Given the threat that Jair Bolsonaro represented to the democracy of Latin America’s largest country, the whole region should feel some relief that Lula da Silva defeated him in Brazil’s presidential election. And yet, there are many pro-democracy activists in Latin America for whom Lula returning to office is a cause for anxiety.
In the upcoming midterm U.S. congressional elections, Republicans are expected to regain control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate, which would put them in position to undermine U.S. efforts to support Ukraine militarily. However, concerns that Republicans will do so are unfounded for three reasons.
Giorgia Meloni became Italy’s new prime minister and the first woman to hold the position on Friday, ushering in a new era in which she will be the conductor of Italian politics’ cacophonous chorus. The drama already promises to be intense, even as the country braces itself for ferocious economic headwinds.
Despite global attention on Taiwan, the state in the Indo-Pacific region facing the most difficult security dilemmas with regard to a more aggressive China under Xi Jinping is Vietnam. Hanoi is struggling to manage the adverse effects of a deterioration in bilateral relations that began when Xi first took power a decade ago.
Among the many concerns raised about Russia’s war in Ukraine is that it is using tactics that constitute genocide. But when human rights advocates focus so much on the genocide label, they risk drawing attention away from actions that are as bad or worse, but also easier to punish when called “crimes against humanity.”
“The worst is yet to come.” That’s the message from the International Monetary Fund about what to expect in 2023. For Latin America, the IMF’s bad news about the year to come will add to a pile of years’ worth of other economic and political problems and will be critical to every political story in the region for the year to come.
With U.S. President Joe Biden’s latest escalation of the U.S.-China trade war, it’s clear the world is a far cry from the “Golden Age” of economic globalization that marked the 1990s and early 2000s. So how did globalization’s “golden age” come to a halt? Three major factors contributed to the global economy’s fragility.
Last week, the Mexican government filed the second of two lawsuits against the firearms business in the U.S., claiming that a handful of gun shops and distributors knowingly and deliberately violate U.S. law. Could Mexico, where arms trafficked from the U.S. are a major contributor to violence, succeed where U.S. gun control advocates have failed?
The rise and decline of the West’s strategic commitment to Indochina from the 1950s to the 1970s should be kept in mind when examining U.S. and European relations with the Gulf monarchies today. Though ties between the two sides are still extensive, U.S. and European policymakers are reassessing their commitment to the region.
Until recently, many observers expected the war in Ukraine would end with a deal, once the equilibrium point between Russia’s military setbacks in Ukraine and Europe’s growing economic crisis was found. The events of the past month have called into question whether such an equilibrium can and will be reached.
Based on the results of the first-round voting in Brazil’s presidential election and current polling, Lula da Silva is expected to defeat Jair Bolsonaro in the second-round runoff on Oct. 30. But no matter who wins, the next president of Brazil will face a polarized political system and disillusioned electorate.
The Nobel Peace Prize committee’s flawed decisions over the years have contributed to list after list of “the worst Nobel laureates,” a phenomenon that even the prize committee itself has acknowledged. Despite all these unforced errors and shortcomings, however, the Nobel Peace Prize matters and should still be given.
As European countries prepared for a sharp drop in natural gas supplies and an impending energy crisis, the Netherlands announced it would slash production at one of the world’s largest natural gas fields. The announcement reflects the competing priorities across Europe, pitting climate goals against the energy crisis.
The scale of the military effort in support of Ukraine’s struggle for survival has provided stark evidence of how distorted U.S. and European defense priorities have been over the past two decades. The war in Ukraine has served as a reminder that the U.S. and Europe must fundamentally reassess how they prepare for war.
Russia unleashing the destructive power of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine would be catastrophic, but not solely because of the physical damage the weapon would cause. Instead, Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon would be catastrophic because it would cause us to enter a new world, one transformed in three permanent ways.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has long had a contentious relationship with democratic countries. But in the past few days, Managua took jabs at the EU, the U.S., some Latin American neighbors and even the Vatican. It seems Ortega has settled on a new international strategy to strengthen and perpetuate his hold on power.
Few institutions in British political life have seemed more indestructible than the Conservative Party. But Prime Minister Liz Truss’ chaotic first month in office has shattered what remained of the party’s reputation for economic competence. Now a pillar of British political life for 200 years is now facing electoral extinction.