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By
Jon B. Alterman
20 Nov 2009
World Politics Review
It is a strange kind of republic in which presidents serve for life. It is an even stranger one in which rulers inherit power from their fathers. Yet, that is the direction in which the Arab Republic of Egypt is headed. For more than a decade, President Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal, has been the only Egyptian for whom it was safe to harbor high political ambitions.
By Andrew MacDowall
19 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
After years as a sidelined figure on the European political stage, Serbia is now attracting growing attention from both West and East. While continuing to line up its bid for European Union membership, Serbia is also the focus of Russia's renewed interest in the Balkans. For the time being, Serbia's canny government is strengthening its own position through what amounts to a balancing act.
By Greg Lowe
18 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
BANGKOK -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's recent appointment of Thailand's former premier, Thaksin Shinawatra, as an economic adviser was the diplomatic equivalent of precision bombing, whose shockwaves have sent relations between the neighboring Southeast Asian nations into a tailspin.
By Luke Hunt
18 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Gripped by simmering cross-border tensions, a dysfunctional democracy and collective unease over the health of the monarchy, Thailand has seen its status as a major power in Southeast Asia and its influence in the wider region cast under a harsh light recently.
By Valery Dzutsev
17 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Observers might disagree about what to call the situation in tiny
Ingushetia, a federal republic in Russia's North Caucasus wracked by a
bloody Islamist insurgency. But whether the violence that
has claimed hundreds of lives in the past few years qualifies as a
civil war, a war on terror, or just persistent
instability, almost everyone agrees that Ingushetia
increasingly displays the features of a failed state.
By Masoud Shafaee
16 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
It remains uncertain whether Iran will ultimately accept the agreement that negotiators in Geneva drafted late last month to send Iran's stockpiled enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment. But the deliberations in Tehran have made one thing clear: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is under enormous domestic pressure from all sides to reject the P5+1 deal.
By Patrick Burns
13 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
HAVANA -- The current U.S.-Cuba relationship is a fragile, quid pro quo arrangement with enormous expectations building on both sides. The Obama administration's recent pragmatic measures somehow won support in both Miami and Havana. Still, despite the diplomatic dance taking place, normalization will take time, as the two countries remain deeply divided on core issues.
By Risto Karajkov
12 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Last month, two rounds of high-level meetings on the future of Bosnia took place at a military base on the outskirts of Sarajevo, in an effort to revise the country's constitutional foundations. The talks have already been called "Dayton 2," in reference to the accords that ended Bosnia's civil war in 1995. For now, though, they are unlikely to repeat the success of the original.
By Lauren Gelfand
12 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the annual arrival of the holiday season brings with it the sinking realization that no matter the developments of the preceding 12 months, the end of the year will be accompanied by more violence, more sexual assault and more displacement of the civilian population. This year's tragedy is tinged peacekeeper blue.
By Raza Khan
11 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani security forces succeeded in taking over several Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds in South Waziristan. But tribal leaders and local observers have confirmed that thousands of Pakistani Taliban, Arab al-Qaida and other foreign militants have escaped to other areas of
Pakistan, raising fears that militancy will spread and escalate.
By Nicolas Nagle
11 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- With the last obstacles out of the way for the Lisbon Treaty's ratification, a race in Brussels has begun between the European Commission and the European Council to secure influence over the new European diplomatic corps. The integration of elements from the Commission and the Council is causing tensions over who will control the future service.
By Prashanth Parameswaran
10 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
In announcing his 37-member cabinet last month, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono lauded his new team as "credible and accountable," and expressed confidence in its abilities. However, many experts did not join in Yudhoyono's glowing encomium, and with good reason: Most of the cabinet-level appointments seem to be based on
considerations of political loyalty more than competence.
By Fabio Scarpello
10 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
DENPASAR, Indonesia -- The peaceful re-election of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono this year added yet another layer of political stability to Indonesia's democratization process. But a battle between the country's anti-corruption commission and the Attorney General's Office is an
indicator of some of the difficulties the country still faces, and could be a
legacy-defining moment for Yudhoyono.
By Patrick Corcoran
09 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
TORREÓN, Mexico -- Mexican President Felipe Calderón has been irrevocably identified with one issue more than any other: security. But despite some improvements in Mexico's institutional capacity to fight crime, Calderón's security gamble has largely backfired politically. As a result, security is now yesterday's buzzword. Calderón, it seems, is intent on remaking himself as a development president.
By Saurav Jha
09 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Saudi Arabia's possible purchase of at least $2 billion of Russian military equipment has the potential to be the most significant Russian arms deal in the Middle East since the Soviet Union transferred SA-2s to Nasser's Egypt. The deal may also be part of a larger process that leads to a significant realignment in the external relations of both parties.
By Colby Pacheco
06 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
This week's visit of a high-level U.S. diplomat to Burma is the latest in a series of moves geared toward engaging with that country's reclusive ruling military junta. Unfortunately, though the aims of the Obama administration are admirable,
effecting change in Burma is something the U.S. cannot accomplish if it
acts alone.
By John Perra
05 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Since famine killed 1 million Ethiopians 25 years ago, the country has
remained in a cycle of drought-driven crises keeping it dependent on
foreign aid. A new crop insurance program aims to eliminate the need for such emergency aid while bringing sustainability to an ongoing agricultural problem.
By Jason Miks
04 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
TOKYO -- The Dalai Lama was not the only influential figure looking for
an audience in Tokyo last month. His visit followed close on the heels
of current Indian National Security Adviser M. K. Narayanan, who met
with recently elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Indeed, as tensions mount between India and China, some analysts see Japan as a natural ally for New Delhi.
By Eliot Brockner
03 Nov 2009 |
World Politics Review
Brazil has had a lot to celebrate recently. The
nation has taken on an increasingly important role in matters of
regional diplomacy and has emerged as the de facto political and
economic leader of Latin America. And earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee awarded Rio de Janeiro the 2016 Olympic Games. But ever since Oct. 17, the spotlight has been on Brazil for all the wrong reasons.
By Saurav Jha
30 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
The U.S.-UAE 123 Agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, set to come
into force, has the firm backing of the Obama administration,
which sees it as a model for countries looking to introduce nuclear
energy to their territories. For the UAE, the deal
reaffirms its close ties to the West, and represents a gateway to developing a source of energy that, for a number of reasons, makes sense for the Emirates.
By Alan Boswell
30 Oct 2009 |
World Politics Review
Sudan has become an unlikely foreign policy priority for the Obama administration. For this, the Sudanese can thank the Darfur advocacy movement, which effectively put the nation on the map for the American public over the past six years. But the internal tension hidden within President Barack Obama's newly
formulated Sudan policy is that Darfur is no longer the main
attraction. Not even close.
