Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf waves following a meeting with ECOWAS delegates, Banjul, Gambia, Dec. 13, 2016 (AP photo by Sylvain Cherkaoui).

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born into a native Liberian family, meaning her parents were not descendants of the freed American slaves who established the country in the mid-19th century. As a girl, her mother was sent to work in the home of one of these Americo-Liberian families, who are also known as Congo people. Yet in “Madame President,” a biography released earlier this year, the New York Times reporter Helene Cooper notes that throughout her life, Sirleaf has run in the circles of the Congo elite while often being mistaken for one herself. After studying in the U.S., […]

A photo released by the Saudi Press Agency on July 30 shows Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (Saudi Press Agency via AP).

On Monday, a most intriguing photograph started circulating in print and on social media, raising eyebrows, stoking conspiracy theories, and simultaneously stirring worries and anticipation. The picture featured the firebrand Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, dour-faced and black-turbaned, sitting across from a relaxed and smiling Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the young royal who is steadily emerging as the de facto leader of the Sunni kingdom. The picture revealed their unlikely meeting a day earlier in the Saudi city of Jeddah, and it testified to the fact that the two men wanted to make sure their encounter became known […]

A retired Minuteman 1 ballistic missile at the entrance to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. In 1971, the Minuteman 1 was replaced by the Minuteman 3, which forms the foundation of the U.S. nuclear defense strategy (AP photo by Charlie Riedel).

Few noticed the negotiations at the United Nations for a legally binding prohibition on nuclear weapons, until they were quickly completed last month. On July 7, 122 states voted in favor of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which prohibits parties from engaging in activities related to the development, deployment or use of nuclear weapons, and lays out pathways to eventually disarm those states that possess them. The ban is likely to reinforce existing divides between countries that rely on nuclear weapons for their security, and those that don’t—an outcome for which proponents and opponents of the treaty […]

U.S. troops, part of a NATO mission to enhance Poland’s defense, prepare for an official welcoming ceremony, Orzysz, Poland, April 13, 2017 (AP photo by Czarek Sokolowski).

Ever since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and military intervention in eastern Ukraine, NATO’s Eastern European member states have expressed mounting concern over their own security. Moscow still holds substantial political capital in the region and, as evinced by upcoming war games that will bring some 100,000 Russian troops to their borders in September, is willing to use its military capabilities to ratchet up tensions. WPR has compiled 10 articles analyzing the politics of Eastern European security in the face of renewed Russian adventurism. Purchase this special report as a Kindle e-book. The Political Battlefield How to Deter Russia From […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban during a reception ceremony, Budapest, Hungary, July 18, 2017 (MTI photo by Balazs Mohai via AP).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent trip to Europe brought him to Hungary at a time when the government there was being accused of deploying anti-Semitic imagery and rhetoric in a campaign against billionaire George Soros. During a meeting with Central European leaders, a hot mic picked up Netanyahu bashing the European Union’s policy with respect to Israel as “actually crazy.” In an email interview, Dr. Toby Greene, an Israeli Institute Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, explains why these mini-scandals were somewhat beside the point for a visit focused […]

Supporters of Madagascar President Hery Rajaonarimampianina at an election rally, Antananarivo, Madagascar, Oct. 23, 2013 (AP photo by Schalk van Zuydam).

In announcing his resignation last month, Madagascar’s finance minister, Gervais Rakotoarimanana, said conditions were not in place for him to succeed in the role, though he did not elaborate. While respected by international donors, Rakotoarimanana was not as beloved by other members of the government, and the private sector also viewed him warily. In an email interview, Richard R. Marcus, professor and director of the Global Studies Institute and the International Studies Program at California State University, Long Beach, describes the politics behind Rakotoarimanana’s resignation and how it fits in with preparations for elections in 2018, which he says are […]

President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House, Washington, June 30, 2017 (AP photo by Evan Vucci).

We are used to thinking and speaking about a nation state in the global arena as an actor with a coherent agenda, voice and infrastructure for pursuing its policy preferences. Six months into the Trump administration, it has become clear that “the United States” no longer exists in the sense of this usage. The implications are alarming, as it coincides with an emerging awareness, both domestically and abroad, that the new U.S. president is a weak leader who is not at all prepared to follow up on his policy improvisations and bluffs. As a result, we have now entered a […]

A package of marijuana legally bought from a pharmacy in Montevideo, Uruguay, July 19, 2017 (DPA photo by Pablo Abarenga via AP).

In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to fully legalize and regulate the production, distribution and consumption of marijuana. Three and a half years later, pharmacies there finally began selling marijuana, the result of a long and complex regulatory process. While the government’s strict regulations are likely to limit the emergence of a booming marijuana industry, what impact could full legalization have in Uruguay and beyond? Some lessons and warnings may be found in the illicit trade not of drugs, but of tobacco. As of July 19, Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents have three ways to […]

A black-and-white depiction of Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attracts signatures and comments of support amid a diplomatic crisis between Qatar and neighboring Arab countries, Doha, Qatar, July 3, 2017 (AP photo by Maggie Hyde).

After two months, the crisis between Qatar and its larger Gulf neighbors shows no signs of resolution. The stalemate may endure for some time, with significant costs to all parties. But it’s worth considering other possible outcomes and how to avoid or encourage those alternatives. In early June, the Arab Gulf region was roiled when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, along with Bahrain and Egypt, launched an aggressive political and economic attack on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, engaging Iran and undermining stability in the region through its sponsorship of Al Jazeera, the feisty media operation based […]

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh attend the opening ceremony of the Connect Arab Summit, Doha, Qatar, March 6, 2012 (AP photo by Osama Faisal).

When a group of four Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia launched a dramatic diplomatic gambit by severing ties with Qatar in early June, the crisis immediately commanded the world’s attention. The leaders of major powers, from Washington to Paris and Beijing, recognized the situation’s high stakes and—with the exception of some early-round Twitter provocation from U.S. President Donald Trump—began pushing for a resolution. In Africa, too, the Gulf spat drew swift responses, with countries such as Mauritania and the Comoros following Riyadh’s lead and breaking ties with Doha, while others staked out less forceful positions or promoted dialogue. Meanwhile, […]

Members and supporters of Sri Lanka’s LGBT community participate in an event organized to mark World AIDS Day, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dec. 1, 2012 (AP photo by Eranga Jayawardena).

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on LGBT rights and discrimination in various countries around the world. Sri Lanka has been pursuing constitutional reforms since President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in 2015. LGBT activists hope the process will yield legal protections that could curb abuses ranging from police harassment to job discrimination. While the island nation has been praised for a progressive policy on gender recognition for transgender people, same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults are still criminalized. In an email interview, Yuvraj Joshi, a law fellow with Lambda Legal who documented abuses against […]

Thai bomb squad officers examine the wreckage of a car after an explosion outside a hotel in Pattani province, southern Thailand, Aug. 24, 2016 (AP photo by Sumeth Panpetch).

Amid a recent spate of attacks, and with peace talks floundering, the long-running separatist insurgency in southern Thailand is showing worrying signs of escalation. On May 9, twin explosions at a busy supermarket in the southern province of Pattani injured 61 people, before a roadside bomb planted by militants killed six Thai soldiers in the same province on June 19. Peace talks between Thailand’s ruling military junta, which seized power after toppling the democratically elected government in a 2014 coup, and a loose organization of rebel groups have been ongoing for more than two years. However, little progress has been […]

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