World Politics Review

Losing Afghanistan 101: A Four-Part Video Op-ed

Posted By David Axe 08 Sep 2010 In this four-part video opinion series on Afghanistan, WPR contributor David Axe examines obstacles to NATO and U.S. victory in Afghanistan. These include terrain, a culture of corruption, the agrarian nature of the economy, and the technology employed by U.S. and NATO forces, he argues.

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Lesson I: Terrain

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Lesson II: Culture of Corruption

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Lesson III: Thinking Like a Farmer

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Lesson IV: Technology

A New Beginning in Middle East Peace Talks

Posted By The Editors 02 Sep 2010 President Obama, President Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Isreal, and Palestinian Authority President Abbas speak about achieving peace in the Middle East in Washington DC.

Biden Speaks on Iraq Troop Withdrawal

Posted By The Editors 02 Sep 2010 NewsHour's Margaret Warner talks to United States Vice President Joe Biden about the U.S. troop drawdown in Iraq and what's next for Iraqis. Biden talks about what the remaining 50,000 troops in Iraq will actually be doing as well as the evolving role of Iraqi security forces.

Obama Speaks on Ending Combat Mission in Iraq

Posted By The Editors 01 Sep 2010 President Barack Obama announces the end of the combat mission in Iraq, discusses the future of the United States' commitment in the country, and further discusses U.S. engagement and ways forward in Afghanistan.

A Conflicted Vision for Afghanistan

Posted By The Editors 31 Aug 2010 World Politics Review contributors John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress discuss the conflict of visions for the way forward in Afghanistan with NewsHour's Ray Suarez. Katulis and Nagl discuss recent discouraging statements by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and how a competing vision for the future of Afghanistan could affect allied forces' operation there.

A Nuclear Iran Is the 'Point of No Return'

Posted By The Editors 24 Aug 2010 American economist, political writer, and commentator, Thomas Sowell discusses what he thinks would be the outcome of a nuclear Iran in a Hoover Institution interview. Sowell says the United States needs to take the Iran nuclear threat more seriously, seeking out military options should diplomacy fail. He continues that unlike in the Cold War where Russia feared retaliation should it launch nuclear weapons, leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran are more concerned with waging a holy war than with the consequences.

Previewing Israeli-Palestinian Talks

Posted By The Editors 23 Aug 2010 As Israel and the Palestinian Authority prepare to engage in the first direct peace negotiations in almost two years, NewsHour talks to David Makovsky, senior fellow at the Washington Institute and co-author of the book "Myths, Illusions and Peace," and Ghaith Al-Omari, advocacy director at the American Task Force on Palestine and a fellow at the Center for American Progress.

Contractors to Fill Security Void in Iraq

Posted By The Editors 23 Aug 2010 As combat troops withdraw from Iraq, controversial private security firms are coming in to fill the security void, according to the U.S. State Department. Officials say that contractors will be subject to the Afghan legal system this time around, however skeptics remain following the now infamous Blackwater scandal of 2007.

Australia Election Preview

Posted By The Editors 20 Aug 2010 Australia's economy may have weathered the global financial crisis relatively well, but the country's economic state is still featuring prominently in hopefuls' campaigns leading up to this weekend's parliamentary elections. This newly elected parliament will be charged with replacing ousted Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, though his party's current leader and the country's interim prime minister, Julia Gillard, may no longer be the obvious choice as successor.

Spending in Iraq Riddled with Corruption

Posted By The Editors 19 Aug 2010 Stuart Bowen, U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq, says the system that pays contractors for work in Afghanistan is largely to blame for poor work quality, unfinished projects, and gross overspending. The U.S. has spent at least $700 billion on the Iraq war over the last seven years and is expected to continue spending large amounts of tax payer dollars in that country in development, now that combat troops have been withdrawn.

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