By: Richard Gowan | Column
Western diplomats and human rights activists faced mounting
challenges at the U.N. Human Rights Council and in the Security Council
last week. To some, these developments are symptomatic of a slow erosion
of Western influence and liberal principles in multilateral affairs.
But if the future of liberal internationalism at times looks bleak, its
decline has proved neither straightforward nor precipitous.
By: Heather Hurlburt | Feature
The practice of American diplomacy urgently needs modernizing,
as developments in the 21st century have not so much outstripped it as
taken away its monopolies. But the profound domestic divisions in how
Americans regard government, and how we understand our place in the
world, have erected obstacles that are significant and may be
insurmountable. One thing is certain: The diplomacy the United States
needs will not, in fact, look like the State Department-centered
operation of the past.
By: Eric Auner | Trend Lines
Representatives of the Colombian government and the FARC
guerilla group announced on Nov. 6 in Havana that they had reached an
agreement that could allow FARC leaders to participate in Colombian
politics. The precise details of the agreement have not been disclosed,
and the two sides have agreed that it would not go into effect until a
final peace settlement has been reached.
By: James M. Lindsay | Feature
Diplomacy in the American political system is frequently
described as the exclusive province of presidents. But while Congress
takes a back seat when it comes to diplomacy, it nonetheless can still
have a say over the diplomatic road the U.S. travels. Whether
congressional efforts to shape American diplomacy serve U.S. interests
lies in the eye of the beholder. Where some people see short-sighted
efforts to hamstring a president, others see courageous attempts to
prevent the White House from blundering.
By: John Norris | Feature
By Sept. 10, 2001, the U.S. Agency for International Development
was increasingly slouching toward irrelevance. Once famous for its
ability to directly implement development programs, USAID was forced to
shed expertise in some of its core competencies. But things at USAID, as
in so many aspects of American life, changed dramatically after Sept.
11, 2001. For USAID, the driver of that change was the U.S. military
invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and the massive reconstruction efforts
that followed.
By: Jessica C. Varnum | Briefing
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan plans to build an extensive
nuclear power program, virtually overnight, in a country that currently
has no nuclear power plants. Ankara, which hopes to have eight nuclear
reactors online by 2023, has good reason to consider nuclear power. But
its history of aborted nuclear power projects and failure to learn from
past mistakes mean that Turkey’s reach likely exceeds its grasp.
By: Eric Farnsworth | Briefing
Hondurans will vote on Nov. 24
in a presidential election that polls suggest is too close to call. The
U.S. interests at stake have less to do with the individual elected
than with the legitimacy of the election itself and how the new
president, once in office, chooses to govern. The issues Honduras faces
have no easy solutions, but Washington can take steps to support
Hondurans over the long term.
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In an email interview, Duncan McCargo, professor of Southeast
Asian politics at University of Leeds, explained what’s driving
Thailand’s recent protests and their likely effects on Thai politics.
By: Steven Metz | Column
Today the U.S.-Israeli relationship, long a bedrock alliance for
both nations, is rancorous and tense. More than just a clash of
personalities at the top, the divergence between the two allies reflects
deep changes in the way the U.S. sees its role in the world and a
mounting sensitivity to the costs of national security. Because of this,
the split between the United States and Israel is likely to grow.
By: Michael Cecire | Briefing
Many Western policymakers have nudged Georgia to the backburner
recently as its pro-West alignment appears increasingly
institutionalized. However, the recent contest between Israel and Iran
for Tbilisi’s affections demonstrates that Georgia remains a
geostrategic front line. More broadly, and contrary to some assessments,
the South Caucasus is liable to increase in importance in the coming
years.
By: Frida Ghitis | Column
Fans of the television drama “Homeland” might have been
surprised when in a recent episode one of the protagonists surfaced in
Venezuela as a guest/prisoner of a sinister gang living in a crowded and
half-built Caracas high-rise. The espionage show normally focuses on
Middle East terrorists and the CIA agents chasing them. But Venezuela’s
strife and the sheer strangeness it produces proved hard to resist.
By: Peter Tinti | Briefing
Voters in Mali will go to the polls this weekend for legislative
elections that may offer insight into the country’s uncertain political
trajectory. Mali descended into chaos last year, when a coup d’etat in
the country’s south paved the way for Islamist militants linked to
al-Qaida to take over the north. The polls may show if Mali is actually
on a viable path to stability, or rushing headlong back toward chaos.
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