Articles written by Richard Weitz
By Richard Weitz
09 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
It could take over a month before the Iraqi Supreme Court confirms the
results of Sunday's legislative elections, but the process itself has
already shown significant successes in several dimensions. Although important questions regarding Iraq's future, and America's role in it,
remain unresolved, this latest election confirms Iraq's status as a
functioning democracy, a rarity in the Middle East.
By Richard Weitz
02 Mar 2010 |
World Politics Review
Iranian officials have recently accused the United States of plotting to
use a Sunni terrorist group, Jundallah, to overthrow the Islamic
Republic of Iran. Though Tehran has made such charges before, this is
the first time the Iranian government has explicitly tied the alleged
efforts to President Barack Obama. Several reasons explain both the
motivations behind Tehran's accusations as well as their timing.
By Richard Weitz
24 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is playing a crucial role
in sustaining the alliance's Afghan mission, encouraging allied
governments and publics alike to
appreciate their partners' perspectives, as well as the value of
NATO as an institution. He was in Washington this week, in part to remind Americans of other NATO allies'
contributions to the Afghanistan War.
By Richard Weitz
23 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
Just when it looked like Russia and the United States were about to
finalize the terms of a nuclear arms reduction agreement to
replace the START I Treaty, their
longstanding bilateral missile defense dispute has exploded again. The latest crisis arose after Bulgaria and Romania's announced their willingness to deploy ground-based interceptor
missiles on their territories.
By Richard Weitz
16 Feb 2010 |
World Politics Review
The Group of Experts assisting with the drafting of NATO's new Strategic
Concept traveled to Moscow last week, in an effort to reassure Russia
about NATO and its activities. But the visit, which followed the release of Russia's
new military doctrine characterizing the alliance's activities as
a threat, did little to narrow the divide between NATO and Russia on core European security
issues.
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.
