Latest Archive

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, senior editor, Frederick Deknatel, and associate editor, Omar H. Rahman, discuss the threat and evolution of transnational terrorism in the wake of the latest attack in New York City. As the self-proclaimed Islamic State loses more territory in Syria and Iraq, will it lash out elsewhere, and what about al-Qaida? How are nations responding to the prospect of Islamic State recruits returning from Syria and Iraq, and how permanent are new security measures designed to protect against lone-wolf terrorism and domestic radicalization? If you like what you hear on Trend […]

On Monday, Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, accepted the resignation of the country’s entire Cabinet, dissolving it amid political infighting but with no official explanation. The move reflects Kuwait’s contentious political system, which has jeopardized the country’s recent efforts to stave off a financial crisis through needed economic reforms. In an email interview, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute and an associate fellow at Chatham House in London, explains what was behind the Cabinet’s resignation and what it means for Kuwait’s political and economic future. WPR: What led Kuwait’s emir to dissolve the […]

After nearly a month of uncertainty following New Zealand’s inconclusive Sept. 23 parliamentary elections, a coalition government was finally formed on Oct. 19 between the Labour party, the Greens and the nationalist New Zealand First party. Though Labour’s recently installed leader Jacinda Ardern will become prime minister, New Zealand First’s “kingmaker” role has led many observers to wonder if the government’s policies will reflect a more populist platform. In an email interview, Stephen Levine, professor of political science and international relations at Victoria University of Wellington, discusses the results of the elections and what the new coalition means for New […]

The human rights lawyers went to Tanzania to combat an anti-gay crackdown, and instead got caught up in it themselves. Last month, Sibongile Ndashe, executive director of the South Africa-based Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa, or ISLA, traveled with two colleagues to a meeting held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. They had been invited by Community Health and Education Services Advocacy, a Tanzanian organization that advocates on behalf of sex workers, to explore legal responses to a ban on drop-in centers offering HIV/AIDS services—a move seen as part of a broader government assault on the rights of […]

For the first time in Mexico’s modern democratic history, independent candidates without a party affiliation will be able to compete in a presidential election next year. The first three presidential races since 2000, when Mexico’s democracy was consolidated, required candidates to represent a registered political party. A handful of presidential hopefuls with diverse political credentials and personal backgrounds met the mid-October deadline to register independent candidacies. They now aim to alter the political dynamics ahead of Mexico’s 2018 election, with potentially major repercussions for the country over the next six years. Mexican citizens warmly welcomed the ratification of the electoral […]

The Venezuelan opposition almost had a moment to rejoice last week. On Thursday, the European Parliament awarded one of the world’s most prestigious human rights prizes, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to the “democratic opposition in Venezuela.” All the declarations of support and the standing ovations, however, were drowned out by the reality on the ground in Venezuela, where the temporarily united pro-democracy coalition has started unraveling. The renewed turbulence among the forces fighting the relentless usurpation of power by President Nicolas Maduro and his United Socialist Party of Venezuela, or PSUV, comes as one more piece of […]

U.S. President Donald Trump will embark on his first presidential tour of Asia on Friday, where he will visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The trip kicks off just 10 days after Chinese President Xi Jinping emerged triumphantly from the Communist Party of China’s 19th Party Congress, having solidified his rule over the party and articulated a strategic vision for China’s emergence as a global power. All eyes will be on the U.S. president to see whether he is able to reassure America’s anxious allies and partners, as well as the nonaligned countries of the region, of […]

Last week, Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, made several high-profile personnel changes in the state’s intelligence service and security sector. The reshuffle followed a strong endorsement of Nyusi’s leadership at the latest congress of the ruling Frelimo party, as well as a wave of violent attacks on police and politicians. In August, Nyusi met face-to-face with Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the Renamo opposition party, for the first time since 2015. Frelimo and Renamo fought against each other in a civil war that killed an estimated 1 million people from 1976 to 1992, and a flare-up in violence since 2013 has sparked […]

PRAGUE—Mainstream political parties in Central Europe have struggled in a series of recent elections to overcome their self-described anti-establishment rivals. In the Czech Republic’s legislative election on Oct. 20 and 21, the challenge proved too much, but that doesn’t mean the country is about to ditch democracy. Taking full advantage of an electorate that has grown cynical since the fall of communism 28 years ago, billionaire Andrej Babis drove his populist ANO party to an emphatic victory. Taking 30 percent of the vote, Babis’ party scored close to three times the support of its nearest rival. It was little surprise. […]