World Politics Review Weekly May 11 - May 15, 2015

Editor’s Note In the run-up to the June 30 deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran, alarmists are again warning of an imminent race to nuclear weapons capabilities in the Middle East in the guise of peaceful nuclear programs. But as Jessica Varnum writes this week, “the logic of chain-reaction proliferation in the Middle East is critically flawed.” In his debut “Reality Check” column for WPR, Michael A. Cohen explains why boring foreign policy is the best foreign policy. The world has never been safer for the United States, he writes, after a year of “what looked like a global conflagration turned out to be mostly smoke.” In our latest feature, Sheila A. Smith explores Japan’s new willingness to amp up its defenses and reconsider the pacifist post-World War II constitution. Finally this week, WPR partnered with the Global Dispatches podcast to produce an interview with WPR contributor Jonathan W. Rosen on Burundi’s deepening political crisis. Coming up on WPR: The Islamic State’s effectively banal local propaganda strategy, the politicization of defense budget cuts, and an extensive look at Ireland’s recovery from the financial crisis. —Frederick Deknatel, Associate Editor   May 11, 2015 - May 15, 2015 China’s Island-Building Stirs Fears, but Creates Openings for U.S. By: Timothy R. Heath | Briefing China’s island reclamation activity in the South China Sea is an impressive display of national strength. Yet, as a means of power projection, it also underscores China’s lack of better options. The best response for the United States is to strengthen its own strategic rebalancing efforts in Asia.   Morsi Sentence Latest Sign of Politicized Justice in Egypt By: Sahar Aziz | Briefing When Egypt’s former President Mohammed Morsi was sentenced to 20 years in prison last month, legal experts rightfully questioned the impartiality of the judges. The judicialization of politics is nothing new in Egypt, but the use of ordinary courts to do the government’s dirty work of eliminating opposition is. As Russia-China Alignment Grows, Shared Vulnerabilities Emerge By: Richard Weitz | Column One noteworthy aspect of last week’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow was the emphasis Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping placed on their countries’ historical and other ties. Yet the two leaders’ growing alignment highlights shared vulnerabilities and inefficiencies common to authoritarian regimes. India Rafale Deal Part of Needed Air Force Modernization By: The Editors | Trend Lines Last month, India announced plans to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, though a final deal has yet to be signed. In an interview, Iskander Rehman, a nonresident fellow in the South Asia Program at the Atlantic Council, discussed India’s air force. Robotic Revolution Opens New Front for Homeland Security By: Steven Metz | Column The growing interest in robots among the world’s militaries has potential dangers, among them that autonomous “killer robots” might someday be used against humans. While this certainly deserves concern and attention, there is an even greater risk: the adoption of robots by “dark organizations.”

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Islamic State Returnees Reawaken Extremist Threat for Southeast Asia

By: Prashanth Parameswaran | Briefing

After a steady decline in Islamist extremism in Southeast Asia over the past decade, the Islamic State’s rise has some governments fearing a new threat. In response, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore are taking actions individually, bilaterally and regionally against recruitment and radicalization.

Marginalized U.N. Fights for Humanitarian Agenda in Middle East

By: Richard Gowan | Column

Last week, the United Nations was thrust back into the center of crisis management in the Arab world. But while a new round of Syria talks and calls for greater involvement in Libya and Yemen imply the U.N. is still a central player in Middle East crises, the reality may turn out to prove the reverse.

Nagorno-Karabakh Elections an Exercise in Domestic Legitimacy

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Earlier this month, Azerbaijan’s separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region held parliamentary elections, which were denounced by Azerbaijan and the West. In an interview, Laurence Broers of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London discussed governance in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Defining Defense: Japan’s Military Identity Crisis

By: Sheila A. Smith | Feature

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has implemented a rapid succession of security reforms meant to respond to Northeast Asia’s changing threat environment. Yet the Japanese public remains skeptical and cautious when it comes to lifting the post-WWII constitution’s limits on the use of the military.

Burundi on a Knife’s Edge

By: The Editors | Trend LinesBurundi’s political crisis deepened Wednesday with a general launching a coup attempt against President Pierre Nkurunziza. World Politics Review partnered with the Global Dispatches podcast to produce an interview with WPR contributor Jonathan W. Rosen on the situation in the East African country.
 

Crisis Inflation: Why the World Is Actually Safe for America

By: Michael A. Cohen | Column

Last year the world was seemingly “on fire,” with conflicts emerging in Ukraine and escalating in the Middle East, and the potential for a global Ebola pandemic appearing very real. A year later, it’s almost as if foreign policy has become kind of boring. Well, as it turns out, it kind of has.

India’s Supreme Court on Progressive Roll After Anti-Gay Ruling

By: Ram Mashru | Briefing

Since India’s Supreme Court notoriously ruled to recriminalize homosexuality in 2013, the court has embarked on a surprisingly progressive year. In 2014 alone, the Supreme Court decided 15 highly significant human rights cases, many of which marked major steps forward in the protection of basic rights.

Camp David Summit Is U.S. Debut for Rising Saudi Prince

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Among the many challenges facing President Barack Obama and U.S. officials meeting with Gulf Arab leaders this week, one has abruptly climbed to near the top of the agenda: taking the measure of the rising star of the Saudi firmament, King Salman’s son Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Middle East Nuclear Race More Rhetoric Than Reality

By: Jessica C. Varnum | Briefing

In the run-up to the June 30 deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran, alarmists are again warning of an imminent race to nuclear weapons capabilities in the Middle East in the guise of peaceful nuclear programs. But the logic of chain-reaction proliferation in the Middle East is critically flawed.

Senegal Troop Deployment to Saudi Arabia Symbol of Close Ties

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Earlier this month, Senegal’s foreign minister announced that the country was sending 2,100 troops to Saudi Arabia to participate in the coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen. In an interview, Alex Thurston, a visiting associate professor at Georgetown University, discussed Senegal-Saudi ties.