About Get Alerts Login
March 17, 2010
Browse by Regions and/or Topics

Home | All Briefings

All Briefings

Top Story - News/Analysis

Ukraine's Election Clouds EU's Energy Future

By Andrea Bonzanni 17 Mar 2010
World Politics Review

There is little doubt that as president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych will decisively shift the country's geopolitical posture, with Kiev once again moving closer to Moscow after its pro-Western and pro-EU turn of 2005. The potential consequences on the EU's energy future are serious, as 80 percent of Russian natural gas exports to Europe transit through Ukrainian territory.

Sudan's Elections: Historic, but Futile?

By Lauren Gelfand 17 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review NAIROBI, Kenya -- The upcoming elections in Sudan will be the country's first multiparty ballot in 24 years, but for many in South Sudan, their outcome is a forgone conclusion and their fairness is already in question. Flawed though they are, however, the national elections also represent a historic chance for suffrage, with many in the North and South using the campaign to openly voice independent opinions.

Iraq Elections: Maliki's Path to Re-election

By Kirk Sowell 16 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review Most coverage of the outcome of Iraq's March 7 elections has portrayed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's re-election as seriously in doubt, with former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shiite, contending for the position. However, a close reading of available region-by-region vote counts suggests that not only is another term for Maliki likely, his only real obstacle is securing Kurdish support.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: A U.S. Entry to Asian Integration

By Sean Goforth 15 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review The United States is entering negotiations this week to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a relatively unknown trade agreement that includes Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore. The pact is humble in its origins and the group's share of global GDP is minute. But the TPP has quietly gained momentum over recent years and represents a promising point of entry for the U.S. into Asia's gathering integration.

Thailand's Showdown Goes into Overtime

By Craig Guthrie 15 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review BANGKOK -- It was billed by local media as the last stand of former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra's red-shirted rural supporters against a bureaucratic elite that they claim rules Thailand as an "Orwellian state." But despite heightened fears of a "final battle," Sunday's mass protest has so far only set the stage for more political instability in the coming days and weeks.

Earthquake Recovery Tops Piñera's Agenda in Chile

By David Dudenhoefer 12 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review SANTIAGO, Chile -- As conservative billionaire Sebastian Piñera was sworn in as Chile's 38th president on March 11, the Chilean congressional building swayed due to aftershocks from the earthquake that struck two weeks ago. The tremors were a reminder that Piñera's success as president will depend on his ability to lead an efficient recovery from the country's worst natural disaster in 50 years.

Britain: Foreign Policy Implications of a Conservative Victory

By Henry Kippin 12 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review The outcome of the U.K.'s upcoming general election is no longer a foregone conclusion, with the opposition Conservative Party's steady lead in opinion polls recently narrowing. All the same, given Prime Minister Gordon Brown's political difficulties, a Conservative win is certainly plausible. So what would be the implications of a Conservative victory on foreign and development policy?

The Road Ahead for Colombia-Venezuela Relations

By Eliot Brockner 11 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review In announcing on March 8 that Venezuela is interested in restoring diplomatic ties with Colombia, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro noted that any improvement will not take place while current Colombian President Álvaro Uribe remains in office. The jab was just one of many traded over the past eight years, but the conciliatory rhetoric suggests that the two countries may be turning a corner in bilateral relations.

Long Odds for South Korea's 'Swap Regime' Proposal

By Daniel McDowell 10 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review As current president of the G-20, South Korea has been busy promoting an apparently novel solution to the global trade imbalances that helped pave the way for the recent international financial crisis: an international currency swap regime. But how would such an arrangement work, and could it actually help correct current imbalances? As important, is there any chance this idea will get off the ground?

Iraq's Elections Show Democracy's Growing Strength

By Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati 09 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review The run up to this weekend's Iraqi election -- the second general election held since the fall of Saddam's regime -- was marked by speculation, anticipation and no shortage of controversy. Although the elections saw some violence, there is little doubt that they were a marked improvement from 2005 and a testament that democracy is taking root in Iraq.

Choosing Stability Over Democracy in Ethiopia

By Lauren Gelfand 09 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review On the surface, Ethiopia is a stable, prospering nation, cultivating strong relationships with the international donors who have for more than a generation funded food, health and infrastructure projects for the country's 85 million people. But according to some groups, beneath the surface is a regime that wields power with impunity, repressing dissent, opposition and difference of opinion.

'Win-Win' Not Enough for China and Indonesia

By Prashanth Parameswaran 08 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review China has designated 2010 "The Year of China-Indonesia Friendship" to mark the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations with the world's fourth-largest country. But while both countries are poised to reap major benefits from their improved bilateral ties, Beijing and Jakarta must manage their asymmetric relationship skillfully to mitigate potential tensions in the future.

Likely Scenarios for Iraq's Elections

By Kirk Sowell 05 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review Iraq's parliamentary elections this Sunday, March 7, will close the first full chapter in the country's transformation to a democratically elected, majority-rule system of government. The nation's corruption, fragile peace and lack of national reconciliation have left many -- including American officials -- looking for change, in either Iraq's leadership or its government. They will likely be disappointed.

Bailout Talks Raise Tensions between Greece and Germany

By Nicolas Nagle 04 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review Public opposition to an EU bailout of debt-strapped Greece is mounting, particularly in Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel is already politically vulnerable. As a result, despite the dangers a Greek meltdown would pose to the eurozone, Germany has adopted a hard-line position on how the EU should respond to the crisis, causing relations between the two countries to become increasingly strained.

Wrong Time for Armenian Genocide Bill

By Matt Stone 03 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review Demonstrating a predictable lack of strategic foresight, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold its mark-up session for the Armenian Genocide resolution tomorrow. While there is little doubt outside of Turkey that genocide was perpetrated against the Armenians in the 1910s, the resolution threatens to undermine U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and South Caucasus at exactly the wrong time.

Bombs Away: Removing Tactical Nukes from Europe

By Johan Bergenäs 02 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review With the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference around the corner, President Barack Obama is in dire need of a credible arms control and disarmament achievement worthy of the lofty agenda he articulated almost a year ago in Prague. Ridding Europe of U.S. nuclear weapons is one possible goal. But to do so, he will have to reject flawed and outdated arguments that stand in the way.

Death and Taxes in Marjah, Afghanistan

By Joshua Foust 01 Mar 2010 | World Politics Review The success of Operation Moshtarak, NATO's military offensive to seize the Taliban-controlled town of Marjah in Afghanistan's Helmand province, will be determined by how well coalition forces establish a functioning government now that the bulk of the actual fighting is over. NATO's plan, which it calls "government-in-a-box," should include a stable tax regime as an essential foundation for governance.

Al-Qaida is Defeated, but Our Work Has Just Begun

By Jon B. Alterman 26 Feb 2010 | World Politics Review As much as a military effort, the war against al-Qaida has been a battle for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world. Immediately after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, it was not always clear how that battle for Muslim hearts and minds would end up. But with the passage of time, we now have a good idea. Al-Qaida has lost. And as a result, in an important way, al-Qaida itself has been defeated.

For Pentagon, Tech Education Means National Security

By Katie Drummond 25 Feb 2010 | World Politics Review With the United States currently fighting two wars abroad and facing a health care crisis and an economy on life-support at home, Pentagon officials are hoping to meet a looming threat to America's future global dominance -- not to mention national security -- by boosting capacity in elementary school classrooms across the nation.

NATO's Rasmussen Stresses Allied Support for Afghan Mission

By Richard Weitz 24 Feb 2010 | World Politics Review NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is playing a crucial role in sustaining the alliance's Afghan mission, encouraging allied governments and publics alike to appreciate their partners' perspectives, as well as the value of NATO as an institution. He was in Washington this week, in part to remind Americans of other NATO allies' contributions to the Afghanistan War.

Falklands Drilling Reignites U.K.-Argentina Dispute

By Eliot Brockner 24 Feb 2010 | World Politics Review Drilling got underway this week off the still-disputed Falkland Islands, as an oil platform belonging to a British company began operations on Feb. 22. The drilling marks the culmination of weeks of intense sparring between Argentina and Britain over oil rights and shipping lanes in the South Atlantic, and reignited historic tensions over the islands.