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The Realist Prism: Horse Trading with Beijing
By Nikolas Gvosdev 20 Nov 2009World Politics Review
During his trip to Asia, President Barack Obama laid out a grand vision for a U.S.-China partnership, working together to solve the world's most pressing issues. It sounds very dramatic, almost like a form of co-dominion, with two global powers sharing the burdens of maintaining the international order. There's just one small problem: That is not what the United States is offering.
World Citizen: Ethnic Divisions Are Iran's Other Achilles' Heel
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.
War is Boring: Generator Delivery Underscores Afghan War Challenges
By David Axe
21 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
One unit's solution to the problem of powering an observation post
illustrates many of the most vexing challenges underlying the
eight-year-old Afghanistan war. Poor infrastructure, daunting terrain,
manpower shortages, equipment shortfalls and a sometimes ambivalent
local populace dog not just 3rd Squadron, but the whole war effort.
Global Insights: Obama Prepares to Re-engage on CTBT
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.
The New Rules: Seeing China's Present Through America's Past
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
19 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Our nation was blessed to have a generation of reformers rise at the turn of the 20th century to tame our
exceedingly rapacious style of capitalism. Without their efforts and
the resulting new rules, our union would have once again come apart at
the seams. That difficult and tumultuous journey is worth remembering as we contemplate China's stunningly similar trajectory today.
Under the Influence: A New Horizon for Haiti
By Andrew Bast
16 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Haiti is no haven for investment. It is dangerous. It is
underdeveloped. And despite former President Bill Clinton's recent assertion that this could be the
best moment he's seen in his lifetime for a reinvigorated economy
there, Haiti -- to put it bluntly -- has a long way to go. But
the island may very well be experiencing a harmonious
confluence of efforts by international actors to make things better.
World Citizen: For Turkey and Israel, Common Interests Trump Tensions
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.
War is Boring: Counterpiracy Mission Targets Seafarers' Hearts and Minds
By David Axe
14 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
ABOARD USS DONALD COOK -- Boarding teams man the front lines of the war against piracy. When one of the warships patrolling East
African waters encounters a pirate boat, it's usually the boarding team that's tasked to apprehend the crew. It's dangerous work that also represents the point of contact between a powerful naval coalition and a community of struggling fishermen.
Global Insights: Korean Nuclear Diplomacy Resumes
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.
The New Rules: Obama's Nobel Says 'Thank You, America'
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
12 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
America awoke last Friday to the stunning news that President Barack Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As with all such awards, more was revealed
about the selectors than the selected. So if the choice of Obama is
inarguably premature, then what signal does the prize send? Simply put, Thank you, America.
Under the Influence: Tangled Up in Cuba
By Andrew Bast
09 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
November will mark 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end
of communism in Europe, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Cold War has
been over for as long as it takes to educate an entirely new generation
of leaders. But although the leaders of both the U.S. and Cuba have changed, the backward view each has of the other has not.
World Citizen: Fatah-Hamas Deal Could Spell Trouble
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.
War is Boring: Iranian Naval Patrols Mystify Pirate-Hunting Coalition
By David Axe
07 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
In the waters off Somalia, world powers have assembled a naval
counter-piracy coalition that includes flotillas from NATO, the EU, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Russia. The roughly 40 ships share intelligence and supplies, and, when necessary, help cover each other. There's just one country that refuses to cooperate: Iran.
Global Insights: Parsing Moscow's Iran Policy
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.
The New Rules: The Next Half-Century's Great Waves of Change
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
05 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Will humanity be ready for what happens when realizable lifespan jumps from 100 years to 150 in a generation's time? Science fiction
naturally prefers exploring the "no" answer, because therein lies great
drama. But my professional opinion is a lot more optimistic, so long as
we understand the likely sequencing of this planet-shaping trend in
relation to several others also now in the works.
Under the Influence: A Dearth of Diplomats
By Andrew Bast
02 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Not long after the so-called "civilian surge" was announced as part of
the troop buildup in Afghanistan, a veteran State Department foreign
service officer I spoke with posed a simple question: "Where are they
going to come from?" The central challenge facing the mission
in Afghanistan, and State Department operations
around the world, is a dearth of diplomats.
World Citizen: Israel Reassured by New Iran Developments
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.
War Is Boring: In Somalia, Security Gains Mean Piracy Decline
By David Axe
30 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
ABOARD U.S.S. DONALD COOK -- In 2008, Somali pirates hijacked more than
100 large commercial vessels, provoking a massive international
response that included multilateral naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and diplomatic initiatives to forge consensus. The result, a year into this "global war on piracy," is that successful hijackings are way down.
Global Insights: The End of the German Draft?
By Richard Weitz
29 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
In addition to potential effects on Germany's
economic and foreign policies, the results of Sunday's
national elections raise questions about the future of Germany's
longstanding practice of military conscription. Although Chancellor Angela Merkel's CDU
continues to support compulsory military service, her preferred new coalition partner, the FDP, opposes it.
The New Rules: For a New Economic Era, We Need New Allies
By Thomas P.M. Barnett
28 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
President Barack Obama's most telling statement at the United Nations last week spoke
volumes about the limits of U.S. power in an interdependent world:
"Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world
cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems
alone." Atlas has put down the heavy globe and has neither the
intention nor the wherewithal to pick it up again.
Under the Influence: Taking the Yardstick to the General Assembly
By Andrew Bast
25 Sep 2009 |
World Politics Review
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday
morning, President Barack Obama called the interests of nations and peoples "shared." By this logic, American power around the world depends on cooperation. The General
Assembly presents an ideal opportunity to consider how much such cooperation is possible.
