WPR Articles Sept. 13, 2014 - Sept. 19, 2014
U.S. Strategy for Defeating the Islamic State Group Won't Work
By: Steven Metz | Column
President Barack Obama’s strategy for
dealing with the Islamic State group appeals to a weary nation, but it
is unlikely to work because it violates two cardinal rules of strategy:
The resources are not commensurate with the objectives, and the
coalition’s objectives are not in sync.
Modi, Xi Put India-China Economic Ties Ahead of Border Tensions
By: Anuradha Sharma | Briefing
China and India signed more than a
dozen agreements, including a pledge of $20 billion in Chinese
investment, during President Xi Jinping’s first official visit to India.
However, bitterness in India over alleged Chinese incursions into
Indian territory loomed large over the talks.
Waiting for Disruption: The Western Sahara Stalemate
By: Jacob Mundy | Feature
The Western Sahara conflict is fast
approaching its 40th anniversary with no end in sight. A web of
geopolitical interests keeps the conflict in a permanent state of limbo.
Therein lies the paradox: The peace process now exists to contain the
conflict, but only a crisis will save Western Sahara.
Can Obama Count on ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to Fight Islamic State Group?
By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column
The apparent rule of thumb for U.S.
military operations is to ensure dramatic results without U.S.
casualties. So the U.S. provides the air force but others handle the
ground game. If that is the case for the fight against the Islamic State
group, however, there are some caveats in play.
Border Disputes, Political Tensions Threaten Needed Cooperation in Central America
By: Christine Wade | Briefing
In early September, the Honduran
military raised the Honduran flag over the disputed Conejo Island,
quickly raising the ire of El Salvador’s government. The incident
highlighted tensions within the region at a time when cooperation and
collaboration are more important than ever.
Despite Saakashvili Prosecution, Georgia Moves WestBy: David Klion | Trend Lines
Last month, Georgian prosecutors filed
charges against former President Mikheil Saakashvili for misallocating
public funds while in office. While Saakashvili is strongly identified
with Georgia’s pro-Western foreign policy, the new government in Tbilisi
has only intensified this policy.
Having Tried Hope, Obama Turns to Fear to Reaffirm U.S. PowerBy: Richard Gowan | Column
In a 2009 U.N. speech, Barack Obama
called hope the most powerful weapon in the world’s arsenal and argued
for “the confidence that conflicts can end.” Five years on, Obama is
fighting conflicts that refuse to end, and his most potent diplomatic
weapon is not hope, but fear.
Africa’s M-PESA Money Transfer System Comes to EuropeBy: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last month the Kenyan-based mobile money
transfer system M-PESA launched in Romania. In an email interview,
Diane Mullenex, a partner at the law firm of Pinsent Masons, discussed
the expansion of M-PESA outside of Africa.
In Fight Against Islamic State, Iraqi Kurds Are Problematic PartnersBy: Balint Szlanko | Briefing
Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government is a
key partner in any anti-ISIS coalition. Yet the KRG still has its own
strategic ambitions, some of which are potentially problematic and
contrary to a unified Iraq. And under its democratic facade, there run
some troubling political currents.
Islamic State Threat Puts Independence on Hold for Iraq’s KurdsBy: Hannes Cerny | Briefing
Western fears that Iraqi Kurdistan could
use military aid to secede from Iraq by force are ill-founded.
Precisely because Kurds are integrated in the international coalition
against ISIS—and because of developments in the past two months—any
unilateral pursuit of independence has receded.
Responding to Crises, SCO Finally Embraces ExpansionBy: Richard Weitz | Column
After years of stasis, the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization at its latest summit finally agreed to consider
expanding the organization’s membership, which has remained fixed since
its foundation in 2001. But the group still faces several obstacles to
expanding its role in Eurasia.
Boko Haram, Corruption Purges Put Cameroon on EdgeBy: Alex Thurston | Briefing
Alongside the political risks of
President Paul Biya’s desire to stay in power indefinitely, two
short-term problems stoke anxiety in Cameroon: the potential for
destructive escalation in the fight with Boko Haram, and the ambiguous
effects of an aggressive anti-corruption campaign.
Syria’s Battlefield Realities Undermine U.S. Strategy on Islamic State GroupBy: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines
Last week, the entire leadership of one
of Syria’s strongest rebel groups, the deeply conservative Salafi
movement Ahrar al-Sham, was killed in a bombing. As the U.S. mobilizes a
coalition against the Islamic State group, the attack could have domino
effects across Syria’s civil war.
A Tale of Two Interventions: U.S. Content to Contain Islamic State Group and EbolaBy: Judah Grunstein | Briefing
Despite obvious differences, the U.S.
military missions against the Islamic State group and the Ebola virus
share many similarities. Perhaps most significantly, both can be
contained with limited interventions, but to defeat them will require
resources the U.S. is unlikely to commit.
The King’s Speech Signals Shift in Dutch, European WorriesBy: Frida Ghitis | Column
The annual king’s speech in the
Netherlands this year reflected a new emphasis on security issues, owing
to Dutch casualties in the Malaysian jet shot down over Ukraine as well
as the growing threat from the Islamic State group. But economic health
remains a significant concern.
Xi Rewrites China’s Hong Kong Policy as ‘One Country, One Destiny’By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Hong Kong’s Occupy Central movement marched Sunday
to demand the right to elect the city’s chief executive. In an email
interview, Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and
the United States at the Wilson Center, discussed the quest for greater
democracy in Hong Kong.
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