WPR Articles Aug. 4, 2014 - Aug. 8, 2014

For Jokowi, Maintaining Indonesia’s Role Abroad Depends on Domestic Reform

By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Briefing

Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s victory in Indonesia’s presidential election is nothing short of historic. He is the first-ever president from outside the Jakarta elite, chosen by Indonesians to clean up the country’s politics and institute fundamental change. But his ability to deliver remains to be seen. He will face a host of challenges in trying to balance reforms at home and maintaining an active role abroad.

NATO Must Adapt to Counter Russia’s Next-Generation Warfare

By: Richard Weitz | Column

A recently released paper of the Defense Committee of the U.K. Parliament concludes that Russia’s seizure of Crimea represents a “game changer” for Western security. The authors offered useful recommendations meant to inform both the next U.K. Defense Review and the upcoming NATO summit. The alliance will need to adapt its capabilities if it is to avoid being caught off-guard by Russian tactics in the future.

In Training Partner Militaries, U.S. Should Not Rush to ‘Do Something’ in Africa

By: Michelle Sieff | Briefing

As African heads of state gather in Washington this week for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the continent’s overall security progress shouldn’t obscure its ongoing challenges, including violent Islamist extremism. With the shift in U.S. counterterrorism strategy from direct to indirect action—training partner or indigenous troops—U.S. policymakers and the military must confront critical strategic and practical issues.

With More Evidence of Assad War Crimes, Is Transitional Justice Possible in Syria?

By: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines

Last week, a former Syrian military photographer appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee with thousands of photographs allegedly showing widespread torture and killing in Bashar al-Assad’s jails. Amid the geopolitical wrangling over the Syrian civil war, the photographs have reignited calls for transitional justice and accountability for atrocities committed there, whenever the fighting stops.

Time Running Out for Obama to Reboot U.S. Foreign Policy

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

Are we on the verge of personnel shifts that will produce a national security team 4.0 for the Obama administration? The third iteration has enjoyed a particularly rough tenure, with public confidence in Obama's handling of national security diminishing as a result. The upcoming November midterm elections could prove decisive to what an Obama foreign policy agenda for the end of his presidency might look like.

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Congressional Republicans Seize on Russia’s Missile Treaty Violation

By: Eric Auner | Trend Lines

Last week, the State Department officially reported that Russia had violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty when it tested cruise missiles. Republican lawmakers expressed immediate dismay with the Obama administration; some even advocated U.S. withdrawal from the treaty. Even if Republicans shy away from that, the INF issue will continue to serve as a locus of anti-Russian sentiment.

Lacking Primetime Partners, U.S. Remains ‘Indispensable’ Crisis Manager

By: Richard Gowan | Column

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s ill-fated attempts to staunch conflict after conflict seem to confirm that Washington’s global influence is shriveling, even as the argument that the U.S. has little choice but to keep fighting diplomatic fires implies it is unable to choose where and when to expend its diplomatic energy. Does the U.S. have to be trapped in this pattern of obligations and setbacks?

Despite Political Shakeup, an Emerging Consensus in Ukraine

By: David Klion | Trend Lines

Two weeks ago, Ukraine’s governing coalition, which had been assembled after the Maidan protests, was dissolved, and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk offered his resignation. Last week, Yatsenyuk’s resignation was rejected by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. At first glance, the infamously dysfunctional Rada appears to be as chaotic as ever. But the situation in Kiev may be more stable than it seems.

Israel-Hamas War Highlights Policy Continuity for France’s Hollande

By: Judah Grunstein | Briefing

The Israel-Hamas war has highlighted continuity with shifts in France’s policy toward Israel as well as its broader foreign policy alignment begun under former President Nicolas Sarkozy. President Francois Hollande’s response to the current conflict, combined with his foreign policy approach to date, suggest the shifts have achieved a bipartisan consensus in Paris, although not an uncontested one.

East Africa Exchange Aims to Provide Farmers’ With Better Market Access

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Leaders from Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda officially launched the East Africa Exchange early last month. In an email interview, Jendayi Frazer, managing partner of the East Africa Exchange and director of the Center for International Policy and Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University, discussed the East Africa Exchange’s role in improving farmers’ market access.

The Nonlethal Weapons Revolution That Wasn’t

By: Steven Metz | Column

War among the people pitting state security forces against militias or insurgents has become a pervasive aspect of the contemporary security environment. In such wars, anything that can help a military limit civilian casualties is valuable. Not so long ago it looked like the technology to do this might be on the way. The obstacles to a revolution in nonlethality, though, are political, ethical and legal.

After Successful Visit, Modi Must Deliver on India-Nepal Relations

By: Anuradha Sharma | Briefing

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal earlier this week ushered in a new chapter in relations between the two neighbors. Modi charmed the Himalayan nation with a rousing address in the Constituent Assembly—the first by a foreign leader—and announced a soft loan of $1 billion. But Modi must now try to regain the trust of the Nepalese, who hold a strong view that “India promises, China delivers.”

ISIS Victories Over Kurds Demand New U.S. Policy on Iraq

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Last June, when Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, fell to ISIS, the consensus among international observers was that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s sectarian regime had undermined the Iraqi military’s unity, preparedness and willingness to fight. To be sure, Maliki’s governing approach has proved devastating for Iraq, but events of the past few days point to a much more ominous explanation.

BRICS Bank Will Bolster, Not Challenge, Global Financial System

By: Daniel McDowell | Briefing

The BRICS countries recently unveiled a new development bank that includes a $100 billion fund known as the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, designed to provide short-term support to BRICS members, similar to the International Monetary Fund. Despite suggestions that the CRA is another sign that the BRICS and the West are headed for confrontation, the new institution might leave all sides better off.