Trend Lines
Africa Watch
Sudan appeared to be inching closer to a transitional government this week, but renewed violence in the capital, Khartoum, threatens to derail the talks between the military council and the opposition alliance. Read up on that and other stories from across the continent in our weekly roundup of Africa news.
Violence in Sudan Stalls Progress on a Post-Bashir Transition
Andrew Green Friday, May 17, 2019
Q&A
Since President Ivan Duque took office last summer, Colombia has seen an uptick in violence against human rights advocates and community leaders, particularly from indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities. Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli explains how Duque’s hostility to the FARC peace deal is to blame.
Colombia’s Duque is Presiding Over a ‘Massive Backpedaling’ on Indigenous Rights
Thursday, May 16, 2019
China Note
The trade war between China and the United States is heating up again. Fearing political backlash, Beijing has been careful not to be seen as conceding too much in the negotiations, and state media outlets are amplifying a nationalist message, accusing the U.S. of “fighting a trade war out of greed.”
As Trade Tensions Escalate, China Girds Its Citizens for a ‘People’s War’
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Q&A
Estonia’s far-right EKRE party is now part of a three-party coalition government, but its euroskeptic and anti-immigrant positions are likely to be tempered by its coalition partners. In an interview, Martin Mölder discusses Estonia’s recent election and what to expect from the new government’s agenda.
Estonia’s Populists, in Power for the First Time, Face the Hard Task of Governing
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Q&A
Laurentino Cortizo narrowly won Panama’s presidential election earlier this month, after focusing his campaign on fighting corruption. But given the entrenched patronage networks and weak institutions in Panama, he will have a hard time following through on that promise, says Orlando J. Pérez.
Powerful Interests in Panama Prepare to Blunt the New President’s Anti-Graft Drive
Monday, May 13, 2019
Africa Watch
South Africa went to the polls Wednesday for the fifth national election since the end of apartheid in 1994. The vote was largely seen as a referendum on the African National Congress and President Cyril Ramaphosa. Read up on that and other stories from across the continent in our weekly roundup of Africa news.
Will Election Results in South Africa Hobble Ramaphosa’s Agenda?
Andrew Green Friday, May 10, 2019
Q&A
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree late last month to expedite Russian citizenship for people in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine poses a challenge to new President Volodymyr Zelensky. Gordon Hahn discusses Ukraine’s divisions and prospects for Zelensky’s desire to “reboot” peace talks with Russia.
Can Zelensky Heal the Deep Divisions in Ukraine Left Behind by Poroshenko?
Thursday, May 9, 2019
China Note
The U.S. offered its harshest assessment yet of the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, with one official referring to detention centers as “concentration camps.” Yet U.S. officials appear divided on how to address human rights violations without damaging prospects for a trade deal.
Is the U.S. Pursuing a Trade Deal With China at the Cost of Human Rights?
Benjamin Wilhelm Wednesday, May 8, 2019
As South Korea’s Economy Sputters, Moon Needs a Breakthrough With North Korea
Elliot Waldman Wednesday, May 8, 2019