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Friday, July 8, 2016

WPR Articles July 1 — July 8


WPR Articles July 1 — July 8

Geo-Economics Moves Front and Center as Connectivity Reshuffles Global Politics

By: Nikolas Gvosdev | Briefing
Globalization has created new connections between states while simultaneously opening up divides within them. Forging, or forcing, economic connectivity is the driving force for international politics in the 21st century, and geo-economics is the framework through which it can be best understood.

Germany Remains a Key Partner for China, But Its Influence Is Waning

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in China earlier this month, her ninth trip there since taking office, to discuss trade, the rule of law and the South China Sea disputes. In an email interview, Klaus Larres, a professor at the University of North Carolina, discussed Germany’s ties with China.

Instability the Norm in Central African Republic as Rebel Violence Surges

By: Karina Piser | Trend Lines
There has been a resurgence of violence in the chronically unstable and impoverished Central African Republic, as regional and international efforts to push back against the Lord’s Resistance Army continue to fall short, and ongoing tensions between Muslim and Christian militia groups rage.

Despite Long Odds, Syria’s Kurds Push Forward With Their State-Building Project

By: Frida Ghitis | Column
World powers and Middle East regional players continue to strain without success in efforts to wind down the war in Syria and contain its expanding terrorist spillover. But Syrian Kurdish political leaders are moving ahead with state-building plans of their own, undeterred by their critics.

Iran’s Conservatives Stifle Moves to Expand Women’s Rights

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Women’s groups in Iran recently reported that women were barred from attending a major volleyball tournament featuring the men’s Olympic team. In an email interview, Val Moghadam, a professor of international affairs at Northeastern University, discusses the state of women’s rights in Iran.

Can Nairobi’s Citizens Tackle Their City’s Rapid Urbanization?

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and host Peter Dörrie discuss the backlash against liberalized trade in the context of the Brexit vote. For the Report, Abigail Higgins talks about the challenges of Nairobi’s rapid urbanization.

Why the U.S. Military Must Get Creative About War Games—and How It Can

By: Steven Metz | Column
Exploring ways to identify possible futures demands creativity, but that is often rare in large, bureaucratic organizations like the military. To get around this, the U.S. military relies on collective creativity. One of the most important methods for this is the use of analytical war games.

Drone Casualty Data Highlights the Limits, and Downsides, of Transparency

By: Ellen Laipson | Column
The Obama administration recently released data on civilian casualties from U.S. drone strikes. While the administration deserves credit for finally acting on its own pledge, total transparency on this and other security issues is not easy, may not resolve disputes, and in some cases is undesirable.

New Ways of Defining Success in Post-Disaster Recovery

By: Ilan Noy | Feature
Hurricanes, storms and tsunamis aren’t necessarily devastating, but when they are, repercussions are dire. The better off a society, the less severe the impact, but the economic consequences can be far-reaching. Worse, reconstruction efforts can replicate the vulnerabilities that led to disaster.

With Strategic Spillover Rising, Now Is the Time for an Arctic Security Forum

By: Seth Andre Myers | Briefing
Pundits and foreign ministries have latched onto the notion that the Arctic is an entirely peaceful region, ruled by laws and immune to geopolitical shocks. But the reality on the ground is that security issues are already increasingly affecting the region, which lacks a forum to discuss them.

A Year After Algiers Accord, Flexibility Is the Key to Durable Peace in Mali

By: Kamissa Camara | Briefing
June 20 marked the one-year anniversary of the peace deal between the government of Mali and separatist Tuareg fighters that sought to bring sustainable peace to the country’s north. But a year later, Mali’s security and political context have dramatically evolved, creating challenges for the peace process.

The Biggest Casualty of the U.S. Presidential Campaign? Free Trade

By: Michael A. Cohen | Column
So far free trade has been the biggest loser in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. But much of the criticism of liberalized trade is not only simplistic and often factually wrong, it fails to present a full picture of how trade impacts the American economy—and in particular American workers.

Why This Time’s Different for the Border Clashes Between Ethiopia and Eritrea

By: Samuel Ramani | Briefing
Recent border clashes between Ethiopia and Eritrea brought an uneasy peace that had lasted 16 years to a dramatic end. While both countries blamed each other for the hostilities, the causes of current tensions differ markedly from those in the past, with implications for efforts to calm them.

Election Deadlock Caps the Steady Decline of Australia’s Two Main Parties

By: Sam Roggeveen | Briefing
Australia’s recent national elections have still yet to be decided. But the fact that Australia might have its second minority government in a decade hints at an underlying trend that is reshaping politics in ways that are less obvious than Donald Trump or Brexit, but potentially just as profound.

Political Realities Leave Iran’s Kurds Divided, Weak and Ineffective

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and Kurdish rebels from the Kurdish Democratic Party of Iran clashed late last month along Iran’s mountainous border with Iraq. In an email interview, Denise Natali discusses the relationship between the Iranian government and the Iranian Kurdish minority.

Australia Takes Steps to Prioritize and Expand Ties With Indonesia

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last month, officials from Indonesia and Australia agreed to increase counterterrorism cooperation and information-sharing in response to the growing threat from the so-called Islamic State. In an email interview, Greta Nabbs-Keller discusses the current state of Australia-Indonesia relations.

Can Mogherini Turn the EU’s Diplomatic Service Around?

By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines
Recent high-level resignations in the European External Action Service prompted rumors that all is not well at the EU’s diplomatic service. But a closer look shows that EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini is gaining confidence in her role and finally taking charge of the foreign service.

Human Rights Should Be at the Top of NATO’s Summit Agenda in Warsaw

By: Anna Neistat | Briefing
NATO leaders meet for their summit in Warsaw buffeted by crises and conflicts on all sides. Many of them could have been averted. Much of the current instability stems from the failure to adequately respond to human rights violations, especially if other political or economic interests are at stake.

New Approaches to Preparing for and Recovering From Natural Disasters

By: The Editors | Trend Lines
In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and host Peter Dörrie discuss the challenges of building sustainable peace in former conflict zones. For the Report, Ilan Noy joins us to talk about new approaches to preparing for and recovering from natural disasters.

To Defeat an Evolving ISIS, the U.S. and Its Allies Must Adapt

By: Steven Metz | Column
However sound the U.S.-led coalition’s strategy has been in rolling back the Islamic State’s expansion, the past few months have shown that the group is adapting rather than collapsing. To defeat it, the U.S. and its partners must in turn adapt their approach, by anticipating how the group will evolve.

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