WPR Articles 07 May 2013 - 10 May 2013

Did you know that worldpoliticsreview.com is now mobile friendly? Try it on your smartphone or tablet today!

Global Insights: On First U.S. Visit, South Korea’s Park Has Vital Agenda

By: Richard Weitz | Column

South Korean President Park Geun-hye is currently in the United States, where she will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House, attend a special dinner to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean alliance and address a joint session of Congress, among other activities. She will also travel to New York and Los Angeles, but not to other countries, underscoring the trip’s significance.

Obama’s Mexico Trip Yielded Progress, Missed Opportunities

By: Eric Farnsworth | Briefing

President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was an effort to recast the perceived priorities of the bilateral agenda from security to economic issues. The two leaders announced a cabinet-level economic dialogue, education exchanges and a few other related activities. These initiatives are certainly worthy, but the leaders missed an opportunity to think bigger.

Venezuela’s Opposition in a Favorable Position Amid Political Instability

By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines

Since the narrow victory of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski in elections held last month, tensions have escalated in the country, most recently with rival marches in the streets.

As U.S. Leaves Afghanistan, India Reconsiders Iran Policy

By: Yogesh Joshi | Briefing

India’s foreign minister visited Tehran in the first week of May, where he signed a number of agreements, including for the expansion of the strategically important Chabahar Port. The thawing of bilateral ties reflects the critical interest that the two sides share in ensuring stability in Afghanistan. Clearly the scheduled U.S. military withdrawal is driving the new diplomatic engagement between India and Iran.

Sharif Poised for Return to National Stage in Pakistan Elections

By: Umar Farooq | Briefing

Pakistan’s elections Saturday will be the first time in the country's 66-year history that a democratically elected civilian government completed its five-year term, ceding power to a three-month caretaker government that will oversee elections. The increasingly unpopular governing PPP will likely be replaced by one of two rightist parties, the PML-N or the PTI, with odds heavily favoring the former.

More Global Insider: Russia-Israel Relations Continue Steady Improvement By: The Editors | Trend Lines In an email interview, Mark N. Katz, a professor of government and politics at George Mason University who focuses on Russian foreign policy, explained the recent evolution of the defense relationship between Russia and Israel. With Japan Fishing Deal, Taiwan Scores a Win in East China Sea Disputes By: Joel Atkinson | Briefing Taiwan and Japan recently signed an important East China Sea fishing rights agreement after 17 years of negotiations. The deal represents a striking concession from Japan and is a good policy outcome for the government in Taiwan. President Ma Ying-jeou has successfully reminded Japan that Taiwan cannot be ignored, while avoiding irritating Washington. The least satisfied party affected by the deal will be China. Strategic Horizons: U.S. Counterinsurgency Still Fighting the Last War By: Steven Metz | Column With the U.S. out of Iraq and getting out of Afghanistan, interest in insurgency is ebbing. Still, unlike the 1990s, it has not gone away entirely. This continued interest is a good thing, but, unfortunately, official thinking reflects old-style insurgency more than emerging forms. The failure to adapt U.S. thinking to changing patterns of insurgency leaves the country poorly equipped for the next conflict. Global Insider: France’s New Defense White Paper Projects a Pared-Down Force By: The Editors | Trend Lines In an email interview, Rachel Utley, an expert on French defense and security policies at the University of Leeds, explained the context and implications of the defense white paper France issued late last month. World Citizen: Israel’s Syria Strike Reflects Favorable Cost-Benefit Calculus By: Frida Ghitis | Column When Israeli missiles struck Syrian facilities on May 3—an operation that Israel has not officially confirmed but is widely believed to have carried out—they showed the results of a cost-benefit analysis whose arithmetic yields clear results. Since the attack, Israel has worked to assure Damascus that it has no interest in becoming embroiled in the Syrian civil war; the attack, rather, targeted Hezbollah. The Realist Prism: Narrowed Focus in U.S.-Russia Relations Proves Productive By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column John Kerry undertook his maiden voyage to Moscow as U.S. secretary of state this week, and the initial prognosis is that his visit was a success. There was a perceptible thaw in what, over the past year, has been described as a much more contentious relationship. Kerry continued the process of leaving behind bilateral baggage that had accumulated during the the first term of the Obama administration. With New Defense White Paper, Australia Rebalances By: Michael Fullilove | Briefing The Obama administration’s pivot away from the Middle East and toward Asia is based on the belief that the U.S. has underinvested in the Asia-Pacific, where the bulk of its future opportunities and challenges lie. As America rebalances, a defense white paper from its most reliable ally in the region, Australia, should be closely read in Washington. Its message is that if the U.S. is rebalancing, so is Australia.

See more Articles at World Politics Review