World Politics Review WPR Articles 14 Jan 2012 - 20 Jan 2012

WPR Articles 14 Jan 2012 - 20 Jan 2012

Strategic Posture Review: Iraq

By: Richard Weitz | Strategic Posture Review

External threats and internal tensions have characterized the history of Iraq since its emergence as a nation-state. Now that all U.S. military forces have left the country, Iraq’s government once again faces the challenge of overcoming internal divisions, even as it becomes fully responsible for Iraq’s security for the first time since 2003. Iraqi leaders must manage these interrelated challenges while trying to reintegrate Iraq into the regional and international order.

Over the Horizon: The Defense Budget Revolution Won't Be Televised

By: Robert Farley | Column

Two weeks ago, President Barack Obama released a new strategic document intended to provide guidance for cuts in the growth rate of the defense budget. Though the planned cuts had already been announced in principle, the strategic priorities laid out in the document make it official: There’s going to be a knife fight at the Pentagon. Unfortunately, the American public won’t be watching.

Global Insights: Ahmadinejad's Latin American Tour Highlights Iran's Isolation

By: Richard Weitz | Column

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Latin American tour last week was noticeable for its lack of achievements. The trip again underscored the gap between Tehran’s global ambitions and its constrained capabilities. Iran has yet to establish the means to challenge core U.S. economic, security and other interests in Latin America, and there is little likelihood of that changing in the future.

The New Rules: China Must 'Pay Globalization Forward' in Africa

By: Thomas P.M. Barnett | Column

Throughout globalization's historical expansion from Europe to North America to Asia, the last region "in" has become the integrator of note for the next region "up." Europe was the primary investor, customer and integrator for the U.S. economy in its rise, and America subsequently "paid it forward" with East Asia. Recently, it has been Asia's turn, primarily through China, to pay it forward once again with Africa.

Azerbaijan LNG Deal Boosts Ukraine's Energy Leverage

By: Michael Cecire | Briefing

The standoff between Ukraine and Russia over gas prices will be accompanied by an added wrinkle this year, with news that Ukraine plans to ink a deal with energy-rich Azerbaijan for supplies of liquefied natural gas. The partnership will finally introduce unconventional energy sources to Ukraine, and underscores the flagging fortunes of Russia’s pipeline monopoly and the dwindling leverage it commands.

The Realist Prism: Iran's Nuclear Pipedream, and Washington's

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

With the possibility of a clash between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program looming, one cannot help but wonder: Is it worth it for Iran, now grappling with increasingly onerous sanctions, to continue its pursuit of a nuclear capacity? By all indications, Iran's leaders believe so, based on their read of recent history, by which only nuclear weapons provide a deterrent to U.S. intervention.

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Why Crisis Footing With U.S. Serves Iran's Interests

By: Eric Sterner | Briefing

Conventional wisdom holds that it is in Iran’s near-term interest to calm tensions with the West, particularly the United States. But it’s worth considering the dynamics at work in Tehran’s relationship with the rest of the world. In fact, the Iranian leadership’s incentives may run counter to our expectations, making a continuation or escalation of tensions more, not less, likely.

Iran's Fading Deterrent Could Increase the Lure of Going Nuclear

By: Zachary Keck | Briefing

Recent events have underscored that the three pillars of Iran’s long-standing deterrent-based military doctrine have become wasting assets. This is likely to influence the regime’s continued debate over whether to cross the nuclear threshold. As Iranian policymakers lose confidence in their deterrent capabilities, the rationale for a nuclear arsenal will become increasingly apparent.  

World Citizen: Divided Syrian Opposition a Sign of Post-Assad Risks

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Protesters calling for the end to the dictatorship of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are waving two different versions of the Syrian flag. It may seem like a small detail, but it points to deep divisions among anti-Assad forces that are keeping them from coordinating their efforts and creating concerns about how well the fractured opposition's leadership would be able to function if it toppled Assad.

In Liberia, Rhetoric but No Action on U.S. Gay Rights Initiative

By: Robbie Corey-Boulet | Briefing

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to West Africa this week to highlight the Obama administration’s efforts to promote democratic institutions and credible elections. But in Liberia, a staunch ally that receives more than $200 million annually in American foreign assistance, the conversation prior to the visit concerned the U.S. effort to combat the criminalization of homosexuality overseas.

Romania Protests Bring Long-Brewing Anger to the Surface

By: Andrew MacDowall | Briefing

With anti-government protests in Romania moving into their second week, demonstrators are showing a persistence unusual for this part of the world, underscoring the importance they have placed in calling attention to their grievances. The woes that have brought Romanians to the streets are familiar to many in Eastern Europe, leading some to suggest that this is the European incarnation of the Arab Spring.

From Trend Lines:

Continued U.S. Engagement, Pressure the Keys to Further Progress in Myanmar

Global Insider: France-India Relations

Global Insider: Egypt's International Borrowing

Qatari Foreign Policy Driven by Personal Ambition, Not Wider Vision