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Recent rumors that China had effectively banned rare metal exports to Japan over a thorny territorial dispute have thrust the issue of rare earth elements to the fore. With demand rising and Beijing continuing to tighten its stranglehold over the dwindling supply of rare earths, other countries are now scrambling to secure their own access to the key strategic resource. The 17 varieties of rare earth elements, which are scattered across the Earth’s crust, are essential components in important technology products ranging from televisions and cell phones, to precision-guided missiles and hybrid cars. Approximately 130,000 tons of rare earths are […]

Editor’s note: This article is the first in a two-part series. Part I focuses on assistance to rape victims and educational efforts for everyday Congolese. Part II, which will appear tomorrow, looks at efforts to reform the groups responsible for rape in Congo. DUNGU, Democratic Republic of Congo — Two years ago in this remote territory, a young woman named Dina and three others — another woman and two men — fled a camp belonging to the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group. The LRA had kidnapped the four months earlier: the men as laborers or fighters, the women as sex […]

When examining the effects of globalization, the international arms market presents an interesting case. It is certainly a global market in terms of distribution, with almost every country in the world, as well as many non-state actors, buying and selling weapons. And its impact is also felt throughout the world, for good as well as ill. But when it comes to the most sophisticated weapons — such as advanced warplanes, warships, tanks and missiles — that can reshape the balance of military power between important countries, the same states that have dominated the high-end of the international arms trade for […]

If you’re interested in naval affairs and the U.S. naval force structure, Galrahn has some reflections for the New Fiscal Year that are well worth your time. I’d widen the lens a bit and argue that the idea of introducing incremental changes to shipbuilding during times of rapid technological change and uncertainty could be applied more generally to diplomacy and strategy. It’s become a trope to talk about the age of uncertainty that has emerged following the end of America’s unipolar moment. And part of the response has been a search for the IR equivalent of a unified field theory […]

Ajai Shukla builds a strong case for why an immediate American withdrawal from Afghanistan would serve India’s interests, despite concerns in New Delhi to the contrary. The case rests on three major arguments. First, the vacuum created by the U.S. withdrawal would splinter the insurgent factions, and set them at odds not only with each other but also with their Pakistani handlers. Second, the epicenter of terrorist safe havens is no longer Afghanistan, but Pakistan, and a U.S. withdrawal would free Washington’s hands to target them by removing its dependence on Pakistani supply routes for the war effort. And finally, […]

BEIJING — The news that China has overtaken Japan as the world’s second-largest economy was seen by many as further evidence of the Sleeping Dragon’s unstoppable geopolitical re-awakening. Equally significant, however, is the recent standoff between the two countries over the disputed Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands, which serves as a stark reminder of the regional difficulties China faces. The incident demonstrates the volatility that characterizes international relations in Asia as it experiences rapid and fundamental changes to its constellations of power and influence. To achieve global superpower status, China will first have to become not only a dominant, but also a […]

According to Sourabh Gupta, we’ve all been a bit quick to label China the neighborhood bully when it comes to the recent standoff over a Chinese trawler captain that Japan detained for fishing in coastal waters of the disputed Senkaku Island chain. The reason? The two countries already have in place coastal fisheries agreements that explicitly and wisely decouple fisheries disputes from any larger territorial disputes, for the express purpose of preventing them from triggering the kind of diplomatic incident that ultimately took place. And those agreements clearly give legal jurisdiction over any infractions off of the Senkaku Islands to […]

I had the pleasure of participating on France 24’s panel discussion program, The World This Week, last Friday, along with Philip Turle, Laura Dagg and Dave Clark. Topics included the Israeli-Palestinian direct talks, the Irish bank bailout and EU immigration politics. Part one can be seen here. Part two can be seen here.

Reports last week suggested that China is considering investing in a large, 1,000-megawatt reactor in Pakistan, in addition to the two small reactors recently agreed upon by the two countries. If validated, the reports indicate that Chinese policymakers have given the go-ahead to a nuclear development plan prioritizing early export of indigenous large reactors, while simultaneously underlining Beijing’s willingness and ability to pursue a policy of nuclear exceptionalism in the subcontinent. The backstory on the reported deal dates back to 2004, when the smaller State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC) won a momentous decision from Chinese planners to proceed with […]

America’s top African diplomat recently signaled Washington’s desire to establish more official contacts with the autonomous region of Somaliland, which sits within the internationally recognized borders of the failed state known as Somalia. Meanwhile, both our Agency for International Development and the Pentagon’s recently established Africa Command worry about Sudan’s upcoming vote on formally splitting the country in two. For a country that has sworn off nation-building, it’s interesting to see just how hard it is for America to remain on the sidelines while globalization remaps so much of the developing world. Not that globalization causes changes that otherwise would […]

Fareed Zakaria interviews Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the CNN program GPS.

Citing a Der Spiegel interview with Condoleezza Rice on the first Bush administration’s insistence that a reunified Germany remain a full NATO member, Greg Scoblete makes a good point about the enduring rationale of the alliance: Whatever other rationales are offered up for why NATO remains relevant, it’s central, animating purpose is to keep America immersed in the affairs of Europe. Seen in this light, Europe’s collective decision to continue to sacrifice defense budgets on the altar of austerity is a feature, not a bug. The logic at the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, in both Washington […]

With most U.S. political analysts — Charlie Cook, Larry Sabato and Stuart Rothenberg among them — now predicting that the Republicans will take back control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the likelihood that Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi will be replaced as speaker of the house by the current Republican minority leader, Rep. John Boehner, is becoming more likely. But while this would mark a tectonic shift in American domestic politics, it might not lead to any immediate revolution in how the administration conducts foreign affairs. After all, the Democrats, under then-Minority Leader Pelosi, swept into power […]

For almost 20 years, Indian development has been guided by the “Look East” policy, based on the premise that Asia holds the key to India’s economic and strategic future. The recent state visits by Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to Laos and Cambodia, which yielded Indian offers of trade initiatives and cash loans, have demonstrated that, for New Delhi, an eastern orientation is still promising. Shifting its gaze northward, however, tends to leave India blinking uncomfortably in China’s reflected light. Admired but also feared, emulated but also repudiated, China can spoil the appeal of Asia’s opportunities for India. Economic ties […]