WPR Articles May 31 — June 3 Can Italy’s Bank Rescue Plan Stave Off Wider Economic Uncertainty? By: Milton Ezrati | Briefing Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, knows his country’s nascent economic recovery is at risk if the troubled banking system is not supported and reformed. But Italy’s own financial weakness and EU rules constrain his options, and a new bank rescue package, the Atlante Fund, has its own limits. Cyprus Election Could Put a Peace Deal in Jeopardy By: The Editors | Trend Lines Last week, Cyprus held legislative elections. While the two biggest parties, the Democratic Rally and the Progressive Party of Working People, lost significant support, they still came in first and second place, respectively. In an email interview, James Ker-Lindsay discussed Cypriot politics. Putin Uses Islamic State as Cover for Russia’s Real Objectives in Syria By: Frida Ghitis | Column From the outset of its Syria intervention, Russia tried to portray its campaign as a push against the self-declared Islamic State. But Russia has leveraged the horrors of the Islamic State for its own purposes, using the group’s dark reputation to dress up the pursuit of its own strategic goals. South Korea’s Park Pushes Economic and Political Agenda on Africa Visit By: The Editors | Trend Lines Last week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Ethiopia, the first stop on her week-long Africa tour that also includes visits to Kenya and Uganda. In an email interview, J. Berkshire Miller, a fellow on Japan for the Pacific Forum CSIS, discussed South Korea’s ties in Africa. Clean Energy Is Key to Meeting the Goals of the Paris Climate Deal By: Tom Kutsch | Briefing Diplomats and negotiators have been praised for the success of last year’s COP 21 Paris climate agreement. But to mitigate the worst effects of climate change by displacing fossil fuels, countries must expand their clean energy infrastructure. Fortunately, a number of developments are well underway. Mauritania’s Weak Opposition Could Make Abdel Aziz President for Life By: The Editors | Trend Lines Earlier this month, thousands in Mauritania protested President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz’s proposed constitutional reforms that, among other changes, could allow him to seek a third term. In an email interview, Noel Foster discussed politics in Mauritania and the reaction to the proposed reforms. Populists and Technocrats in Europe’s Fragmented Democracies By: Jan-Werner Müller | Feature The euro crisis is far from resolved. One result is the fragmentation of party systems across Europe, marked by the rise of populism and technocracy’s emergence as a regime in its own right. The question is whether movements rejecting certain European policies will prompt change in Brussels Putin’s Grip on Russia Casts a Long Shadow Over U.N. Diplomacy By: Richard Gowan | Column For how long will Vladimir Putin be a decisive figure at the United Nations? The Russian president sets Moscow’s agenda at Turtle Bay, right down to specific U.N. votes. So anyone who cares about the future of collective diplomacy has a direct interest in Putin’s personal and political plans. Global Poverty Reduction Is Good News Americans Should Know About By: Michael A. Cohen | Column In 1981, half the people in the developing world lived in extreme poverty. Today, that number is closer to one in seven. In his book from last year, development expert Steven Radelet says this “ranks as one of the greatest achievements in human history.” And Americans are largely unaware of it. High Hopes, Great Disappointments: U.S.-Pakistan Relations Under Obama By: Michael Kugelman | Briefing President Barack Obama came into office hoping to transform U.S.-Pakistan ties. But his efforts have largely proved unsuccessful. His Pakistan policy was doomed by a fundamental reality: Security issues will always find a way to dominate the agenda, but the security interests of the two countries do not align. Protests and Clashes Likely Just the Start of Political Unrest in Kenya By: Andrew Green | Briefing Kenya’s national elections are more than a year away, but political tensions are already rising. Recent protests have been met with widespread police brutality, with three protesters killed late last month. President Uhuru Kenyatta and the opposition are talking, but more political clashes could come. Alberto Fujimori’s Shadow Hangs Over Peru’s Presidential Election By: David Dudenhoefer | Briefing Ahead of Sunday’s second-round presidential election, many Peruvians will be thinking of imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, who has a polemical but powerful political legacy in the country. His daughter, Keiko, is the front-runner, and her party already has a majority in Congress. Are the Winds of Change Blowing for U.S. Strategic Partnerships? By: Steven Metz | Column Today the United States is more receptive to major change in its global strategy than it has been for decades. Things unthinkable or relegated to the political fringe only a few years ago are now on the table. This includes the reconfiguration of both partnerships and adversarial relationships. Is Populism a Threat to European Democracy? By: The Editors | Trend Lines In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s Judah Grunstein and host Peter Dörrie discuss U.S. ties with Pakistan, evolving U.S. strategic partnerships, and unrest in Kenya. For the Report, Jan-Werner Müller joins us to talk about the role of populism in European politics.