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Before 9/11, no one could have predicted that attacks concocted in
remote, impoverished Afghanistan might have such a cataclysmic impact
on history. Now we know that we ignore such states at our own risk.
That's why remote and impoverished Yemen, a country by all appearances undergoing a slow-motion collapse, is likely to draw increasing
attention -- and cause increasing alarm.
By Frida Ghitis
29 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
One of the most reliable lessons one gleans from observing
intra-Palestinian politics is the need to always expect the unexpected.
Important events have a tendency not to unfold according to plan. We
should keep that in mind when considering Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas' sudden call for new parliamentary and presidential elections to be held on Jan. 24.
By Frida Ghitis
22 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
The disturbances following last June's presidential election revealed one of Iran's great weaknesses: widespread
discontent with a regime of questionable legitimacy. Now that the
regime has suppressed the protests, however, the problem of internal
dissent has not ended. As it turns out, Iran has another Achilles'
Heel, one just as debilitating as its political rifts: its deep ethnic
divisions.
By Frida Ghitis
15 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Turkey and Israel's relationship has long stood as a
unique model of pragmatic, strategic thinking in a region rife with
instability, tension, and identity-based alliances. In recent months, growing strains between the two countries have led some to believe
their decades-old ties could reach the breaking point. But a closer look at the relationship reveals that a break is highly unlikely.
By Frida Ghitis
08 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Ramallah is experiencing an economic boom that looks deceptively like normalcy. Beneath the visible progress, however, signs are growing that the
months ahead could bring heightened tension. Ironically, one source of the possible turmoil is the expected signing on Oct. 25 of a reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas.
By Frida Ghitis
01 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
JERUSALEM -- The latest developments surrounding Iran and its nuclear
program would seem, on the surface, to provide Israel with reasons for
even deeper worries about the threat from the Islamic Republic. Instead, the international reaction to
Iran's moves is providing Israeli leaders with a sense of reassurance that Washington and the rest of the world will not leave them to handle Iran on their own.
By Frida Ghitis
24 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
JERUSALEM -- History will record Tuesday's trilateral summit at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel as the moment when U.S. President Barack Obama
recognized that his initial strategy for bringing Israelis and
Palestinians to the negotiating table had become counter-productive.
Realizing he was on the wrong course, Obama began a gradual shift
toward a less dramatic, less public, and potentially more successful
route.
By Frida Ghitis
17 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
JERUSALEM -- Last Friday, Sept. 11, Katyusha rockets fired from
southern Lebanon landed near the town of Nahariya in northern Israel.
No one was hurt, but the incident brought to mind a mostly quiet
rivalry that has lain dormant, but could stir without warning inside
Lebanon: Hezbollah and al-Qaida despise one another, and in this part
of the world, hatred usually leads to bloodshed.
By Frida Ghitis
10 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
TEL AVIV, Israel -- The announcement that Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu plans to approve the construction of more housing
for Jewish settlers in the West Bank was interpreted by many Western observers as a snub,
in light of Washington's demands for a settlement freeze. In Israel,
however, some see the move as a sign that Netanyahu is preparing to
work with U.S. President
Barack Obama.
