WPR Articles Nov. 4 — Nov. 11

Trump’s Victory Was Aided by Russia’s Weaponized Social Media Campaign

By: Frida Ghitis | Column

Historians and politicians will mine the 2016 U.S. election for countless lessons about domestic problems brought to the surface by the tumultuous campaign. But one unexpected milepost marked by this year’s election lies in the use of weaponized social media as an aggressive tool of foreign policy.

Troubling Signs of Unrest in Western Myanmar Threaten Suu Kyi’s Fragile Government

By: Joshua Kurlantzick | Briefing

Over the past month, the situation in western Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine state has deteriorated again after an attack on police outposts. The unrest threatens to undermine the civilian government’s plans for reconciliation between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine—and its own stability.

As Renzi’s Referendum Gamble Approaches, Italy Could Be the EU’s Next Headache

By: Marcello Rossi | Briefing

On Dec. 4, Italians will head to the polls to vote on a series of changes to the country’s institutional framework, specifically the Senate, the upper house of the Italian Parliament. On paper, it is a referendum on amending the constitution. But there is far more than that at stake, for Italy and the EU.

From Robotics to Satellite Communications, Canada Carves Out Its Place in Space

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

The Canadian Space Agency and the University of Calgary recently announced plans to study how long-duration space missions affect astronauts’ brains, starting in 2018. In an email interview, the Canadian Global Affairs Institute’s Charity Weeden discusses Canada’s space program.

Can the U.S. Be a Model of State-Religion Relations for the Arab World?

By: Ellen Laipson | Column

As the U.S. presidential campaign finally wraps up, the Middle East is taking away some very negative messages about American culture. Nevertheless, some Arab states still seek virtue in the American experience, even if they are not ready to embrace democracy as the solution to the Arab world’s dysfunction.

Narrowing the Gap Between Tunisia’s Gender Laws and Women’s Reality

By: Don Duncan | Briefing

Despite shoring up Tunisia’s record on women’s rights since the overthrow of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisian women still confront growing violence and discrimination. The biggest challenge for women lies in how to truly exercise the power that the country’s progressive laws confer on them.

What Does the Future Hold for Uzbekistan After Karimov?

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and senior editor, Frederick Deknatel, discuss the African exodus from the ICC, Japan’s ties with the Philippines, and the U.S. presidential election. For the Report, Sarah Kendzior talks about Uzbekistan after Karimov.

Why The Next President Must Reset U.S. Global Strategy—and How to Do It

By: Steven Metz | Column

When Dwight Eisenhower became president in 1953, he kicked off a review of U.S. strategy, known as Project Solarium, to find a better way to contain the Soviet Union. The next U.S. president will need a new Project Solarium to reset American strategy for the four most pressing threats facing the U.S. today.

Delays Are the Least of Somalia’s Election Troubles

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

Voting has finally begun for the upper and lower houses of the Somali parliament after several delays. While both houses are due to elect a new president on Nov. 30, security and logistical challenges mean that is also likely to be postponed. In an email interview, Kenneth Menkhaus discusses Somalia’s elections.

Russia Is Preparing a Syria Dilemma for the Next U.S. President

By: Richard Gowan | Column

Russia is planning to confront the next U.S. president with the dilemma of how to manage a bloody defeat in Syria on his or her first day in office, positioning its forces for a final assault on Aleppo. The future of Syria is going to be a problem for a Clinton or Trump administration from day one.

Russia May Block EU Energy Ambitions With Turkish Stream Pipeline

By: Akin Unver | Briefing

Last month, Turkey and Russia signed a strategic agreement for a stalled gas pipeline known as Turkish Stream, running under the Black Sea to Turkey and then on to Greece. If realized, the pipeline may render other energy projects with the EU redundant and deepen Turkey’s dependence on Russian gas.

Blame Corruption and Misrule, Not Geopolitical Rivalry, for Moldova’s Problems

By: Dan Peleschuk | Briefing

Most headlines about Moldova would have you believe this former Soviet republic is torn between East and West. But far more pressing for Moldova is the widespread graft and misrule that’s sapped the country’s resources and public confidence in its political class ahead of a presidential runoff.

Darfur’s Conflict Might Be Forgotten, but It’s Not Over

By: Andrew Green | Feature

International efforts by the U.N., EU, AU and others to address over a decade of conflict in Darfur have lost steam. But violence continues. Any significant improvement in the situation will require a radical policy shift from Khartoum, but, amid numerous failed cease-fires, that seems far off.

With the ‘Jungle’ Closed in Calais, France’s Migrant Crisis Moves to Paris

By: Karina Piser | Trend Lines

When French authorities dismantled the migrant camp in Calais known as the Jungle in late October, many asked what would happen to the encampment’s 9,000 residents. But despite drawing the majority of press coverage, Calais is far from the only site of France’s migrant crisis.

Belgium’s CETA Debacle Puts the Future of EU Trade Policy in Doubt

By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines

On Oct. 30, the EU and Canada finally signed a free trade deal that was delayed after Belgium’s majority French-speaking region of Wallonia threatened to veto it. But the last-minute drama behind the agreement’s adoption has many observers doubting the future of the EU’s free trade policy.

Guyana Is Proof of the Pitfalls of Chinese Aid and Investment in the Caribbean

By: Jared Ward | Briefing

The small developing nations dotting the Caribbean have become sites for massive amounts of foreign aid and investment from China. But in Guyana, China’s oldest partner in the region, Chinese projects that bring promises of development and modernization are often more gilded than gold.

What Does Trump’s Election Victory Mean? Learning to Live With Uncertainty

By: Judah Grunstein | Column

The immediate outcome of Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States is not doomsday, but uncertainty. In and of itself that is not fatal, but it is highly destabilizing, especially when the global order is being challenged. Uncertainty, with all its accompanying risks, is the new normal.

Why African States Are Refusing to Sign On to EU Trade Deals

By: Stephen R. Hurt | Briefing

Contentious trade talks between the EU and different regions of Africa have been put back into the spotlight in recent months. Despite negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU, several key African states have failed to sign them, while Brexit has added more uncertainty to the situation.

Donald Trump and the Global Rise of Populism

By: Maria Savel | Trend Lines

Donald Trump’s surprise presidential election victory was a result, in part, of his success tapping into growing populist sentiment across much of the United States. Trump and the U.S. are following a global trend that has seen populist leaders come to power in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Forgotten by the World, the Conflict in Darfur Rages On

By: The Editors | Trend Lines

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s Judah Grunstein and Frederick Deknatel discuss the global implications of Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the United States presidential election. For the Report, Andrew Green joins Peter Dörrie to talk about the forgotten conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Trump’s Campaign Rhetoric Charts a Difficult Course for National Security

By: Steven Metz | Column

It is hard to know precisely what direction President-elect Donald Trump will take American strategy. During the campaign, he developed themes about how he’d deal with the world, but not detailed policies. But these themes can help us identify the course-charting challenges that Trump will face.