WPR Articles Monday, June 15, 2015 - Friday, June 19, 2015 Guatemala Corruption Scandals Signal End of Era of Impunity By: Adriana Beltrán | Briefing The uncovering of a series of massive corruption scandals in Guatemala has dealt a serious blow to impunity and sparked widespread public protests. With calls for President Otto Perez Molina to resign, and signals that the Supreme Court could impeach him, this could be a watershed moment for Guatemala. Turkey’s Kurds Still Need Partners to Capitalize on Electoral Gains By: Noah Blaser | Briefing While the Kurdish-rooted HDP party savors the electoral upset it delivered to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, its campaign to advance Kurdish and minority rights will prove more difficult than ever. A coalition government formed by Erdogan’s party is unlikely to grant concessions to Kurds.     Clinton’s Foreign Policy Silence Signals Democrats’ Emerging Consensus By: Michael A. Cohen | Column To the extent that Hillary Clinton is facing opposition from within her party for the Democratic presidential nomination, very little of the focus is on her past hawkishness. Part of the reason is the striking level of unity within the Democratic Party on foreign policy and national security issues. Oil Slump Doesn’t Derail Angola’s Ambitious Military Spending By: Francisco Galamas | Briefing The drop in global oil prices raises questions about the sustainability of Angola’s military modernization program, since it has already forced the government to cut back on other spending. But the military upgrades are key to Angola’s expanding role in Africa, and so far military cuts are not on the horizon. Italy’s Renzi Hitches His Political Fortunes to Libya, At All Costs By: Mattia Toaldo | Briefing Italy set out to own the West’s response to Libya’s turmoil, but the crisis there has become too large for Rome to handle. Yet longstanding ties and the migrant crisis rooted in Libya’s unrest make finding a solution more important than ever to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s political fortunes. More   To Shore Up Humanitarian System, Address Crises at Their Source By: Richard Gowan | Column The world is finally waking up to the fact that the international humanitarian system is falling apart. Yet the current chaos is just a symptom of a far bigger political crisis: the decline of the post-Cold War emphasis on conflict-prevention and conflict-resolution as common international concerns. U.S. Prepares to Arm Eastern Europe, but NATO Remains Divided By: David Klion | Trend Lines The United States is seriously considering stationing hundreds of American troops, along with heavy weaponry, in the Baltic states and Poland in order to deter Russia. But recent polling of NATO countries suggests that some key members of the alliance are reluctant to invoke collective security. Human Capital: The Philippines’ Labor Export Model By: Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza | Feature The Philippines’ labor export system is unrivaled in its sophistication and scale, making it a model for other developing countries. At the same time, there are concerns about the treatment of Filipino migrants abroad, as well as the potential effects of a skills drain at home. Latin America’s Uneven Response to Growing Violence Against Women By: The Editors | Trend Lines Earlier this month, lawmakers in Uruguay announced they were working on legislation that would classify femicide—the gender-motivated killing of women—as a crime. In an interview, Patricia Leidl, a Vancouver-based international communications adviser, discussed government responses to crime against women across Latin America. Russia Uses Naval Revival to Reassert Global Reach By: Richard Weitz | Column Russia has been using its ground forces to keep NATO guessing over its intentions in Ukraine, even as its air force has sustained a high tempo of operations in NATO’s vicinity for more than a year. But the Russian navy has been another element of Moscow’s campaign to press its great power status. Portugal’s Pragmatism Stakes Steady Economic Recovery By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines As Greek debt talks stall, fear of Greece leaving the eurozone is rising, especially in Portugal, which only completed its bailout program a year ago. Though not in the clear yet, Portugal’s economy has stabilized and austerity has been meet with a sense of pragmatism across Portuguese society. From Rohingya to Ethnic Rebels, Myanmar’s Troubles Go Regional By: Joshua Kurlantzick | Briefing Myanmar’s domestic crises have spilled over its borders in recent months: In addition to the flight of Rohingya, ethnic insurgencies have flared on the Indian and Chinese borders. Any solution to Myanmar’s ethnic and religious conflicts will have to come from Naypyidaw, not its neighbors. Record 60 Million Displaced Worldwide With No Solutions in Sight By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines The United Nations disclosed in an annual report today that conflicts worldwide forced nearly 60 million people to leave their homes last year, adding stress to already overload refugee systems. The U.N. refugee agency is facing a monumental task, and other countries should share the burden. Turkey’s Election Puts Erdogan’s Foreign Policy in the Crosshairs By: Frida Ghitis | Column Among the many questions left unanswered by the surprise results of Turkey’s recent parliamentary elections are whether and how the country’s foreign policy will change now that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has lost its ability to single-handedly control the legislature. Countering the Islamic State in the Asymmetric Social Media Battlefield By: Steven Metz | Column To a great extent, the competition of narratives between the U.S. and the Islamic State takes place on the Internet, particularly in social media. While the Islamic State has made mistakes in that venue, a number of indicators demonstrate that the U.S. is losing on the social media battlefield.