WPR Articles 07 Jul 2012 - 13 Jul 2012

The Lean Years: Austerity's Challenges and Opportunities for Development

By: Connie Veillette | Feature

With economic turmoil in Europe and concerns over budget deficits and debt in the United States, public spending is receiving heightened scrutiny in major foreign assistance donor countries. Austerity has become the preferred route for many of them, leading the development community to wonder how austerity will affect development and how long this period will last.

U.S., India Inch Toward Naval Partnership

By: Saurav Jha | Briefing

The steadily increasing complexity of Indo-U.S. naval force coordination has been a standout feature of an otherwise interest-driven relationship, suggesting the U.S. sees India as the western hinge of its pivot to Asia, with the U.S. Navy backstopping the shift from the Pacific. However, before the Indo-U.S. naval entente becomes a full-blown condominium, more dialogue between the two navies will be necessary.

China's New Approach to SCS Disputes Makes Maritime Code of Conduct Unlikely

By: Iain Mills | Briefing

Following a period of relatively aggressive behavior from 2009 to 2011, recent events suggest that Beijing is pursuing a new strategy on the region's high seas, perhaps in response to Washington’s Asia pivot. Going into this week's ASEAN summit, where hopes for a maritime code of conduct are rising, it seems China would need to radically alter this strategy to participate fully in any such arrangement.

World Citizen: 'Red-to-Med' Deal Highlights Growing Israel-China Ties

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Last week, Israel and China signed a memorandum of understanding for a multibillion dollar project inside Israel that some say could constitute an alternative trade route to the Suez Canal. The deal highlights the dizzying pace at which China and Israel are building economic and diplomatic ties, and is emblematic of what is driving the less-visible links between the two countries.

New Energy Sources Weaken Russia's Pipeline Monopoly in Europe

By: Michael Cecire | Briefing

In late-June, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed accords green-lighting the $7 billion Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). While the deal has been described as a deathblow to the once highly touted EU-backed Nabucco pipeline consortium, TANAP’s emergence alongside a host of other alternative and unconventional energy options is also endangering Russia’s near-monopoly in the European natural gas market.

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Picking Up the Slack: Mobile Technologies as Alternative Development Financing

By: Isobel Coleman | Feature

Across the developing world, the revolution in mobile telecommunications technology is driving massive changes in access to financial services. Currently, there are 2.7 billion “unbanked” people in developing countries. The rapid uptake of mobile phones, even in remote areas and among the poorest of the poor, has the potential to significantly increase their financial inclusion.

India's 'Look East' Policy Takes on Maritime Edge

By: Abhijit Singh | Briefing

The anxiety over China's naval buildup is not confined to China’s neighbors in Southeast Asia. And while India is most concerned about China’s forays into the Indian Ocean, it has not ignored developments in the South China Sea. New Delhi's “Look East” policy, originally devised as a strategy to boost trade with Southeast Asia, has more recently acquired a prominent maritime edge.

The Continentalist: Putting the EU Back Into the European Neighborhood

By: Ulrike Guérot | Column

Following the Arab Spring, the EU could have tried to assert itself as a main actor in the Mediterranean region, promoting mutually beneficial relations to open up new trade opportunities and new sources of energy and other resources. But while it has taken some constructive steps, the EU has failed to take decisive action across the region as a whole.

Showing Pragmatism, Egypt's Morsi Looks to Saudi Arabia

By: Nader Habibi | Briefing

The first official foreign visit of any newly elected president represents a significant symbolic statement. So the announcement that Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s first foreign visit will be to Saudi Arabia came as a surprise. The choice reflects the priorities of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood, for whom the Egyptian economy is the top concern and Saudi Arabia is an important economic partner.

Global Insights: Uzbekistan's CSTO Withdrawal Highlights Russia's Dilemma

By: Richard Weitz | Column

Uzbekistan’s decision to withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization highlights the dilemma confronting Russian President Vladimir Putin as he tries to strengthen Moscow’s pre-eminence among the former Soviet republics. The CSTO has important symbolic value to Russia, but the other member states only accept the arrangement as long as it does not overly constrain their freedom of action.

Abu Muqawama: Breaking Down the Barriers Between the U.S. and Its Military

By: Andrew Exum | Column

Last week, I made the argument that, by any reasonable measure, civil-military relations in the U.S. are not only not in crisis, but are actually remarkably healthy. This week, though, I will highlight those areas where there are problems -- and propose ways forward. To begin, both political parties, and both the U.S. military and the civilians it serves, deserve some of the blame for several disturbing trends.

Impeachment Crisis Lays Bare Romania's Political Failings

By: Andrew MacDowall | Briefing

Romania’s plunge into political crisis is the last thing the country needs. It is one of the European Union’s poorest member states and has been hit hard by a recent recession. Its rulers have long been criticized for corruption, remoteness and authoritarianism. After the government’s attempt to impeach President Traian Basescu, they now they stand accused of tearing the country apart.

The Realist Prism: Is Afghanistan Really a Major U.S. Ally?

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

This past week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the U.S. had designated Afghanistan a “major non-NATO ally.” The status requires the approval of both the secretaries of defense and state, and it is not an honorary position casually bestowed. But using it simply to signify the U.S. is serious about its commitments to Kabul’s security threatens to weaken the designation.

From Trend Lines:

Global Insider: Morocco and U.S. Stay Close As War on Terror Evolves

Global Insider: El Salvador Constitutional Crisis Has Deep Roots

Clinton's Mongolia Trip Shows Economic Side of U.S.-Asia Pivot

Global Insider: Fearing Russian Intentions, Uzbekistan Turns Back on CSTO

Lubanga Sentence a Victory for Accountability, ICC Legitimacy