WPR Articles 24 Nov 2012 - 01 Dec 2012

Obama Visit Reflects Myanmar's Key Role in U.S. Pivot to Asia

By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Briefing

When Air Force One touched down at Yangon's Mingaladon Airport on Nov. 19, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Myanmar. Though the visit only lasted six hours and was bookended by longer stops in Thailand and Cambodia, it was critical not only for maintaining Myanmar's momentum toward reform but also for solidifying its place in the U.S. regional strategy in Asia. 

In Argentina, Social Unrest but No Political Alternative to Kirchner

By: Jonathan Gilbert | Briefing

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is battling an angry middle class, disgruntled unions and the country’s biggest media group. A protest by hundreds of thousands of Argentines on Nov. 8 was followed by the nation’s first general strike in more than a decade on Nov. 20. But despite growing social unrest, the defiant Kirchner has vowed not to diverge from her left-wing model.

Strategic Horizons: Redesigning America's Security Architecture

By: Steven Metz | Column

In the late-1940s, the unprecedented circumstances of the Cold War called for a new U.S. security architecture to manage sustained global engagement and forward presence. During the Cold War and its immediate aftermath, this security architecture served the U.S. well. Today it no longer does. Changes in the global security environment have rendered it sclerotic and ineffective. Two problems are most glaring.

China's New Leadership Offers Little Hope of New Direction

By: Iain Mills | Briefing

After much fanfare and stagecraft, China's leadership transition ultimately ended with a distinct sense of anticlimax. The seven men who will rule China are, as reported by the South China Morning Post two weeks before the official announcement, largely older, conservative cadres. This is a group unlikely to implement the kind of reforms to China's politics, economy and society that many had hoped for.

Long History, Uncertain Results for U.S. Counterterror Efforts in Mali, Sahel

By: Peter Tinti | Briefing

Al-Qaida-linked Islamist groups took control of northern Mali earlier this year, prompting concerns that the vast region could become a jihadist safe haven. Since then, U.S. policymakers have entertained the possibility of kinetic operations. Largely overlooked in this discussion, however, is the fact that U.S. has been heavily engaged in counterterrorism activities in this part of Africa for more than a decade.

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Afghanistan: A Renewed Effort Toward Peace With the Taliban

By: Shehzad H. Qazi | Briefing

A series of major political developments this month all point toward new cooperative efforts by Pakistan, Afghanistan and the U.S. to bring the Taliban leadership into the negotiation process. Though major questions remain as to whether the effort will bear fruit, it represents what many fear is the last chance to avert a bloody fight for control of Kabul once foreign troops have left the country in 2014.

In Gaza Operation, Israel Reaffirms an Unsustainable Status Quo

By: Judah Grunstein | Column

By demonstrating a willingness to escalate hostilities regardless of international pressure, Israel has re-established its deterrent with regard to both Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. The moral implications of this method of deterrence are alarming. The strategic implications are no more reassuring. Israel has successfully defended a status quo that is not necessarily sustainable.

Global Insider: Balancing Strategy Places Turkmenistan at the Center of Eurasian Energy

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

In an email interview, Luca Anceschi, a lecturer at La Trobe University and the author of “Turkmenistan's Foreign Policy: Positive Neutrality and the Consolidation of the Turkmen Regime,” discussed Turkmenistan’s energy sector. 

Global Insider: Pacific Alliance Is Set on a Promising Path

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

In an email interview, Gian Luca Gardini, a lecturer in international relations and Latin American politics at the University of Bath, discussed the Pacific Alliance’s trajectory.

Global Insights: Common Fears, Different Approaches to U.S. BMD for Russia, China

By: Richard Weitz | Column

Although neither Russia and China is the focus of U.S. ballistic missile defense efforts, both Moscow and Beijing have repeatedly expressed their concerns that U.S. missile defenses will negatively impact their own strategic capabilities and interests. While China shares some of Russia’s concerns and responses regarding U.S. missile defenses, Beijing’s objections also differ in certain respects.

Germany, Essential to the Eurozone, Struggles to Find Motivation

By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines

After talks lasting more than 10 hours Tuesday, eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement on a bailout deal for the heavily indebted Greek economy this week, agreeing to cut Athens’ debts by $51 billion in return for austerity measures.

World Citizen: Events Move Israel, Iran Small Step Back From Brink

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

The past two weeks have brought major changes to the Middle East, particularly in Israel, which saw a military confrontation with Hamas-ruled Gaza as well as a feverish pace of political activity in advance of upcoming parliamentary elections. The developments in Israel have implications for the prospects of a much-discussed war with Iran. The question is whether they make a war with Iran more or less likely.

To Counter China's Military Build-Up, Taiwan Must Go Asymmetric

By: Harry Kazianis | Briefing

While both China and Taiwan possess advanced military weaponry, Beijing's military build-up over the past decade has shifted the military balance dramatically in China’s favor. The danger for Taiwan is that its military would be unprepared for hostilities were relations with the mainland to sour. Taiwan does have options, however, when it comes to creating a modern self-defense force to deter aggression.

The Realist Prism: U.S., Russia Must Shed Illusions to Salvage Reset

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

One of the challenges that President Barack Obama faces in his second term is how to salvage the reset of relations with Russia, especially in light of Vladimir Putin's return to the Russian presidency. While there is no reason for U.S.-Russia relations to return to the nadir of 2007, when analysts were predicting a “new Cold War,” both sides will have to be prepared to let go of cherished illusions.

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