WPR Articles 09 Nov 2013 - 15 Nov 2013

The Realist Prism: As U.S. Influence Recedes, Russia Finds Openings in Egypt, Saudi Arabia

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent “reassurance tour” of America’s Middle East partners was not a resounding success. U.S. policy in the region is being met with frustration and dismay by long-standing allies. In their search for a hedge against perceived U.S. unreliability, U.S. partners have taken the first steps to diversify their relationships, starting with a reassessment of expanded ties with Russia.

Extreme Right, Anti-Europe Parties Likely to Make Gains in EU Elections

By: Matthew Goodwin | Briefing

Far right and Euroskeptic parties have long struggled to establish the unity required to form a significant bloc in the European Parliament. Unlike during previous European elections, however, the consensus today is that these radical outsiders look set to enjoy record gains in next year’s voting. This has concerned elites, who have warned about a discourse promoting nationalism, protectionism and xenophobia.

Strategic Horizons: Making Cyberwarriors a Special Challenge for U.S. Military

By: Steven Metz | Column

In the shrinking U.S. defense establishment there is one growth area: cyberwarfare. Cyber Command plans to quadruple in size by 2015, adding 4,000 additional personnel, while all of the other combatant commands are likely to become smaller. The Navy is doubling its own cyber force, and the other services are likely to keep pace. This much growth will not be easy, and current plans may not be adequate.

EU Engagement in the Sahel Shows Need for, and Obstacles to, Coordination

By: Susi Dennison | Briefing

Since the 2013 French-led intervention in northern Mali, the Sahel has become a regular subject for discussion among European foreign and security policymakers. Suddenly it hit home to Europeans how close the region was and how closely intertwined with European interests it is. So how have European governments been performing with regard to the security objectives that they have set themselves in the region?

Don’t Panic: Iran Talks Still on Track for Interim Agreement

By: Judah Grunstein | Trend Lines

In the aftermath of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program over the weekend, too much emphasis is being placed on the “failure to reach a deal” and not enough on the fact that leaving Geneva without a signed agreement represents not a breakdown, but simply a strategic and in all likelihood short pause.

More Diplomatic Fallout: Chad’s Military Rise Highlights Africa’s Collective Security Flaws By: Richard Gowan | Column Lists of African success stories do not tend to include Chad. Yet this year, Western powers and the U.N. turned to the country to help manage crises in Mali and the Central African Republic. Long a basket case, Chad has suddenly emerged as a regional military power. But if Chad’s rise to prominence as a military player has been rapid, it has also been symptomatic of flaws in Africa’s collective security system. Global Insider: Proposed BCIM Economic Corridor Could Build Trust Between India and China By: The Editors | Trend Lines In an email interview, Nimmi Kurian, an associate professor at The New School’s India China Institute in New Delhi, explained the BCIM proposal and its vision for regional integration. In Iraq, Turkey Seeks to Mend Ties With Baghdad Without Alienating Kurds By: Yigal Schleifer | Briefing After deteriorating quickly in 2012, Turkey’s relations with Iraq are seemingly on the mend, with a series of high-level visits in late-October being followed by more high-level contacts planned for this month. The question now facing Turkey is one of balance: Can Ankara continue to improve relations with Baghdad while at the same deepening its ties to the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq? Global Insights: With Asia Tour, Putin Puts Russia’s Pacific Pivot on Display By: Richard Weitz | Column Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip this week to Vietnam and South Korea, which follows last week’s unprecedented foreign and defense ministerial meeting in Japan, testifies to Moscow’s continuing efforts to raise its profile in Asia. Like their Western counterparts, Russian analysts consider that demographic and economic trends will make the Asia-Pacific the world’s most important region in coming decades. Public-Private Mapping Database Needed to Shed Light on Globalization’s Dark Side By: Johan Bergenas , Brian Finlay | Briefing Globalization has developed a dark side, exploited by malicious actors and creating an entirely new breed of crime, where illicit activities converge and the drug trafficker may also be the terrorist or the WMD proliferator, or both. A cooperative effort to map the undercurrents of globalization would illuminate the global routes that illicit materials travel and facilitate cooperation between diverse actors. Global Insider: International Spying Issues a Matter of Politics, Not Law By: The Editors | Trend Lines In an email interview, Craig Forcese, vice dean and associate professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, explained the norms governing international spying. Global Insider: Mexico’s Military Largely Beyond the Reach of Anti-Corruption Efforts By: The Editors | Trend Lines In an email interview, Stephen Morris, professor and chair of the political science department at Middle Tennessee University who researches political corruption in Mexico, explained corruption in Mexico’s military. In Chile, Presidential Election Outcome Certain, Future Less So By: Christopher Sabatini | Briefing While Michele Bachelet is all but certain to win Chile’s presidential election, the long-term implications of her victory are still to be written. A realignment of political forces and the emergence of a new generation of young politicians have pushed a new reform agenda, which Bachelet has tried to capture, and the shifts are certain to shake up Chile’s traditionally staid post-Pinochet democracy. World Citizen: If America Doesn’t Lead in Middle East, Others Will By: Frida Ghitis | Column The debate over whether America is the indispensable nation will continue, but when it comes to the Middle East nobody is waiting for the answer. Washington’s gradual but steady retreat from its once-unabashed exercise of influence in the region has sparked a rush by second-tier powers to fill the vacuum that has resulted. The more passive the U.S. becomes in the region, the more assertive other nations grow.

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