Peru’s Humala Prioritizes Foreign Investment With Cabinet Reshuffle

Reacting to violent protests opposing the $4.8 billion Conga mining project in the state of Cajamarca, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency last week before replacing more than half of his cabinet and swearing in a new prime minister over the weekend. Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, told Trend Lines that these developments reflect a shift in Humala’s sympathies and strategies. The president is looking to reassure foreign investors, Shifter said, even if that means isolating leftist supporters. “It is hard to interpret this any way other than as a break from the left,” he […]

Recent moves by Russia, Norway and even China have put a spotlight on the High North, where warming temperatures have led to greater seasonal ice melt and access. With increased future activity in the Arctic inevitable, the United States must begin to address some of the potential security challenges that could result. As part of this effort, the European Command (EUCOM) — the U.S. military command responsible for the Arctic — must leverage the progress made by the Arctic Council in nonsecurity matters to facilitate expanded security cooperation efforts in the region. The Arctic Council has successfully raised awareness of […]

The United States is on the verge of an industrial renaissance, according to energy experts enthusiastic about technological advances surrounding the “fracking” of shale gas and the processing of “tight oil.” America is sitting on a century-worth of natural gas, and the Western hemisphere boasts five times the reserves in unconventional oil as the Middle East claims in the conventional category. Suddenly, all our fears of resource wars with China and never-ending quagmires in Southwest Asia seem to melt away, heralding with great certainty another American century based on the promise of energy independence. As “deus ex machina” moments go, […]

Big Questions Loom Over Durban Climate Change Talks

Will the Kyoto Protocol survive? Should climate change be a religious issue? Are wealthy nations delivering on financial promises to help the developing world promote positive environmental change? Such big questions dominated the collective mindset of thousands of delegates converging on Durban, South Africa, from across the globe this week for the U.N.’s 17th annual global climate change talks. But, according to Jon A. Weiss, a U.S.-based climate change policy analyst and founder of the soon to launch nonprofit Lake Climate Group, it’s unlikely many certain answers will emerge by the conference’s close on Dec. 9. Most likely, Weiss told […]