By: Frida Ghitis | Column
Two years ago, the
Egyptian people spared no adjective in praise of their savior,
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who in turn framed his lightning-fast rise to
power as an expression of the people’s will. When he ran for president
in 2014, he won in a landslide. But now the honeymoon is over.
By: Karina Piser | Trend Lines
A recent deal between the
EU and Turkey for mass returns of refugees from Greece to Turkey has
come under fire for its illegality. But Europe isn’t alone in taking
advantage of the nonbinding nature of international law. For years,
Australia has been criticized for shipping refugees to offshore
detention centers.
By: David Smilde | Briefing
A series of crises at
home, including a new plan to ration electricity, are not the only
issues facing Venezuela. Abroad, the regional coalition forged by the
late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is starting to unravel,
complicating international relations for Chavez’s successor, Nicolas
Maduro.
By: David Klion | Briefing
More than two years after
protests ousted corrupt President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine remains
mired in corruption at all levels. The country’s recent political
upheaval points to the need for a series of reforms that, while not
especially likely, will be crucial if European integration is ever to
succeed.
By: Steven Metz | Column
A bill recently
introduced in Congress proposes getting rid of the Defense Department’s
much-criticized Quadrennial Defense Review and replacing it with two
other classified strategy documents. To an extent, criticisms of the QDR
are warranted, but simply throwing it out may not be the best option.
By: Steven Metz | Column
Even if he wins the GOP
presidential nomination, Donald Trump’s bid for the White House remains a
long shot. But strange things can happen in elections. While a Trump
presidency may be unlikely, it would have far-ranging repercussions,
particularly for U.S. defense policy and the American military.
By: William M. LeoGrande | Briefing
Cuba’s Communist Party
congress this week focused on the economic, political and ideological
challenges facing the party. On the questions of how to stimulate growth
and manage relations with Washington, Cuba’s leadership faces inherent
tensions between economic imperatives and political necessity.
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In this week’s Trend
Lines podcast, WPR’s Judah Grunstein and Peter Dörrie discuss Saudi
Arabia’s Shiite minority; the U.K. referendum on EU membership; and
instability in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. For the Report, Michael Cohen
joins us to talk about foreign policy in the U.S. presidential election.
By: Richard Gowan | Column
International efforts to
monitor the unraveling cessation of hostilities in Syria have been
paltry, in part because the U.S. and Russia prefer a certain degree of
opacity there. But even if they had wanted an effective international
presence in Syria, it would have been hard to pull together.
By: Michael Cecire | Briefing
The recent intense
fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan near the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh should be seen not as an isolated flashpoint, but as
the culmination of years of escalating tensions. The regional economic
downturn and antagonism between Russia and Turkey only add to the
volatility.
By: Frederick Deknatel | Trend Lines
Earlier this month,
Jordan shuttered the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Amman.
With King Abdullah’s other recent moves, including constitutional
amendments to consolidate his power, the restrictions look like part of a
general closing of political space in Jordan in the name of national
security.
By: David Brown | Feature
In January, Nguyen Phu
Trong, head of the Communist Party of Vietnam, fought off a challenge
for the party’s top job. If Trong can also successfully fight
corruption, Vietnam could become a competitive player in the global
economy. But a crackdown on dissent could still undermine that
opportunity.
By: Ellen Laipson | Column
The readout from
President Barack Obama’s trip last week to the Gulf reflects ongoing
strains in his relations with the Gulf monarchs. Both sides share
responsibility, and it will take time to shift perceptions in the region
so that the ongoing cooperation taking place is viewed more positively.
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last week, Serbian police
arrested 49 people, including officials from several government
ministries and state-run businesses, on allegations of corruption, as
part of a larger anti-graft campaign. In an email interview, Petrus C.
van Duyne discussed Serbia’s fight against corruption.
By: Alex Thurston | Briefing
In March, Benin announced
that it would contribute 150 soldiers to the Multinational Joint Task
Force, a 9,000-soldier West African coalition fighting Boko Haram. But
rather than an integrated military outfit, the force is primarily a
political prop, taking advantage of the optics of regional integration.
By: Michael A. Cohen | Column
President Barack Obama’s
deployment of an additional 250 special operations forces to Syria has
raised fears of another military quagmire in the Middle East. These
fears are natural, but if anything, the move represents what the U.S.
war on terrorism after 9/11 always should have looked like.
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In the first round of
presidential elections on Sunday, Norbert Hofer, the candidate from the
far-right Freedom Party, came in first place with 36 percent of the
vote. In an email interview, the University of Vienna’s Thomas Meyer
discussed the elections and the state of politics in Austria.
By: J. Berkshire Miller | Briefing
South Korea’s ruling
conservative Saenuri Party, led by President Park Geun-hye, is looking
for answers after a crushing loss earlier this month in legislative
elections. The stunning reversal will reshape South Korea’s political
landscape and constrain Park’s ability to pursue several domestic
initiatives.
By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In this week’s Trend
Lines podcast, WPR’s Judah Grunstein and host Peter Dörrie discuss
violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, U.N. cease-fire monitoring, and West
Africa’s regional anti-Boko Haram force. For the Report, David Brown
discusses Vietnam’s leadership battles and prospects for economic
growth.
By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines
Recent polls show 45
percent of Britons in favor of staying in the EU. In Scotland that
figure is higher, with some polls putting it at up to 70 percent. Not
surprisingly, the specter of a new Scottish independence referendum has
been raised as another potential risk of the U.K. voting for a Brexit.
By: Jeremy Youde | Briefing
In mid-April, the Ugandan
government admitted that the country’s only functioning cancer
treatment machine had broken earlier that month. The episode illustrated
the larger problems in global health around issues of technology
transfers and long-term commitments to keep that technology working.