Since taking office Dec. 10, Argentine President Javier Milei has launched a flurry of initiatives to implement his pro-market agenda. But his decision to push through a massive package of reforms all at once and his insensitivity toward the social costs of his policies risk alienating key supporters and dooming his administration.
At a time when the global order is in flux, it is notable that the drivers of many of the core security challenges in the world today are not, in fact, states. From Hamas to the Houthis movement, to Taiwan and Kosovo, the world is dotted by “quasi-” or “de facto” states. What does that mean for the role of the nation-state?
Given Taiwan’s pivotal position as a flashpoint in global security, most of the coverage of its recent presidential and legislative elections viewed them through the lens of its relations with China. The relationship matters to be sure, but the campaign was also driven by domestic concerns that didn’t make the international headlines.
Attempts to subvert democracy have become a staple of our time. But amid this deeply worrisome trend is an encouraging development: Those attempts appear to be failing, as those who support democracy get better at defending it. Consider Guatemala, where a soft coup was defeated by the country’s citizens and international pressure.
The liberal European order has been under attack from within and without in recent years. The EU became a convenient punching bag for opportunistic politicians in many of its member countries, and centrist political parties are being challenged by a populist wave that may not have yet crested. The work to rebuild trans-Atlantic ties with the U.S. under President Joe Biden has begun, even as Russia’s attempts to destabilize the European order have not abated.
The coming year looks to be one of continued headaches and reactive crisis management for Germany’s ruling three-party coalition. A budget crisis, which triggered mass farmers protests, has compounded the country’s existing challenges, testing the durability of the ruling coalition and the political skills of its leaders.
Under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Cairo has been unable to do anything more than react to crises around Egypt’s borders. With concerns growing over Egypt’s own stability, that has created a vicious cycle, increasing the likelihood that the chaos around it further exacerbates Egypt’s own internal problems.
On Dec. 28, South Africa filed a claim with the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel’s actions in Gaza since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7 amount to genocide against the Palestinian population. Both Israel and the U.S. have called the case a distraction. They’re right, but not for the reasons they claim.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo’s “Resilient Ghana” program, which seeks to halt and reverse deforestation while also boosting the country’s economy, has won plaudits abroad. But Ghanaians are more skeptical, and for good reason. Deforestation is a grave problem in Ghana, but successive governments have done little to address it.
The recent controversy over antisemitism on U.S. campuses highlights the role U.S. universities play in maintaining the country’s global status. More than material resources, like state-of-the-art classrooms, it is the campus culture of open inquiry and expression that enables U.S. universities to serve as sources of soft power.
For those concerned with the bottom-line humanitarian outcomes in Gaza, is a cease-fire ultimately the best way forward? The reality is that cease-fires often fail and for the most part have limited and at times even adverse impacts. There are, however, certain circumstances when cease-fires can make a difference.
One year ago, Brazil experienced what looked its own version of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Insurrection in Washington. Since then, though, the two countries, whose political dramas had momentarily converged, moved in completely different directions. Today, Brazilian democracy appears to have stabilized. American democracy has not.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, China has adopted a position that is surprisingly critical of Israel. What’s driving the shift? One overlooked factor is the relative collapse of the major pillar underpinning Sino-Israeli ties since even before they formally established diplomatic relations: trade in technology.
With the international system stretched to the breaking point, the world’s attention remains focused on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the questions of moral legitimacy they raise. However, conflicts in Sudan and Ethiopia are also setting precedents that will further erode the moral and legal constraints on state and nonstate actors.
After a year of important gatherings for the Chinese Communist Party, starting with the 20th Party Congress in October 2022 that named Xi Jinping to an unprecedented third term as general secretary, 2023 ended not with a bang, but with a whimper: The “third plenum,” often used to announce important reforms, didn’t take place.
Since taking office last summer, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has shown some signs that he understands the country’s need for economic growth. But his moves on the economic front will mean little if Hun Manet remains as authoritarian as his father, longtime ruler Hun Sen, whose political system he inherited upon succeeding him.
All too often, calls for nonviolent action in Palestine ignore how even a fully rejuvenated Palestinian nonviolent movement is unlikely to succeed on its own. Instead, the best hope for progress is the emergence of parallel nonviolent mobilization among Israelis, providing a necessary ally for change that would embody sustainable peace.