WPR Articles Oct. 20, 2014 - Oct. 24, 2014 No Passing Fad, Russia-China Friendship Puts West in a Bind By: Richard Gowan | Column Russia and China are good friends these days, and their bond seems likely to be a persistent feature of international diplomacy for some time. It is less clear whether this will fundamentally undermine the current, Western-dominated international system or merely inconvenience it. Uruguay’s Election a Choice Between Two Models for Economic Growth By: Eric Farnsworth | Briefing While most observers will be focused on the presidential runoff in Brazil on Oct. 26, a similar electoral scenario is playing out in Uruguay. At stake in the country’s general election is whether the economic aspirations of a growing middle class can be realized, despite slowing growth. Iraq’s Peshmerga Join Battle for Kobani, With Kurdish Leadership at Stake By: Hannes Cerny | Briefing The battle for Kobani now includes significant Kurdish undercurrents that have largely escaped attention. As Kobani’s Syrian Kurdish fighters inspire the Kurdish national imagination, they could represent a threat to Massoud Barzani’s role as the champion of Kurdish self-determination. Nigeria Beats Ebola, but Offers Little Leadership to West Africa By: Alex Thurston | Briefing International media, accustomed to portraying Nigeria negatively, has rushed to laud the country’s efforts against Ebola after it stopped the outbreak. But Nigeria’s actions at home and relative inaction abroad on Ebola reflect the broader pattern of receding Nigerian leadership in West Africa. Syria Jihadi Role Puts Georgia’s Extremists in Spotlight By: Michael Cecire | Briefing The overrepresentation of Chechens from Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge in Syria’s Islamist rebel leadership has reignited interest in the rugged valley bordering Chechnya. But it has also led to fears that Pankisi may be used as a casus belli for Russian intervention into Georgia.   More Ruling Coalition in Belgium Risks Alienating French-Speakers By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines Belgium is known for its complicated politics, thanks in large part to linguistic divisions. But the new government, with only one francophone party and a hardline Flemish nationalist party, has raised new questions about its ability to fairly represent both Flanders and Wallonia. Chemical Weapons Regime Must Be Updated to Better Counter Terrorist Threat By: Richard Weitz | Column A series of recent media reports have refocused attention on chemical weapons. Until now, nation states have been the main possessors and users of chemical weapons. The challenge in coming years will be to refocus efforts to better counter the threat of chemical weapons terrorism. Compatriot Games: Russian-Speaking Minorities in the Baltic States By: Agnia Grigas | Feature Nowhere does Russia’s policy of protecting its “compatriots”—Moscow’s term for the Russian-speaking diaspora in the former Soviet republics—spell as much concern as in the Baltic states. All three have large Russian-speaking minorities concentrated close to the Russian border. Fraud Claims Mar Crucial Elections for Mozambique By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines Mozambique held elections last Wednesday, but by Thursday the main opposition party Renamo had already rejected the early results, claiming there were incidents of ballot stuffing. Mozambicans are still waiting for the final results nearly a week later. After Wild Campaign, Brazil Election Returns to Economy, Security By: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines Brazil’s presidential campaign is nearing an end, its zigzagging story lines returning to where they began: with incumbent President Dilma Roussef ahead. Bringing the race back to square one is the fact that Brazil's fundamental problems still await the winner. Falling Oil Prices Push Venezuela, Maduro Closer to the Edge By: Paul Shortell | Briefing Despite a 25 percent drop in oil prices since June, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is doubling down on his current policies instead of attempting politically unpopular restructuring. By stalling in the hopes of higher oil prices or Chinese credit, Maduro is ignoring cracks in his political and economic program. GOP’s Inconsistent Foreign Policy Appeal in Midterms Could Backfire By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column The GOP is using the perception that the U.S. is not safe to bolster the narrative that America is moving in the wrong direction and that the Obama administration does not have a strategy. Yet the message coming from the Republicans is also confusing and inconsistent. As Oil Prices Drop, Some Seek Hidden Hands Behind Market Forces By: Frida Ghitis | Column The recent precipitous drop in global oil prices has generated a flurry of conspiracy theories. While it is possible the U.S. and Saudi Arabia worked together to flood the market and weaken regimes like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, there are more obvious economic explanations. Corruption Concerns Delay Cabinet Picks for Indonesia’s New President By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines Indonesia’s new president, Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, was sworn in Monday. However, he has yet to announce his Cabinet since Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission vetoed eight of his 43 nominations owing to their alleged involvement in graft cases and human rights violations. Updated Weinberger Principles Still a Guide for Use of U.S. Force By: Steven Metz | Column In 1984, at the height of the post-Vietnam malaise, then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger suggested a set of principles to guide the use of the American military. Since then, the principles fell by the wayside, resulting in renewed malaise. It might be time to dust off the Weinberger principles.