Turkey and the European Union

British Prime Minister David Cameron’s comments in support of Turkey’s EU membership bid offer a good opportunity to underline an important point: The question of whether or not Turkey belongs in the EU was already decided when the union offered Turkey membership. Clearly, member states enjoy a wide range of political methods for dragging out or blocking the subsequent negotiation chapters. Slovenia, for instance, has used its veto power to block Croatia’s membership negotiations over a border dispute that the two have since agreed to resolve by arbitration. It’s also worth mentioning that Turkey has played a significant role in […]

Israel Copter Crash in Romania

It hasn’t gotten a lot of attention yet, but the Israeli helicopter that crashed in Romania is actually a major story. The copter had flown non-stop to Romania, with an in-flight refueling over Greece, as part of a “joint” air exercise designed to sharpen the IAF’s long-range search-and-rescue capabilities in unfamiliar terrain. In the past, the IAF has conducted similar drills, as well as long-range mock bombing runs, in Greek airspace. The implications of this latest setback for Israel’s military on a theoretical airstrike against Iran are significant. If this was a psychological operation targeting Tehran, it backfired. If it […]

Global Insider: Iran-Qatar Relations

As the final installment of a three-part series on Iran’s relations with the Gulf states, Global Insider explores Iran-Qatar relations. In an e-mail interview, Mehran Kamrava, interim dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, discusses the state of Iran-Qatar relations. You can read Kamrava’s interview on Iran-UAE relations here, and on Iran-Bahrain relations here. WPR: What is the current state of Iran-Qatar diplomatic relations? Mehran Kamrava: Unlike the UAE or Bahrain, Qatar has maintained very cordial and close diplomatic relations with Iran over the last few years. […]

Obama So Far: Iran, Russia and China

There have been a couple of “confirmed” inflection points in the Obama administration’s approach to Iran, Russia and China in the past few weeks, and the contrast between the outcomes is revealing, both about the relative challenges of the three portfolios, but also about the relative development of the three countries. With regard to Iran, although there are not yet any concrete outcomes, the Obama administration’s strategy of open-ended engagement accompanied by staged sanctions has clearly isolated Tehran, to an extent that many critics of the Obama approach — myself included — did not anticipate. In the past week, Iran […]

Global Insider: India-Sri Lanka Relations

India’s chief of naval staff called for increased bilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka during a visit to the country late last month. In an e-mail interview, Eurasia Group’s Asia analyst, Maria Kuusisto, discusses evolving relations between India and Sri Lanka. WPR: What is the historical context of India-Sri Lanka relations? Maria Kuusisto: India-Sri Lanka relations have been marked by both tension and cooperation. The relationship has been historically driven by the shared Tamil ethnic community: India has a Tamil community of 60 million and Sri Lanka has a Tamil community of three million. When the Tamil ethnic insurgency in Sri […]

Global Insider: The Turkey-Greece Airspace Dispute

Last week, Greek forces intercepted Turkish fighter jets while on training flights over the Aegean Sea. In an e-mail interview, Dr. Petros Vamvakas, assistant professor of Political Science at Emmanuel College, explains the context for the airspace dispute between Turkey and Greece. WPR: What is the nature of the airspace dispute between the two countries? Petros Vamvakas: The airspace dispute is one component of a more complex quarrel between neighbors. The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Seas (UNCLOS) favors Greece, an archipelagic state, since extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles would effectively result in 90 […]

Global Helicopter Crisis

Pretty hard to fathom how, years after it became widely apparent that we’re facing a global shortage of helicopters, we still read stories like this one. Obviously, the transfer of two Swedish helicopters from anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden to an EU defense standby brigade isn’t going to have a huge impact on global security. But this is one reason why Russia is looking like an attractive partner for both EU defense and NATO missions. (The other being that both Iraq and Afghanistan operate mainly Soviet-era helicopter fleets.) You’d think we’d have at least seen some sort of […]

First Petraeus, Now Kayani

There are a lot of reasons to be reassured by the Pakistani government’s decision to extend Gen. Ashfaq Kayani’s term as chief of staff by three years: continuity in leadership at a crucial strategic moment in Afghanistan and the Pakistan frontier, as well as a solid reputation for integrity and competence that facilitates what could otherwise be tough political sells in both ongoing wars. The similarity to the arguments supporting the appointment of Gen. David Petraeus to lead the U.S. and NATO war effort in Afghanistan should be obvious. It’s comforting to think that the two men are well-suited to […]

Global Insider: Russia-South Korea Relations

The Russian and South Korean coast guards held joint anti-piracy and anti-terrorism drills in the Sea of Japan earlier this month. In an e-mail interview, Richard Weitz, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a World Politics Review senior editor, discusses the historical context and changing dynamics of Russia-South Korea relations. WPR: How have bilateral relations between Russia and South Korea evolved since the end of the Cold War? Richard Weitz: During most of the 1990s, the new Russian Federation under President Boris Yeltsin shunned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) while pursuing better ties with the Republic of […]

Global Insider: Iran-Bahrain Relations

At a meeting of the Joint Iran-Bahrain Commission late last month, Iran and Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding that includes a wide range of sectors such as oil, security, and finance. In an e-mail interview, Mehran Kamrava, interim dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, explains the context of current Iran-Bahrain relations. To read Kamrava’s interview on Iran-UAE relations, click here. WPR: What is the current state of Iran-Bahrain diplomatic relations? Mehran Kamrava: After some neglect of the importance of the GCC states in the first […]

Global Insider: India-Canada Relations

India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Toronto late last month. In an e-mail interview, Ernie Regehr, a Centre for International Governance Innovation fellow, co-founder of Project Ploughshares, and adjunct associate professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, explains broader India-Canada relations. WPR: How would you characterize India-Canada bilateral relations, historically? Ernie Regehr: India-Canada relations are remarkably modest considering the rather compelling circumstances that surround them. They share membership in the British Commonwealth. They are both politically resilient democracies. There are more than a million people […]

Global Insider: Japan-Russia Territorial Disputes

The leaders of Japan and Russia met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Toronto late last month to discuss ways in which they could move forward with negotiations over a longstanding territorial dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomais. A week later, Russian military forces carried out a drill on one of the disputed islands, leading Japan to express its objections. In an e-mail interview, Dr. Alexander Bukh, associate professor at Japan’s Tsukuba University and author of “Japan’s National Identity and Foreign Policy: Russia as Japan’s ‘Other,‘” explains the historical context for the ongoing […]

Global Insider: Iran-UAE Relations

The UAE has implemented U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran while toughening its stance on how the international community should deal with Tehran. In an e-mail interview, Mehran Kamrava, interim dean of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, discusses recent developments in Iran-UAE relations. WPR: What is the current state of Iran-UAE diplomatic relations? Mehran Kamrava: Iran-UAE relations have always been characterized by a mixture of diplomatic tensions and yet increasing commercial ties due to the vibrant Iranian community in Dubai. The tension has resulted from two principal […]

Global Insider: The Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline

Pakistan recently decided to move forward with a gas pipeline project with Iran, despite warnings from the United States that involvement could subject Pakistani companies to new United States sanctions. In an e-mail interview, Harsh V. Pant, lecturer in the Department of Defense Studies at King’s College of London, explains the pipeline’s significance in the context of Pakistan-Iran relations. WPR: What are the driving interests for both parties in this pipeline project? Harsh V. Pant: Pakistan’s growing energy needs and Iran’s pool of energy resources make the two states natural economic partners, and served as the impetus behind the proposed […]

Global Insider: China-Pakistan Military Relations

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is on a week-long trip to China where he is strengthening military ties between the two countries. His trip follows that of Pakistani Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who was in Beijing a week ago with the mission of strengthening counterterrorism cooperation. In an e-mail interview, Harsh V. Pant, lecturer in the Department of Defense Studies at King’s College of London, explains the context for China-Pakistan military relations. WPR: Historically, what have been the driving priorities in China-Pakistan defense ties? Harsh V. Pant: Based on their convergent interests vis-à-vis India, China and Pakistan […]

Obama Reveals His Inner European

President Barack Obama used an interview with the Milan daily Corriere della Sera to counter his reputation for being indifferent toward Europe, and even anti-European. Relations between the Obama White House and Europe are worse than those of any recent American administration. But from what Obama told Paolo Valentino, the paper’s respected Washington correspondent, it’s nothing personal: In terms of influences on my life, Europe is probably stronger than anything else. I feel very comfortable in Europe. Everything feels familiar in a way that I cannot say when I travel in Japan or China, despite having been born and grown […]

Global Insider: Conflict Management in Côte d’Ivoire

Last month, 600 soldiers from the Forces Armées des Forces Nouvelles, a coalition of rebel movements in Côte d’Ivoire, laid down their arms as part of a process to disarm rebel groups and integrate them into the national army. In an e-mail interview, I. William Zartman, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, discusses ongoing conflict management in Côte d’Ivoire. WPR: What is the current status of post-conflict reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire? I. William Zartman: Côte d’Ivoire has had a conflict management, not a conflict resolution, situation for the last three years, in that violence has […]

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