WPR Articles 26 Nov 2011 - 02 Dec 2011

Israel Targets East Africa With Kenya Security Pact

By: Brian Dabbs | Briefing

Targeting East Africa as an area of vital strategic interest, Israel is heightening its regional presence, most notably through a security pact signed last week with Kenya. The move comes at a critical time for the East African nation, whose military campaign aimed at eradicating al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab in Somalia has now entered its sixth week, while domestic security concerns continue to escalate.

U.S. Error Puts Afghanistan's Counternarcotics Progress at Risk

By: Fariba Nawa | Briefing

On Sept. 26, Afghan counternarcotics agents backed by their Australian counterparts seized and destroyed $350 million worth of illegal narcotics in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. The operation was the latest in a series of successes for Afghan anti-drug units. But a bureaucratic error by the U.S. government has shut down anti-drug training programs, dealing a major blow to Afghan capacity-building.

Over the Horizon: Dead or Alive, COIN is not the Culprit

By: Robert Farley | Column

With his vigorous critique of the U.S. Army's emphasis on COIN doctrine in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Army Col. Gian Gentile seemed to represent, to many outside observers, an effective internal critique of a doctrine that appeared to justify an endless U.S. engagement in Afghanistan. However, Gentile was -- and is -- fighting a different fight, one that will continue well after the end of the war in Afghanistan.

Haiti Cholera Case Raises Questions About U.N. Accountability

By: Amy Lieberman | Briefing

A recently filed legal petition claiming that the U.N. acted negligently and recklessly in Haiti is raising questions about U.N. accountability. The petition is also raising the possibility that a legally mandated, but rarely implemented, judicial procedure for civilians living in countries with U.N. peacekeeping missions will be enforced, with implications that go far beyond the particulars of the Haiti case.

Vietnam Broadens Ties to Hedge Against an Assertive China

By: Loc Doan | Briefing

Like many countries in the region, Vietnam is increasingly dependent on economic links with China, making a friendly relationship with its neighbor the top priority of Vietnam’s leaders. But while continuing its efforts to improve relations with Beijing, Vietnam’s recent diplomatic moves show Hanoi diversifying its relations with major powers, part of an effort to deal with a more forceful China.

The New Rules: U.S.-China Relations Need Leadership, not Anachronisms

By: Thomas P.M. Barnett | Column

It is hard to think of a period in the past five decades in which this country was more painfully bereft of national leadership than now. And between an isolated president, a House-controlling GOP that “has gone nuts,” and a 2012 campaign shaping up to be too negative to deliver a mandate, things are likely to get worse. Nowhere will the impact be more destabilizing than in U.S.-China relations.

Global Insights: Parsing Medvedev's Statement on NATO Missile Defense

By: Richard Weitz | Column

On Nov. 23, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned NATO that it needs to address Moscow’s security concerns over its plans for European ballistic missile defense (BMD) or face renewed confrontation. Since he listed a series of demands that, while not unreasonable, cannot be met by NATO governments, the next Russian and American presidential terms will probably see renewed battling over the BMD issue.

U.S. Should Play the Long Game on Energy Independence

By: Matthew Hulbert | Briefing

With huge hydrocarbon finds being unearthed across the Americas, energy independence is being hyped to epic proportions in the U.S. Given the scale of the new finds, it is not surprising that explosive geopolitical conclusions are being drawn. But Washington should be cautious as to how it plays its energy independence hand, which comes with serious downside risks that many are not yet willing to contemplate.

Pricing Reforms Alone Won't Solve China's Energy Challenges

By: Iain Mills | Briefing

Following recent declines in headline inflation, weak power generation in October and deepening financial losses for power companies, speculation has once again picked up regarding potential coal and electricity pricing reform in China. While some form of price adjustment looks imminent, structural reforms to pricing mechanisms affect multiple domestic interest groups and are proving hard to manage.

World Citizen: As 'Zero Problems' Fails, Turkey Seeks Alternative Approach

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Turkey’s policy of "zero problems" with its neighbors not only had a catchy name, it also seemed to work -- but only for a brief time. Despite its initial promise, the idea of getting along with everyone in a complicated part of the world proved unworkable. Now Ankara is busy looking for a new policy framework --  a new overarching strategy to maximize influence in a time of rapid change.

The Realist Prism: Checkbook Security in an Age of Austerity

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

If national security flows from economic strength, then the ongoing global economic crisis is poised to strike at one of the more underappreciated tools in the security kit -- the checkbook. We’re all familiar with the term “checkbook diplomacy.” But “checkbook security” has played a largely unsung role in America’s approach to national security over the past decade.