WPR Articles 16 Feb 2013 - 22 Feb 2013 Global Insights: Parsing China’s North Korea Policy By: Richard Weitz | Column While China expressed its opposition to North Korea's nuclear test, Beijing also stated its desire to see an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks seeking a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Despite their irritation with the North Korean regime, most Chinese officials appear more concerned about the potential collapse of the North Korean state than about its pursuit of nuclear and missile programs. Walking the Line: U.S. Security Policy in East Africa and the Horn By: David H. Shinn | Feature Since the attacks of 9/11, U.S. security intertests in East Africa have often conflicted with U.S. policy that encourages democratization and more attention to human rights. Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda -- all central to U.S. security policy objectives in the region -- demonstrate the fine policy line that the United States is walking as it actively seeks the support of their governments, which exercise varying degrees of repression. Support for Counter-Jihad Groups Rising in Europe By: Matthew Goodwin | Briefing While it is tempting to view Europe’s newest anti-Muslim groups as isolated and largely insignificant, their recent emergence reflects how the radical right in Europe has spawned a new generation of activists whose grievances are complicated and difficult to address. Recent research challenges assumptions about who makes up these groups, which may have more political staying power than is commonly thought. North Korea’s Defiance May Reshape China’s Strategic Calculus By: Paul Haenle | Briefing North Korea’s successful missile launch and recent nuclear test may have been tactical victories for Kim Jong Un, but they may also be the first step in North Korea losing its strongest ally and lifeline. North Korea’s continued provocations run counter to China’s leadership aspirations, which may cause Beijing’s new leaders to recalculate the costs and benefits of the historical relationship with Pyongyang. The Realist Prism: Energy Independence a Game-Changer for U.S. Defense Posture By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column The so-called shale revolution might finally achieve what every U.S. president since Richard Nixon has placed on the top list of strategic priorities: energy independence. If this occurs, what happens to the current consensus about the desirability of American global leadership? Energy independence raises the question of whether "national interest" will continue to be a guide for American action in the world. More Ecuador’s Correa Demonstrates Winning Political Formula By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa decisively won re-election Sunday, with his margin of victory reflecting the popularity of social and economic programs he has enacted that have led some to compare him to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Zimbabwe’s New Constitution Unlikely to Prevent Election Violence By: Alexander Noyes | Briefing Zimbabwe’s government recently announced an agreement on a new constitution, setting the stage for a constitutional referendum and general elections. While progress on the constitution is a welcome step, President Robert Mugabe’s continued grip on the country’s coercive apparatus and his disregard for formal institutions mean that the new constitution alone is unlikely to avert another violent general election. A More Ambitious Vision for Mexico By: Antonio Garza | Briefing Mexico’s prospects look better now than they have in decades. President Enrique Peña Nieto’s ambitious agenda faces challenges, but Mexico should be able to maintain its new momentum because of its open economy, democratic values, solid economic fundamentals and pragmatic leadership. Mexico has set its sights high, and it can and should aim even higher. By doing so, it may end up a leader for Latin America and the world. Old is New: M23, Rwanda and Conflict in the Eastern DRC By: Laura Seay | Feature Armed groups proliferate like rabbits in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many fizzle within a few months or years, while others build enough strength to sustain decades of sporadic, low-intensity fighting with government forces. In 2012, one new armed group managed to grab international headlines. From its formation in April to its dramatic capture of Goma in November, the M23 movement has become one of the strongest eastern Congolese armed groups to arise in many years. Strategic Horizons: American Military Unprepared for Post-Nuclear Operations By: Steven Metz | Column The more nuclear powers there are, the higher the possibility nuclear weapons will be used -- whether out of desperation by a crumbling or unstable regime or pure wickedness by terrorists or criminals. If this happens, the U.S. military could possibly be ordered into the post-nuclear environment. But the U.S. armed forces are currently unprepared to operate in an environment contaminated by a nuclear explosion. The EAC: Regional Engine, African Model By: Pearl Thandrayan | Feature Since being reconstituted in 1999, the East African Community’s dynamism has helped to propel efforts toward the most ambitious African trade project yet, the so-called Tripartite Free Trade Area. As a result, the goal of a continental economic initiative within reach or at least within sight: The African Union declared in 2012 that an African free trade agreement would be launched in 2017. But the region’s policymakers must first resolve several challenges. Italy’s Dangerous Slide Toward Euroskepticism By: Valentina Pasquali | Briefing Since the beginning of Europe’s financial crisis, anti-Brussels sentiment has been on the rise, with the European Union now even losing ground among countries like Italy that have historically been ardent supporters. Crushed by austerity measures, and persuaded by their politicians that bureaucrats in Brussels and Berlin are to blame for the country’s ills, Italians are turning into outspoken euroskeptics. Women’s Low Representation Overlooked in Myanmar Reforms By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines Myanmar’s government has made some reforms, but women and ethnic minorities are still underrepresented at best, and systematically oppressed at worst. World Citizen: Latin America’s Leftists Audition to Succeed Chávez By: Frida Ghitis | Column Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returned home Monday after 10 weeks of cancer treatment in Cuba. Still, many believe Chávez has come home to die. The prospect that Chávez will soon leave his position as the most prominent leftist leader in Latin America has triggered a race to fill his revolutionary boots. But his would-be successors are finding that the Chávez message does not resonate the way it once did. Senegal’s Sall Must Turn Political Dominance Into Effective Governance By: Alex Thurston | Briefing Senegalese President Macky Sall came to power amid massive discontent with his predecessor, President Abdoulaye Wade, accused by critics of enriching himself and suppressing dissent while failing to address Senegal’s core problems. But despite enjoying a legislative majority, Sall must address Senegal’s economy and security challenges if he is to solidify the tentative mandate voters gave him last year. See more Articles at World Politics Review