WPR Articles 17 Mar 2012 - 23 Mar 2012 The New Rules: Make China the Face of the World Bank

WPR Articles 17 Mar 2012 - 23 Mar 2012

The New Rules: Make China the Face of the World Bank

By: Thomas P.M. Barnett | Column

When Robert Zoellick recently announced that he won’t seek a second term as president of the World Bank, numerous emerging-market countries issued statements decrying America’s 66-year lock on the position. Insiders are predicting that an American will still win the spot. That's too bad, because there are a host of good reasons why Washington should presently burden Beijing with the job.

The Diversity of Latin American Democracy

By: Mark P. Jones | Feature

The recent collapse of authoritarian regimes during the Arab Spring provides a backdrop to reflect on Latin America's democratic transitions during the "Third Wave of Democratization." The near-universal presence of democratic regimes today highlights the tremendous democratic progress made in the region. Nevertheless, within this regional success exists considerable country-by-country variation in democratic experience and quality.

Abu Muqawama: NATO's Relevance a Question of Perspective

By: Andrew Exum | Column

During a lecture at the National Defense University in Warsaw last week, many of the questions I heard from Poles concerned the health and future of the NATO alliance. Americans are fortunate enough to no longer really need NATO. U.S. military officers and diplomats refer to NATO as if it is a collection of far-off allies, one that the U.S. is no longer really a part of. That’s not the case for the Poles.

World Citizen: Russia's Putin Prepares for Next Act on Global Stage

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

In the run-up to Russia’s March 4 presidential election, Vladimir Putin escalated the intensity of his anti-American and anti-Western rhetoric. But now that he has been re-elected, Washington and its allies may well rediscover the old Putin, the pragmatist, re-entering the global stage. Less than three weeks after the vote, we are already seeing signs of a more conciliatory foreign policy.

The Realist Prism: Obama Faces Perilous Calendar on Iran

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

President Barack Obama must walk a tightrope on Iran policy in the weeks to come. On the one hand, he must convince doubters in Iran, Israel and the U.S. Congress that the U.S. is prepared to use force if necessary to stop Iran from mastering the technologies needed to construct nuclear weapons. On the other hand, the last thing Obama needs is a foreign policy crisis that could erase recent economic gains.

Colombia's Oil Industry: Between Boom and Frenzy

By: Sean Goforth | Briefing

Sandwiched between OPEC members Ecuador and Venezuela, Colombia has for decades looked like an Andean misfit because it was not a major oil exporter. But when Venezuela's foreign minister visited Bogotá in November, he reportedly asked his counterpart, "When is Colombia going to join OPEC?" Quietly, Colombia has become the fourth-largest oil producer in Latin America, after Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil.

U.S.-Colombia FTA Driven More by Geopolitics Than Economics

By: Amy Lieberman | Briefing

Government and economic think-tank estimates may differ on the potential economic benefits of the recently ratified Colombia-United States Free Trade Agreement, but one of the FTA’s goals has already been achieved: It has allowed the U.S. to reaffirm support for the Colombian government, still waging a nearly 50-year-long civil war against the FARC insurgency and a two-decade battle against drug cartels.

Eastern Europe's Postcommunist Transformations

By: Grzegorz Ekiert | Feature

Two decades of political, economic and social transformations in Eastern and Central Europe have produced outcomes that were hardly expected when the region emerged from communist rule. Yet, these countries’ achievements have been in stark contrast to the failures seen in other postcommunist states. As a result, the distance between Central Europe’s new EU members and others has been growing, and the differences among subregions of the former Soviet bloc have become entrenched.

U.K.-France Defense Cooperation in Spotlight Ahead of NATO Summit

By: Andrea Barbara Baumann | Briefing

NATO’s military intervention in Libya showed that the alliance’s cohesion can quickly become a center of gravity in any out-of-area operation. Moreover, the strategic position adopted by the U.S. has put the role played by European member states into sharp relief. Given Germany’s reluctance to participate in out-of-area operations, Franco-British relations are now decisive in both regards.

Hong Kong's Tang an Unlikely Revolutionary

By: Geoff Bell | Briefing

Trouble is brewing in Hong Kong ahead of the vote on March 25 to choose the city’s next leader. A series of missteps have hobbled the one-time frontrunner in the race for chief executive, Henry Tang. The situation has put Beijing in a bind and raises the specter of a worst-case scenario involving mainland security forces deployed to restore order in the event of popular unrest following the voting.

Asia's Surprising Democratic Renaissance

By: Benjamin Reilly | Feature

As a region that includes some of the world’s most resilient autocracies, Asia has traditionally found democracy to be a difficult subject. Popular conceptions of the region are dominated by the influence of China and nondemocratic regimes such as North Korea and Myanmar. This viewpoint is out of date. Today, more Asians live in genuine democracies than ever before.

Global Insights: Russia's Putin Seeks Western Weapons

By: Richard Weitz | Column

For the past few years, the Russian government has made the unprecedented decision to purchase expensive Western military equipment, in part to fill gaps in Russian defense capabilities, but also to induce Russia’s military industrial complex to modernize its means of production and contain its costs. For NATO countries, there are benefits but also potential pitfalls to Moscow's approach.

China and the Geopolitics of the Mekong River Basin: Part I

By: Richard P. Cronin | Briefing

The rapid infrastructure-led integration of the Mekong Basin has created tensions between and among China and its five southern neighbors. Both expanded regional cooperation as well as increased competition for access to the rich resources of the once war-torn region have created serious environmental degradation while endangering food security and other dimensions of human security, and even regional stability.

China and the Geopolitics of the Mekong River Basin: Part II

By: Richard P. Cronin | Briefing

Beijing’s ambitions for China-led economic integration in the Mekong River Basin have encountered several setbacks in recent months, highlighting the limits to China’s ability to use its economic power to its geopolitical advantage. In particular, Beijing’s plan to expand the navigational potential of the Mekong as far south as Laos has been called into question by recent security developments.

Central America Moves Toward a Truly Regional Stance on Drugs

By: Rachel Schwartz | Briefing

On March 24, Central American leaders will convene in Guatemala to discuss alternatives to the foundering war on drugs. The bold stand reflects the frustration felt by countries entirely outmatched in the struggle against criminal violence -- fueled largely by U.S. drug consumption and illicit weapons. But the critical posture also results from a shrewd calculation that the hemispheric landscape is changing.

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