Lebanon’s financial crisis, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut Port explosion, has pushed the country into a slow-burning collapse. Now, given Lebanon’s sectarian political system and history of internal conflict, the state’s inability to properly fund its armed forces could result in a rapid deterioration of security.
The U.S.-China rivalry will shape the course of international politics in the 21st century. Hence, any insights that can be gleaned on the state of bilateral relations from the meeting two weeks ago between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Xi Jinping are worth evaluating. And the insights to be gleaned are encouraging.
The U.S. holds leverage in efforts to ensure that Venezuela’s presidential election next year free and fair enough to advance a democratic transition. But due to a trust deficit, governments that are in a better position to prod Caracas into permitting a credible election must work to complement Washington’s efforts.
When Myanmar’s junta responded to peaceful demonstrations against their 2021 coup with a bloody crackdown, the opposition turned to armed resistance. In recent months, the conflict has been escalating, and the ruthlessness of Myanmar’s military has greatly intensified. Still mostly below the world’s radar, Myanmar’s civil war is raging.
The AfD party’s current success in Germany was built on social trends that had already become entrenched before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Rather than reflecting a sudden break from the moderate center right, the AfD offered a viable political home for far-right milieus that had always been lurking at the edge of party politics.
After more than four decades of strained relations, Egypt and Iran have reportedly been pursuing mediation efforts for months. Several Iranian officials have publicly endorsed these efforts to end one of the Middle East’s longest-running but often-neglected feuds. For its part, Cairo has maintained a cautious stance on the issue.
Today at WPR, we’re covering former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s eight-year ban from running for public office and last month’s rebel attack on a school in Uganda.
Today at WPR, we’re covering former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s eight-year ban from running for public office and last month’s rebel attack on a school in Uganda.
Last week, Brazil’s electoral court ruled that former President Jair Bolsonaro cannot run for public office for the next eight years. While there are many reasons to support Brazil’s ban on Bolsonaro, it is necessary to explain why his case differs from other countries in the region where the same practice is used to erode democracy.
In mid-June, attackers allegedly belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, murdered 42 people, including 37 students, at a school on the border with Congo. The attack has raised complex questions about the assailants’ goals, as well as the domestic implications of Uganda’s cross-border security operations in eastern Congo.