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U.S. Engagement No 'Magic Bullet' in Burma
By Colby Pacheco 06 Nov 2009World Politics Review
This week's visit of a high-level U.S. diplomat to Burma is the latest in a series of moves geared toward engaging with that country's reclusive ruling military junta. Unfortunately, though the aims of the Obama administration are admirable, effecting change in Burma is something the U.S. cannot accomplish if it acts alone.
In Ethiopia, Food Stability Through Index Insurance
By John Perra 05 Nov 2009 | World Politics Review Since famine killed 1 million Ethiopians 25 years ago, the country has remained in a cycle of drought-driven crises keeping it dependent on foreign aid. A new crop insurance program aims to eliminate the need for such emergency aid while bringing sustainability to an ongoing agricultural problem.To Balance China, India Turns to Japan
By Jason Miks 04 Nov 2009 | World Politics Review TOKYO -- The Dalai Lama was not the only influential figure looking for an audience in Tokyo last month. His visit followed close on the heels of current Indian National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan, who met with recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Indeed, as tensions mount between India and China, some analysts see Japan as a natural ally for New Delhi.Rio Violence Reveals Brazil's Image Gap
By Eliot Brockner 03 Nov 2009 | World Politics Review Brazil has had a lot to celebrate recently. The nation has taken on an increasingly important role in matters of regional diplomacy and has emerged as the de facto political and economic leader of Latin America. And earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee awarded Rio de Janeiro the 2016 Olympic Games. But ever since Oct. 17, the spotlight has been on Brazil for all the wrong reasons.How to Ratify the Test Ban Treaty
By Kingston Reif 02 Nov 2009 | World Politics Review Ten years ago last month, the U.S. Senate failed to approve the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. A decade later, the dangers posed by the potential spread of nuclear weapons and materials to additional states and terrorists have increased dramatically. Stopping proliferation will require a global effort -- and an early, essential step in that effort must be U.S. ratification of the test ban.In Sudan, the Pitfalls of Advocacy-Led Foreign Policy
By Alan Boswell 30 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review Sudan has become an unlikely foreign policy priority for the Obama administration. For this, the Sudanese can thank the Darfur advocacy movement, which effectively put the nation on the map for the American public over the past six years. But the internal tension hidden within President Barack Obama's newly formulated Sudan policy is that Darfur is no longer the main attraction. Not even close.UAE Nuclear Ambitions Have Washington's Blessings
By Saurav Jha 30 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review The U.S.-UAE 123 Agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, set to come into force, has the firm backing of the Obama administration, which sees it as a model for countries looking to introduce nuclear energy to their territories. For the UAE, the deal reaffirms its close ties to the West, and represents a gateway to developing a source of energy that, for a number of reasons, makes sense for the Emirates.Help Wanted: European President
By Nicolas Nagle 29 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review BRUSSELS, Belgium -- If all goes as expected and the Lisbon Treaty finally enters into effect in the coming months, the European Union will soon face another major challenge: electing a permanent president for the European Council. The debate has already begun in Brussels over not only who would be the most suitable candidate for the job, but also over the functions the post should include.Inside Obama's Iran Policy Shop
By Jordan Michael Smith 28 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review In breaking off relations with Iran almost 30 years ago to the day, the U.S. lost its most valuable source of information about the Islamic regime. To fill the void, the Obama administration has turned to scholars and experts for insight. Indeed, President Barack Obama's policy of outreach toward Tehran has been decisively shaped by the wide array of Iran experts from whom he has taken advice.China's Climate Change Policy: The Dragon's Green Streak
By Prashanth Parameswaran 28 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review Chinese President Hu Jintao's landmark address to the U.N. Climate Change Conference last month captured the essence of China's Janus-faced climate change policy -- which, despite remarkable progress, continues to be bogged down with implementation problems and overshadowed by China's concerns with economic growth.New Coalition Pulls Germany's Merkel to the Right
By David Francis 27 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review BERLIN -- For weeks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Party have been locked in tough negotiations with the Free Democrats over both cabinet appointments and tax policy. In the end, Merkel was the one to compromise, suggesting that she might increasingly find her centrist roots at odds with her preferred coalition partner on the right.Pakistan's Civil Society Still Needs U.S. Support
By Jamsheed K. Choksy 26 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review A major reorientation in U.S. policy toward Pakistan is underway, with the planning, administration, and staffing of reconstruction projects being handed over to the government of Pakistan and to private Pakistani organizations. What remains uncertain is whether local Pakistani organizations have the expertise and capacity to implement development efficiently.In Guinea, China's Africa Policy Still Off-Key
By Lauren Gelfand 23 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review The United States and France have joined a chorus of disapproving African states to condemn recent events in Guinea, which have dimmed hopes that the resource-rich West African nation might finally achieve democratic civilian. One voice that has opted against singing from the international hymn book, however, is arguably Guinea's most important interlocutor: China.Balance of Power Key to U.S.-China Relations
By Ali Wyne 22 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review As the People's Republic of China celebrated its 60th anniversary, observers used the occasion to advocate strengthened cooperation between China and the United States. However, the substance of bilateral cooperation depends on the balance of power between the two countries.India Wary of U.S. South Asia Policy
By Neeta Lal 21 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review NEW DELHI -- The controversy caused in Islamabad by the Kerry-Lugar Bill, which authorizes an annual grant of $1.5 billion to Pakistan for military and non-military purposes over the next five years, is by now well-known. But because of its implications for the entire South Asian region, the bill has also been greeted with alarm in India.India Finds the Going Tough in Afghanistan
By Siddharth Srivastava 21 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review NEW DELHI -- India has long seen a reconstruction role for itself in Afghanistan, despite its lack of direct military involvement in the country. Its interests there are obvious: A strong Kabul ensures that jihadi forces in Pakistan do not use Afghanistan as a backyard assembly line for militants who can then be turned against India. But New Delhi is not finding its Afghan sojourn easy.Zimbabwe Unity Government Once Again on the Brink
By Mxolisi Ncube 20 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Zimbabwe's national unity government, limping since its formation, is now threatened with an ultimate collapse, after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party announced that it was temporarily pulling out of the coalition.LNG and Russia's Shifting Gas Strategy
By Matt Stone 19 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review When Russia invited Western energy companies to help develop Siberian natural gas fields in late September, many observers viewed it as proof that low oil prices had forced Moscow to reconsider its adversarial relations with private investors. That interpretation ignores a more important narrative that emerged from the meeting about Russia's shifting attention toward liquefied natural gas.Steps Toward Crafting a Nuclear Deal With Iran
By Kaveh Afrasiabi 16 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review An agreement on the delivery of nuclear fuel for Iran's medical reactor in all likelihood will have positive ripple effects on the broader, macro issues of concern regarding Iran's nuclear program. It will boost Tehran's flexibility, enhance its mood for cooperation with the IAEA, and even increase the IAEA's chance of persuading Tehran to re-adopt the intrusive Additional Protocol.The EU Lisbon Treaty and Transatlantic Relations
By Soeren Kern 16 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review The Lisbon Treaty is designed, in part, to significantly boost the EU's global clout. A more powerful EU will, in turn, affect changes in the world's geopolitical landscape in ways that are still unknown. Among the big unanswered questions is what impact the Lisbon Treaty will have on transatlantic relations in general, and on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in particular.Ending uGov a Step Back for U.S. Intel Community
By Chris Bronk 15 Oct 2009 | World Politics Review If there is one lesson we should have learned from 9/11 regarding intelligence collection, it is that the national intelligence bureaucracy's "need to know" bias should be replaced with an emphasis on the "need to share." That's why the U.S. Intelligence Community's decision to shut down uGov, a webmail system for the IC and those who need to work with it on a regular basis, is alarming.
