The Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards is supposed to help Hollywood forge closer ties with foreign film industries. But flaws in the category’s rules and process have not only have made it highly politicized and often unfair, but have also prevented it from fulfilling its purpose.
In January, Burundi severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda, accusing Kigali of supporting a DRC-based militia that attacked a Burundian town the month prior. Though sudden, the rift between Burundi and Rwanda just two years after their ostensible reconciliation is unsurprising and can be traced to the conflict in eastern Congo.
Last week, negotiations in the Netherlands to form a government led by Geert Wilders and his Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant party collapsed, leaving the country’s political future uncertain. But even as Wilders’ chances of forging a strong governing coalition seemed to crumble, polls show he has become more popular than ever.
In August 2023, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. signed a set of documents intended to deepen and institutionalize trilateral cooperation. But whether these agreements can endure will depend on domestic politics in Japan and especially South Korea, and not least of all whether their disputes over historical issues can be overcome.
The recent panic over European military self-reliance has fostered an internal shift in attitudes toward the EU among far-right movements. As they warm to a more-powerful Brussels in the hope that they can shape the EU’s agenda, what once seemed like clear ideological battlelines have become increasingly blurred.
The release of the Bob Marley biopic, “One Love,” presents an opportunity to reexamine Marley’s broader intellectual legacy, which has important lessons for anyone interested in the politics of freedom movements and is of particular significance for observers and practitioners of international development.
The International Court of Justice last week agreed to take up the question of whether Ukraine was committing genocide in the war against Russia. The ruling may have surprised some observers, but Ukraine actually asked the ICJ to rule on its own conduct in order to decisively repudiate Russia’s justification for invading.
Relations between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have deteriorated rapidly in recent months because of Abu Dhabi’s alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces, which remains at war with the military-led government. Now, Sudan has reestablished ties with Iran, the latest signal that the UAE’s stance has backfired.
Violence and corruption in Central America, particularly in the Northern Triangle countries, is causing a wave of outward migration. Since taking office, the Biden administration has pledged to tackle the root causes of the problem, which the Trump administration’s restrictive measures and pressure on regional governments did nothing to address. Meanwhile, efforts at reform across the region face opposition from entrenched interests that benefit from the status quo.
Venezuela is unlikely to invade Guyana and destined to lose if it does. So why is it building up troops on the border, in violation of the two sides’ agreement not to do so? At least part of the answer relates to another deal Caracas recently broke that was supposed to lead to internationally monitored elections later this year.
There is no silver bullet for solving the humanitarian challenge on display in the Darien Gap, which thousands of migrants pass through daily. But any solution must involve creating sustainable economic opportunities for residents of border towns, so they are not drawn into the lucrative business of human smuggling.
Amid the debates over U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, one thing is clear: Biden is an internationalist trying to keep the U.S. engaged globally actor. But should he be? More broadly, is it the United States’ place to be highly engaged in the world? Would the U.S. and the world be better off if Washington sat some things out?
Given that so many rebel groups seek to radically restructure society, it comes as no surprise that they would also concern themselves with regulating marriage. So while much of the coverage of rebel marriages is sensationalistic and shallow, marriage is a critical but underappreciated aspect of rebels’ wartime activities.
Over the past two decades, China became an increasingly powerful player in Latin America, displacing the U.S. as a top trading partner and strengthening its political influence in the region. But now, China’s growth has suddenly slowed, creating significant economic risks for Latin America—and opportunities for the United States.
Given the high stakes involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a wide range of domestic, regional and global actors had an interest in a peaceful outcome to December’s presidential election. This accounts for the collective sigh of relief following President Felix Tshisekedi’s landslide victory, despite widespread irregularities.
Hungarian Prime Minister Orban’s capitulation in his standoff with the EU over aid to Ukraine revealed the extent to which his embrace of anti-liberal culture wars is a tactical gambit he is willing to ditch whenever it is necessary to protect EU handouts that fund the corrupt patronage networks on which his regime relies.
When Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took office, even his own supporters doubted that he could tackle much-needed reforms. But they expected to see at least some of the changes he had promised during his years in opposition. Slightly more than a year into Anwar’s term, however, he has scant progress to show on any front.