WPR Articles 21 Apr 2012 - 27 Apr 2012

Hacktivists' Evolution Changes Cyber Security Threat Environment

By: Eric Sterner | Briefing

So-called hacktivists, who combine computer hacking with social, political and economic protest, have straddled the line between criminal behavior and political protest for years. But their success in launching high-profile attacks on organizations as diverse as the FBI, CIA, MasterCard and the Vatican has captured the attention of government officials in ways that traditional political protests do not.

China Turns Its Gaze Outward

By: Iain Mills | Feature

A lack of institutionalization means that Chinese policy approaches are often fragmented and factionalized, both in terms of ideological formulation and implementation. Today, China's polity seems at a crossroads, no longer wedded to the heavily centralized, introverted strategic planning structures of the socialist years, but as yet unable to articulate responses to the dynamic transnational threats it faces in the 21st century.

Global Insights: U.S. Army Must Adapt to Constraints of Austerity

By: Richard Weitz | Column

Earlier this month, the U.S. Army War College's annual Strategy Conference sought to analyze how the U.S. military needs to adapt to an era of constrained resources and a changing global security environment. Titled the "Future of U.S. Grand Strategy in an Age of Austerity: Challenges and Opportunities," the conference comes at a time when the U.S. is undertaking its fourth post-World War II defense drawdown.

World Citizen: Why WikiLeaks and Hezbollah Crossed Paths

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

In the annals of "strange bedfellow" political encounters, the recent broadcast in which WikiLeaks boss Julian Assange interviewed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stands out as a remarkable episode. On closer examination, however, the debut episode of Assange's show, "The World Tomorrow," on the Kremlin-funded RT network, which featured Nasrallah as its first guest, in fact makes a lot of sense.

The Realist Prism: In Russia, It's Putin or the Deluge

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

Vladimir Putin will be inaugurated to serve a third term as Russia's president next month. Far from being a triumphal restoration of his rightful role, however, Putin's return to the presidency is a tacit admission of failure. Putin and his associates have not yet succeeded in achieving the truest mark of success for any political regime: the ability to pass the system intact to a next generation of leadership.

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The New Rules: In Globalized World, Time Is on America's Side

By: Thomas P.M. Barnett | Column

Despite a popular tendency to characterize globalization as an elite-based conspiracy, globalization's spread reflects a bottom-up demand function, not a top-down supply imposition. People simply crave connectivity as well as the freedom of choice it unleashes. This simple truth is worth remembering when we contemplate America’s global role in the decades ahead. Why? Time is most definitely on our side.

Russian Strategic Forecasting's New Look

By: Matthew Rojansky | Feature

Responding to the challenges posed by Russia will be a clear priority for Washington going forward, and the next U.S. president would benefit from a clear understanding of how Russia’s leaders are likely to behave in the coming years. But strategic forecasting is a two-way street, and American policymakers would also benefit from understanding the vision of the future that is driving decision-makers in Russia.

Indian Strategic Thinking Comes of Age

By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Feature

With its rich civilizational history and long tradition of argumentation, India is no stranger to grand strategy. Yet many have noted that this tradition of strategic thinking has not found its way into contemporary Indian foreign policy. That has begun to change with the proliferation of high-quality works devoted to Indian foreign policy strategy that provide a window on how India's strategic thinkers view the world and India's role in it.

The Tentative Rise of China's Reformists

By: Iain Mills | Briefing

As China prepares for a once-in-a-decade change of leadership, the ouster of Bo Xilai and a series of significant financial reforms have been widely seen as signs that reformist elements in Beijing are in the ascendency. This analysis may be correct, but it needs to be tempered with a broader look at the Chinese political and policy landscape, which shows that reforms still lag in multiple key areas.

Abu Muqawama: No Binary Choices for U.S. in the Middle East

By: Andrew Exum | Column

If the Middle East had easy-to-identify heroes and unambiguous villains, policymaking would be easy. But that isn't the case. Rarely do U.S. interests in the region lead to clear policy preferences. Often, in fact, it is unclear how U.S. interests are best served in the long run. And more often than not, U.S. interests actually compete against one another, forcing policymakers to prioritize ruthlessly.

South Africa's Regional Cooperation Dilemma

By: James Hamill | Briefing

In Southern Africa the process of regional cooperation has been viewed skeptically, mainly because the obvious disparities of power between South Africa and its neighbors raise the question of whether a more balanced and equitable set of regional relationships can be achieved. Though this is certainly a valid concern, it ignores any appreciation of the potential costs to Pretoria from closer regional cooperation.

ASEAN Struggles for Relevance in South China Sea Disputes

By: Mark J. Valencia | Briefing

Although the tense standoff between Chinese and Philippine warships at Scarborough Shoal in the northern South China Sea has been walked back from the brink, more such incidents are inevitable if China and the four ASEAN member states that also claim the sea's disputed islands and their adjacent waters and resources cannot agree on and implement a robust code of conduct to govern their activities there.

India, Qatar Broaden Ties Beyond Energy Trade

By: Saurav Jha | Briefing

With the Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline project a casualty of U.S. opposition and persistent mistrust between New Delhi and Islamabad, India has increasingly turned to Qatar to meet its growing natural gas needs over the past decade. But after the recent visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to India, the two states are looking to broaden their ties beyond trade in energy.

From Trend Lines:

Global Insider: North Korea the True Target for China-South Korea Pipeline Proposal

French Presidential Election Leaves Hollande, Sarkozy and Many Questions

End of Egyptian Gas Deal No Threat to Israel's Energy Security

Global Insider: U.S.-Mexico Energy Deal Sets Important Precedent

Global Insider: EU-Venezuela Ties Distant but Cordial

Collapse of Dutch Government Brings Eurozone Crisis From Periphery to Core

Global Insider: Russia-China Military Ties Growing Despite Friction

Tacit U.S. Approval Key to Australia's Afghan Withdrawal