Regions
Africa
Snapshot,
January 5, 2010
Just as China promoted domestic growth by combining state intervention with private investment, it is now applying this same policy strategy to countries across Africa. The results have been impressive, and the United States and others would do well to start paying attention.
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Comment,
Jan/Feb
2010
Soon, travelers worldwide will have a chance to contribute to the global fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis whenever they purchase airline tickets. This initiative is part of a new development strategy called innovative financing, which hopes to redistribute some of globalization's gains to sick people in poor countries.
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As the Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo argues, the concept of foreign aid is flawed -- not just because corrupt dictators divert aid for nefarious or selfish purposes but also because even in reasonably democratic countries, aid creates perverse incentives and unintended consequences.
ReadAmericas
Snapshot,
January 25, 2010
The recent financial crisis has battered the credibility of technocrats. It is no longer clear that, left to their own devices, they will produce the one thing that justifies giving them authority: better decisions.
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Snapshot,
January 13, 2010
The Obama administration has pursued a Latin America policy based on the idea of partnership. But a number of recent crises in the region have shown that what the hemisphere needs from the United States is, in fact, more forceful leadership.
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Postscript,
November 10, 2009
Senior officers who resign over policy disagreements with civilian leaders undermine the principle of civilian control over the military and damage the professionalism of the U.S. armed forces.
ReadAsia
Snapshot,
February 2, 2010
Beijing's ongoing efforts to promote growth are infringing on people's economic and political rights. In order to survive, the Chinese government will have to start allowing ordinary citizens to take part in the political process.
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Letter From,
January 29, 2010
That talks between the Philippine government and the secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front have restarted is a good sign, but the hope of some officials that an accord can be reached soon seems overly optimistic.
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Author Interview,
January 12, 2010
This week, Kim Barker answers reader questions about the conflict in Afghanistan and the Obama administration's plans to send more U.S. troops to the region.
ReadEurope
Essay,
Nov/Dec
2009
Turkey hopes to be a global power, but it has not yet become even the regional player that the ruling AKP declares it to be. Can the AKP do better, or will it be held back by its Islamist past and the conservative inclinations of its core constituents?
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Snapshot,
October 26, 2009
Under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey's foreign policy is becoming more Islamist. Can the country's history of cooperation with the West survive?
ReadMiddle East
Postscript,
February 8, 2010
Since winning elections in 2006, Hamas has demonstrated that it cannot be part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process, nor part of a Palestinian body politic based on democracy and free elections. But can policymakers deny the group the ability to play the spoiler?
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Snapshot,
January 27, 2010
The recent ban of more than 500 candidates from Iraq's upcoming elections is designed to cement the power of the country's Shiite Islamists aligned with Iran. Will this latest sectarian rupture sink any hopes for a stable Iraq?
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Snapshot,
January 11, 2010
Demilitarizing Hezbollah is a daunting proposition, but it is a worthy one. The Obama administration should reconsider its hesitance to join British efforts already underway and suspend its ban on official contact with Hezbollah.
ReadRussia & FSU
Snapshot,
February 4, 2010
Unlike in 2004, Ukraine's upcoming presidential election will not determine the country's geopolitical orientation. But it will test whether the young democracy can stabilize its economy, cut down on corruption, and navigate its relations with Russia and the West.
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Snapshot,
December 14, 2009
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is not the powerful anti-Western bloc it appeared to be a few years ago. The organization should deliver some tangible accomplishments before the West rushes to condemn or cooperate with it.
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Snapshot,
November 22, 2009
By lowering its sights and concentrating on order, the international community has helped to stabilize Tajikistan. The same cheap, simple approach could work in Afghanistan, too.
ReadGlobal Commons
Essay,
JUL/AUG
2009
To defeat piracy in centuries past, governments pursued a more active defense at sea and a political solution on land. The current piracy epidemic off the coast of East Africa requires many of the same tactics.
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Comment,
May/June
2009
The expansion of the Proliferation Security Initiative to South Korea is a welcome development. The PSI is not only a promising model for combating nuclear proliferation, but also offers a blueprint for future international cooperation.
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Postscript,
March 25, 2009
The Arctic is rich in natural resources and lies at the epicenter of a rapidly changing climate -- and it is time the United States paid more attention to the region.
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