WPR Articles Oct. 13, 2014 - Oct. 17, 2014

NATO’s New Secretary-General Takes Over Alliance in Need of Money—and Unity

By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines

Jens Stoltenberg assumed the position of secretary-general of NATO on Oct. 1. He takes over the job at an important juncture for NATO: With the drawdown in Afghanistan and tensions with Russia running high over Ukraine, there are many questions about NATO’s future.

U.S., Japan Update Defense Guidelines to Expand Operations

By: Richard Weitz | Column

The U.S. and Japan released an interim report last week on planned revisions to their militaries’ respective roles in the joint defense of Japan. The report makes it clear that the two countries plan to expand the range of possible operations both geographically and functionally.

For U.S., Middle East ‘Moderates’ a Fool’s Errand

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

The elusive unicorns wandering the forests of America’s Middle East policy are the so-called moderates who will battle the extremists on behalf of the West. There is a touching faith in the existence of these moderates. However, finding them has proved to be an impossible challenge.

New Growth for Nuclear Energy Depends on Asia

By: Miles Pomper | Briefing

Does the nuclear energy industry still have exciting possibilities for growth, or are its best days behind it? A web of factors—economic, political and technical, both within countries and globally—will determine whether nuclear energy enjoys a new lease on life or slowly limps toward the grave.

Discredited Politics, Inconclusive Election Leave Bulgaria Adrift

By: Andrew MacDowall | Briefing

Bulgaria’s election earlier this month produced the most fragmented parliament since the fall of communism in 1989. Amid haggling over a governing arrangement, with most Bulgarians alienated from politics, the country continues to plot an uncomfortable course between the West and Russia.

More DRC’s Kabila Pursues Familiar African Post: President for Life By: Richard Downie | Briefing In the Democratic Republic of Congo, supporters of President Joseph Kabila want to amend or even replace the country’s constitution to remove presidential term limits, despite the public’s loud rejection. If they succeed, Kabila will join a growing list of African leaders turning themselves into presidents for life. Islamic State, Ebola’s Common Ally: Weak Crisis Response Mechanisms By: Richard Gowan | Column Across Africa and the Middle East, governments and international organizations are paying the price for responding to crises too late. The continuing spread of Ebola in West Africa and new advances in Syria and Iraq by the so-called Islamic State were arguably both avoidable disasters. Armed and Dangerous: Self-Defense Groups in Weak States By: Jerónimo Mohar | Feature The emergence of self-defense groups in Mexico earlier this year is yet another chapter in the history of nonstate actors that contest the government’s monopoly on violence. Parallel cases in Colombia, El Salvador and Nigeria can help illustrate how such groups form and why they persist. Chad Uses Environmental Rules to Keep Tight Grip on Oil Sector By: The Editors | Trend Lines Chad is currently in talks with the Chinese National Petroleum Company over oil-extraction licenses that were revoked due to environmental violations. In an email interview, Celeste Hicks, a freelance journalist specializing in Africa, discussed Chad’s oil sector. Gulf States Gamble on Ambitious but Risky Mega-Projects By: Kristian Coates Ulrichsen | Briefing After a hiatus following the 2008 financial crisis and the Arab Spring, multibillion-dollar “mega-projects” are once again being built at breakneck speed in the Arab Gulf states. But declining oil prices and pressures on fiscal sustainability inject uncertainty into many of the planned projects. Back to the Future With Egypt’s Crony Economic Recovery Plans By: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines Egypt’s economic woes since the 2011 fall of former President Hosni Mubarak are no secret. But the narrative in Cairo and Washington of solving them by opening the country back up for business echoes that of the Mubarak era and ignores the political and economic pitfalls of crony capitalism. Post-Election Mozambique Needs Stability to Maintain Development Path By: Francisco Galamas | Briefing National cohesion will be the biggest challenge facing the winner of Mozambique’s general election, and to achieve that, political elites need to ensure that the equitable distribution of the country’s newfound natural resource wealth becomes a reality, not just an aspiration. Gas Talks Offer Way Out of Costly Conflict for Russia and Ukraine By: David Klion | Trend Lines Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko are scheduled to meet tomorrow in Italy, with energy topping the agenda. Hopes are high that by resolving their gas dispute, the two countries can also resolve the nearly yearlong crisis in eastern Ukraine. Islamic State Fight Could Leave Lasting Scars on U.S.-Turkey Ties By: Frida Ghitis | Column Just as the U.S. thought it had convinced Turkey to help fight the so-called Islamic State (IS), Ankara announced it had launched bombing raids, but against Kurdish guerrillas in Turkey, not IS. Differences over the IS campaign will leave scars on the U.S.-Turkey relationship. The U.S. Army Makes Its Case for Post-COIN Relevance By: Steven Metz | Column Since the end of the Iraq and Afghanistan counterinsurgencies, the U.S. Army has struggled to reinvent itself and preserve its force structure. This week it released a new roadmap intended to explain its value in the tumultuous and complex security environment that the U.S. faces.