Diplomacy and Politics Articles

With the U.S. slowly defining its drone policy, and with drones receiving increasing attention among European policymakers, Europe is laying out its own concerns over the ethics of drone use. The European call to launch a global debate on drone use may be premature. But it could be the first step toward launching trans-Atlantic talks on a code of conduct that could lay the foundation for a global accord. more

For more than 50 years, U.S. national security strategy has undergone cycles of strategic retrenchment and renewal, a pattern that seems to be holding. The U.S. has again begun retrenchment, slashing defense spending and cutting the armed forces. What has not happened, though, is any diminution of U.S. security commitments. Unfortunately, history suggests the U.S. cannot retain its influence on the cheap. more

In an email interview, Michális Michael, research fellow and deputy director of the Center for Dialogue at La Trobe University, explained the background of Turkish Cyprus’ political crisis and its ramifications for the island’s peace process. more

Azerbaijani foreign policy officials and analysts see few signs that the election of Hasan Rowhani as Iran’s next president will bring about any meaningful changes in Iran’s foreign policies—whether regarding Israel, Tehran’s controversial nuclear program or Azerbaijan’s tense relationship with the Islamic Republic. more

The unexpected victory of centrist candidate Hasan Rowhani in Iran’s presidential election signals a significant shift in Iranian politics. It is expected that Rowhani’s victory will help improve Iran’s political environment and restore some limited civil and political rights. But Rowhani’s first order of business is likely to be Iran’s economy, which has deteriorated sharply since the middle of last year. more

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently concluded his first trip in years to Irbil, capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, without having made any tangible progress toward resolving the feud between the central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government under President Masoud Barzani. The region is developing its own energy industry and exporting oil to Turkey. more

On June 3, the U.S. State Department announced its “first reward offers for terrorists in West Africa.” The men named are undoubtedly dangerous—but are they international threats? Groups like al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa and Boko Haram merit serious attention, but real questions remain concerning the capacities, ranges and limitations of such groups. more

Will the Syrian government and its opponents ever sit down for negotiations in Geneva? Announced more than a month ago by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the meeting has been pushed back repeatedly, while Russia and the U.S. appear to be edging closer to a full-scale proxy war in Syria. The promise of talks in Geneva may even have made the conflict worse. more

In an email interview, Adam Moser, assistant director of the U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law at Vermont Law School, explained the difficulty the U.S. and China have had on climate change cooperation and the significance of their recent agreement limiting a highly polluting form of greenhouse gas. more

The Nuclear Suppliers Group remains bitterly divided over the issue of India’s membership, with a U.S.-led bloc supporting India's candidature and a China-led bloc vehemently opposing its entry. The stand-off has frustrated India's deep-seated desire to become an equal of the major nuclear powers. But it also has implications for the future of the NSG and the nuclear nonproliferation regime more broadly. more

The Obama administration is under fire for its apparent fecklessness regarding the civil war in Syria. Washington ought to be doing more to protect Syrians, cry the liberal interventionists. "Inaction" strengthens America's foes and disheartens its allies, argue many neoconservatives. But what if the Obama team, instead of dithering while Syria burns, is in fact executing a cold-blooded, Machiavellian strategy? more

Reports are spreading and speculation is rising that Qatar is nearing a major leadership transition, with the crown prince expected to become prime minister in the next few weeks before replacing his father as emir. more

Like other countries in Europe, Italy is living through a major economic contraction. On the surface, the drama is less visible than in Spain and Greece. Upon closer examination, however, the Italian recession could have much more serious repercussions for the survival of the European project than any other country in the EU. In fact, Italy may well become the country that determines the union’s fate. more

Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River is creating serious tension among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. Egypt fears that the dam’s large storage will put control of Nile water in the hands of upstream Ethiopia, and has tried unsuccessfully to deter Ethiopia from completing the project. Meanwhile, Sudan has sided with Ethiopia, heightening uncertainty in Cairo. more

In an email interview, Bayram Balci, a visiting scholar focusing on Turkish foreign policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, explained Turkey’s relationship with the Central Asian republics. more

When Iran’s June 14 presidential election appeared to be becoming a struggle among reformists, nationalists and so-called principlists, who support the supreme leader’s overriding authority, fundamentalist ayatollahs stepped in to aid their principlist allies. With calls for change, including from the Shiite clergy, gathering steam, the supreme leader seeks to “immunize” the government against having to reform. more

Recent leaks about government programs to sift through telephone and Internet data by Edward Snowden, a low-level defense contractor, may finally unleash a national debate about the adequacy of constitutional protections in the 21st century. The disclosure of classified information, combined with the ongoing WikiLeaks episode, may also begin a broader discussion about the relationship between privacy and security. more

There was heavy fighting last week between the Malian army and separatists belonging to the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), a Tuareg separatist group fighting for autonomy in northern Mali from a stronghold in the city of Kidal. This week, a Malian government delegation reached an agreement with the rebels. more

The attacks of 9/11 convinced many people that deterrence was no longer useful. In the years after, however, interest in deterrence revived as scholars and government officials sought to adapt it to meet contemporary threats. This deterrence revival is a mixed blessing. As long as there are actors willing to use violence to achieve their ends, seeking ways to deter attacks will remain important. But relying on deterrence is risky, and a preoccupation with deterrence can lead to unwise decisions. more

Existing collective security arrangements for the U.S. and its allies were designed for one kind of threat. Now they must deal with new threats if they are to remain relevant to national security. In particular, the U.S. and its allies agree that it would be useful to extend collective defense arrangements against potential cyberattacks, but implementation has proven difficult because of the operational aspects of cyberattack, the ways in which cyberwar will be waged, its limitations and effects, and what must be defended. more

French President Francois Hollande’s three-day visit to Tokyo, where he met with Japanese Prime Minister Abe, resulted in major agreements on nuclear cooperation and military hardware. The summit, which also covered a range of other topics, reflected the noticeable improvement in recent years of the two countries’ already solid bilateral ties and marked the increasing overlap of French and Japanese interests. more