WPR Articles 28 Oct 2013 - 01 Nov 2013

Diplomatic Fallout: Three Good Reasons for the U.S. to Spy on Germany

By: Richard Gowan | Column

The revelations that the NSA listened to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone calls have been attacked in Germany as a huge breach of trust between allies. For more cynical observers, there is no serious cause for outrage. Both the moralists and the cynics have solid arguments. But both also miss a simple point about Germany’s inherent value as a target for both American and non-American spies.

How China Benefits From the U.S. Pivot to Asia

By: Hoo Tiang Boon | Briefing

The “rebalance” to Asia seeks to expand U.S. political, economic and military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. While this realignment is not only about China, much of the thinking behind it evidently relates to China, and a common perception is that it is inimical to Chinese interests in the region. This view, relying on a parochial, zero-sum vision of U.S.-China relations, is only partially correct.

Abyei Vote the Latest Opportunity for Brinkmanship Between Sudan, South Sudan

By: Catherine Cheney | Trend Lines

After three days of voting that began over the weekend, participants in a one-sided referendum held in the disputed Abyei region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to join the South.

Can Hamas Cooperate With Egypt and Israel on Shared Interests in Sinai?

By: Zack Gold | Briefing

Hamas has a stake in countering the rise of Salafi-jihadi groups in Sinai. These groups are currently attacking Egyptian forces in Sinai, and they have on occasion attacked Israel from across the Egyptian border; but they also serve as an existential threat to Hamas’ control over Gaza. As such, and somewhat awkwardly, Hamas shares interests with Egypt and Israel. But can they cooperate to address them?

The Realist Prism: Can Obama Avoid a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of U.S. Decline?

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column

The events of the past few months have fed into a narrative that the United States is losing the ability to set the global agenda. But it remains to be seen whether the administration’s about-face on Syria, spying revelations and tensions with Saudi Arabia, among others, are in fact superficial wounds that can easily heal or indicators of more-permanent damage to America’s leadership of the community of nations.

More NATO Must Focus on South Atlantic, Arctic to Remain Relevant By: Bernardo Pires de Lima, Erik Brattberg | Briefing The coming end of the Afghanistan operation marks the end of an era for NATO. To maintain its relevance, the alliance will have to make its partnerships more responsive to the evolving security landscape. One way to do so involves widening the definition of Atlanticism to include the South Atlantic and the Arctic, areas traditionally ignored by NATO but critical to addressing key emerging security challenges. Global Insights: NATO’s Missed Cyber and Missile Defense Opportunities By: Richard Weitz | Column Last week’s NATO defense ministerial meeting yielded important achievements regarding the Connected Forces Initiative, but offered little new to say on Afghanistan, Russia or NATO’s core capability initiatives. To avoid having the success of next year’s heads-of-state summit rest wholly on the status of the Afghan War, the allies need to make progress on cyberdefense and missile defense in coming months. As Spain, Latin America’s Fortunes Shift, Ibero-American Summit Loses Steam By: Michael Shifter | Briefing The Oct. 16 Ibero-American summit, an annual gathering of Spain and Portugal’s heads of state and their Latin American counterparts, bore little resemblance in spirit to its launch in 1991. Judging by the latest gathering, the summit’s animating idea of renewing historical and cultural ties while the two relatively prosperous European nations lent a hand to help their former colonies, has been exhausted. Strategic Horizons: How Far Will the U.S.-Saudi Spat Go? By: Steven Metz | Column Though important to both, the security relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia has for decades been very peculiar, pairing the world's leading liberal democracy with one of the most conservative nations. Now it has hit a shoal, and what comes of the current spat depends on the choices America makes. Washington can let the relationship fade away or do the work to maintain its security partnership. World Citizen: Fraying U.S.-Egypt Ties Put Key Alliance at Risk By: Frida Ghitis | Column For nearly four decades, Egypt stood as a tent pole in America’s strategic position in the Arab Middle East. Now, as fierce political winds batter the region, America’s entire structure of relationships looks shaky, and the ties that bind Egypt and the U.S. have become dangerously frayed. Without special attention, the U.S. and Egypt could end up losing an alliance that is immensely valuable to both parties. In Failing to Provide Access, EU Shares Burden for Migrants’ Fate By: Liza Schuster | Briefing The drowning deaths of more than 350 people on Oct. 3 as they tried to reach Europe from Libya unleashed a wave of sympathy and horror on both sides of the Mediterranean for the victims and for the island of Lampedusa. To what extent are the EU, its member states and their policies responsible for this tragedy and the many others that have occurred around the EU’s borders over the past two decades?

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