Domestic Politics Archive

The latest front in the Arab Spring opened up in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom of Kuwait when Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al Sabah issued a decree on Dec. 6 dissolving Kuwait’s parliament in response to months of protests. The decree, which requires that new elections be held within 60 days, has now become the focus of the growing political crisis in what has historically been the Gulf’s most liberal kingdom. Mark Katz, a George Mason University political scientist and an expert on Gulf politics, told Trend Lines that the situation, however chaotic, isn’t particularly surprising. “The idea of a parliamentary […]

Last week’s Duma elections have identified several weaknesses in Russia’s political system that cannot easily be solved. The current political order will probably survive the protests over the blatant electoral fraud, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is likely to return to the presidency next year. But the Putin system that has defined Russian politics for the past decade is unlikely to last beyond the next decade, since its vulnerabilities cannot be addressed by the modest reforms that the leading members of the regime are willing to tolerate. To truly modernize, Russia must overcome Putinism, develop stronger political parties, achieve greater […]

When most people think of revolutions, they imagine the overthrow of political orders. By contrast, most of what we see today in globalization’s continued expansion is not violent political revolution, but rather unsettling socio-economic revolution. Yes, when existing political orders cannot process that change — and the angry populism that typically accompanies it — they can most definitely fall. This is what we have seen in the Arab Spring to date. But more often this populism leads to political paralysis in countries both democratic and authoritarian. A case in point is the recent controversy in India over Prime Minister Manmohan […]

Last Tuesday’s deadly attacks on Shiite processions in Kabul and Mazar-e Sharif in Afghanistan are further evidence of dangerous instability in neighboring Pakistan and of the Pakistani state’s failure to act coherently to counteract it. A clear understanding of the group responsible is important to understanding the crossborder ramifications of the attacks. Contrary to reports in prominent news outlets, the Pakistani Sunni sectarian terrorist group Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) was not responsible for the attacks. Rather, an LeJ splinter group known as Lashkar-e Jhangvi al-Alami (LeJ-A) — not the original LeJ organization — has claimed responsibility for them. A person claiming […]

The United Nations’ envoy to Yemen met government officials in Taiz, as protesters in Sanaa called for the resignation of President Saleh. Video News by NewsLook

Brazilian police staged a massive security operation in November to take over the Rocinha neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro as part of a broader effort to boost security prior to the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. In an email interview, Benjamin Penglase, an associate professor of anthropology at Loyola University Chicago, discussed Brazil’s internal security push. WPR: What has Brazil’s security policy historically been regarding Rocinha and other similar areas? Benjamin Penglase: Favela neighborhoods such as Rocinha have generally seen only sporadic policing, often only in response to high-profile criminal incidents. The state’s absence allowed drug-trafficking […]

The recent elections in Egypt and Russia have important lessons for both Washington and Beijing about the contour of politics in the 21st century — and the limits of both authoritarianism and Western-style liberalism. For the past 12 years, as part of its campaign to modernize Russia, the Kremlin has encouraged the spread of new communications technology. However, over the course of his time first as president and then as prime minister, Vladimir Putin’s concern with mass communications focused primarily on shaping television coverage. Meanwhile, the growth in Russians’ mobile phone usage, in particular, has been quite dramatic. If less […]

One of the last remaining leaders of the Shining Path guerrilla movement in Peru admits defeat in a rare interview and calls for a truce with the Peruvian government. Video News by NewsLook

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has strongly criticized US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for encouraging and supporting Russians protesting election fraud, and warned of a wider crackdown on dissent. Video News by NewsLook

It is impossible to predict with certainty what the future, even in the short or medium term, holds for the countries of the Middle East. But there is no question that the future of Lebanon is closely linked to that of its neighbor, Syria. With the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad under growing pressure from the domestic opposition, the fragile status quo in Lebanon is also in play. If and when the Assad regime is toppled in Damascus, his fall will unleash fierce political winds in Beirut. Assad has played a key role in the emergence of Hezbollah as […]

In the first decade of the 20th century, Brazil attempted to stake out a space for itself as a major Western Hemisphere naval power, ordering a pair of dreadnought battleships from British yards in 1906. Dubbed Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo, these ships were as capable as any then in operation among the world’s navies, and indeed outgunned early British, German and American contemporaries. The acquisition of the two ships — as well as the planned purchase of a third — set off a naval race in the Southern Cone, with Chile and Argentina soon following suit. Unfortunately, the battleships […]

Tensions are running high in the Democratic Republic of Congo where voters will have to wait at least another two days to find out who their new president will be. Election results had initially been expected for Tuesday.

Tens of thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in an outpouring of national anger against FARC rebels. The protests are in response to the FARC’s killing of four hostages, all members of the armed forces shot during a raid by government troops on a FARC hide-out last month.

There is no question that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will easily return to the Kremlin as president next year and that he will be fully in charge of Russia when he does. But the steady erosion of his regime’s grip over the Russian public was on full display Sunday, when Russian voters elected a new Duma. In the previous legislative elections in 2007, Putin’s United Russia party polled almost two-thirds of the vote and gained enough seats to change the constitution as well. This time around, even with the help of widespread electoral fraud, the party failed to reach […]

The Russian election has been marked by protests in Moscow and St Petersburg, with activists claiming the outcome was rigged by the Kremlin. The protestors also denounced the banning of certain parties. Police have arrested roughly 170 people.

Amateur video posted on a social media website purports to show the funeral of three residents of the Syrian town of Homs, while others hold an anti-regime demonstration.

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of Richard Weitz’s “Strategic Posture Review: Russia,” published in February 2009. In light of the imminent return of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency, it is worth revisiting the mixed legacy of his previous eight years in that office and highlighting the significant changes in the regional and global environment that have impacted Russia’s foreign and defense policies in the four years since he left it. Upon assuming office on May 7, 2000, Putin began a major campaign to restore the authority of the Russian presidency, which had waned under the […]