U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presents his annual report at the opening of the general debate of the U.N. General Assembly’s seventieth session, New York, Sept. 28, 2015 (U.N. photo by Loey Felipe).

As world leaders begin the annual marathon that is the United Nations General Assembly opening session for the 70th time, expect the rhetoric to be both sober and soaring. The institution is caught between honest assessments of its shortcomings and grandiose pronouncements of its future goals that will inspire some and irritate others. At the risk of simplification, one can evaluate the U.N.’s track record over its seven decades in three distinct areas: war and peace, norm-setting on complex transnational issues and responses to humanitarian, environmental and moral crises. On the question of war and peace, the verdict has to […]

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is interviewed by the Associated Press at Blair House in Washington, July 21, 2015 (AP photo by Cliff Owen).

Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, spent three days last week in France, on his second major trip out of Africa since taking office on May 29. The items topping Buhari’s agenda in Paris—economic investment and security cooperation—reflected his main challenges at home: an economy in turmoil and the persistent threat of the jihadi movement Boko Haram. The visit also demonstrated Buhari’s patient, long-term thinking about Nigeria’s problems, which includes a greater willingness to work with neighbors and international partners than his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan. At the same time, demands within Nigeria for immediate change confront Buhari with an imperative to demonstrate […]

The tower of the the Centenario deep-water drilling platform rises off the coast of Veracruz, Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, Nov. 22, 2013 (AP photo by Dario Lopez-Mills).

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on the impact of falling oil and commodities prices on resource-exporting countries. Earlier this month, the Mexican government submitted a budget to cut spending in 2016, including reduced investment in the state oil company Pemex, given the drop in global oil prices. In an email interview, Amb. Antonio Garza, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and currently counsel in the Mexico City office of White & Case LLP, discussed Mexico’s economy and the impact of the oil shock. WPR: How have declining oil revenues affected Mexico’s budget and spending power? […]

The Centenario deep-water drilling platform stands off the coast of Veracruz, Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico, Nov. 22, 2013 (AP photo by Dario Lopez-Mills).

Global efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change are ramping up ahead of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP21, to be held in Paris later this year. Although Latin America accounts for only 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, many countries in the region have taken leading roles in global mitigation efforts. Brazil was host to the initial 1992 Earth Summit that led to the framework convention, and continues to be a major participant in climate change mitigation efforts, most notably in reducing […]

Researchers ready a DJI S1000 octocopter drone for a mapping project, Sacred Valley, Peru, March 2015 (Photo by Faine Greenwood).

They’ve gone from little-known hobby toys and military machines to an international phenomenon, with eager civilians snapping them up from China to Colombia: Whatever you may personally think of them, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are here to stay. Civilian-focused drones are already proving profitable in the private sector, with sales exceeding an estimated 1 million units in the U.S. and companies from movie studios to construction firms working to integrate the devices into their work. The development sector is also starting to utilize drone technology, for uses ranging from quick post-disaster mapping and documenting environmental abuses to property surveillance. […]

Alexis Tsipras, leader of radical left Syriza party and former prime minister, waves to supporters during a pre-election rally, Athens, Greece, Sept. 13, 2015 (AP photo by Yorgos Karahalis).

Greeks head to the polls this Sunday after a split in the ruling far-left Syriza party over Greece’s bailout prompted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to resign and call snap elections. A poll released Tuesday shows Syriza neck and neck with the center-right New Democracy party—27.0 percent support to 27.5, respectively—putting into doubt Tsipras’ ability to return as prime minister. Syriza came to power in January on a staunch anti-austerity platform. However, Tsipras was unable to negotiate an end to austerity with Greece’s creditors—the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank. Throughout the spring Greece faced the […]

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses reporters about the Iran nuclear deal in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., Sept. 9, 2015 (U.S. State Department photo).

The lingering misgivings among some in the U.S. Congress about the nuclear agreement with Iran have already generated calls for new sanctions against Iran, just as Tehran and many of its trading partners are gearing up for a post-sanctions environment, with corporate leaders booking flights to scope out prospects for trade and investment. Meanwhile sanctions against Russia for its seizure of Crimea continue to disrupt economic relations between Russia and major European countries, costing the latter tens of billions of euros in lost trade. The widespread use of sanctions speaks to the more prominent role of economics in foreign policymaking, […]

Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Myanmar President Thein Sein at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, Sept. 4, 2015 (AP photo by Lintao Zhang).

YANGON, Myanmar—Beginning in the early 2000s, China’s rise buoyed commodities markets and improved the fortunes of many resource-rich countries. Myanmar was no exception: Bilateral trade has expanded considerably, with China now accounting for approximately 40 percent of Myanmar’s imports and 15 percent of its exports. Although estimates vary significantly, data provided by Myanmar authorities to the World Trade Organization indicate that China, including Hong Kong, made up nearly 60 percent of approved investments in its southwestern neighbor between 2005 and 2012. Cumulative Chinese foreign direct investment in Myanmar has since exceeded $14 billion, with much of that bound for the […]

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping observe a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat, Beijing, China, Sept. 3, 2015 (AP photo by Ng Han Guan).

When the collapse of the Chinese stock market signaled a slowdown in China’s breakneck pace of economic growth, one could easily identify a long list of countries already showing symptoms of suffering a cold from China’s sneeze. Within that list, one country stands out, one where the impact will have potentially significant geopolitical consequences: Russia. When it comes to Russia, China’s challenges will have global implications. The only question is how severe that impact will be. The Chinese slowdown, to be sure, creates new problems for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his plans to rely on stronger links with Beijing […]

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi meets with Saudi King Salman, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 2, 2015 (Egyptian Presidency via AP).

The governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, arguably the Arab world’s two most influential states, continue to express their determination to strengthen an alliance that has grown under Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi. In late July, el-Sisi and Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman signed a deal they called the Cairo Declaration, a strategic blueprint to advance bilateral cooperation in a host of areas, especially defense and the economy. Since 2013, Saudi Arabia and other Arab Gulf states have helped keep el-Sisi’s regime afloat, with billions in economic aid. Egypt, in turn, has been a partner in […]

Afghanistani President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China, Oct. 28, 2014 (AP photo by Andy Wong).

At the end of July, following reports of Taliban chief Mullah Omar’s death, peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban to be held in China were canceled, striking a serious blow to China’s diplomatic efforts in Afghanistan. In an email interview, Kemel Toktomushev, a research fellow at the University of Central Asia, discussed China’s diplomatic outreach in Afghanistan and Central Asia. WPR: How active of a diplomatic role is China playing in Afghanistan, and how does China’s influence in Afghanistan compare to other international partners? Kemel Toktomushev: Indeed, Beijing is becoming more proactive in the region in general, and in […]

EC President Jean-Claude Juncker gestures while speaking during a media conference after a meeting of eurogroup finance ministers, Brussels, Belgium, Dec. 13, 2012 (AP photo by Virginia Mayo).

This past May, the European Commission announced a strategy for a Digital Single Market (DSM)—a single seamless market that would expand the European Union’s single market for physical goods and services into the digital domain. The DSM is projected to provide economic gains of as much as €415 billion annually for the EU. Identifying the DSM as one of his 10 priorities as he assumed office in 2014, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker explained his hopes for the DSM: “I want to see pan-continental telecoms networks, digital services that cross borders and a wave of innovative European start-ups. I want to […]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping are greeted by Chinese children during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, July 29, 2015 (AP photo by Ng Han Guan).

In late July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Beijing, his first state visit to China as president. Weeks earlier, back in Istanbul, Turkish nationalists enraged at the treatment of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province had attacked Korean tourists, thinking they were Chinese, and stormed the Thai Consulate after Thailand deported a group of Uighurs who had fled China. With Erdogan pushing a more nationalist agenda to overcome a challenge from the right after his party’s electoral setbacks in June, most observers focused on whether China’s ethnic tensions and Turkish criticism of Beijing’s policies toward the Uighur minority could […]