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2. A Roundtable on Lauren Turek, To Bring the Good News to All Nations: Evangelical Influence on Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Relations
- Author:
- Andrew Preston, Darren Dochuk, Christopher Cannon Jones, Kelly J. Shannon, Vanessa Walker, and Lauren F. Turek
- Publication Date:
- 01-2021
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR)
- Abstract:
- Historians of the United States and the world are getting religion, and our understanding of American foreign relations is becoming more rounded and more comprehensive as a result. Religion provides much of the ideological fuel that drives America forward in the world, which is the usual approach historians have taken in examining the religious influence on diplomacy; it has also sometimes provided the actual nuts-and-bolts of diplomacy, intelligence, and military strategy.1 But historians have not always been able to blend these two approaches. Lauren Turek’s To Bring the Good News to All Nations is thus a landmark because it is both a study of cultural ideology and foreign policy. In tying the two together in clear and compelling ways, based on extensive digging in various archives, Turek sheds a huge amount of new light on America’s mission in the last two decades of the Cold War and beyond. Turek uses the concept of “evangelical internationalism” to explore the worldview of American Protestants who were both theologically and politically conservative, and how they came to wield enough power that they were able to help shape U.S. foreign policy from the 1970s into the twenty-first century. As the formerly dominant liberal Protestants faded in numbers and authority, and as the nation was gripped by the cultural revolutions of the 1960s, evangelicals became the vanguard of a new era in American Christianity. Evangelicals replaced liberal Protestants abroad, too, as the mainline churches mostly abandoned the mission field. The effects on U.S. foreign relations were lasting and profound.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Religion, International Affairs, History, Culture, Book Review, Christianity, and Diplomatic History
- Political Geography:
- United States and Global Focus
3. Toynbee Coronavirus Series: Dominic Sachsenmaier on China, geopolitics, and global history post-COVID-19
- Author:
- Dominic Sachsenmaier
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Toynbee Prize Foundation
- Abstract:
- Living through historically unprecedented times has strengthened the Toynbee Prize Foundation's commitment to thinking globally about history and to representing that perspective in the public sphere. In this multimedia series on the covid-19 pandemic, we will be bringing global history to bear in thinking through the raging coronavirus and the range of social, intellectual, economic, political, and scientific crises triggered and aggravated by it. Dominic Sachsenmaier, the President of the Toynbee Prize Foundation, is Chair Professor of Modern China with a Special Emphasis on Global Historical Perspectives in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Göttingen. His expertise centers on global and transnational Chinese history, with a focus on Chinese concepts of society and multiple modernities, among other topics. He is co-editor of the Columbia University Press book series “Columbia Studies in International and Global History“ and an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
- Topic:
- Health, International Affairs, Geopolitics, Global Focus, Coronavirus, Pandemic, and COVID-19
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, and Global Focus
4. The Phenomenon of “Global Russia”
- Author:
- Emil Avdaliani
- Publication Date:
- 12-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies (BESA)
- Abstract:
- As Russia increases its geopolitical involvement across the globe, the concept of “Global Russia” has been gradually taking hold. Though Russia is inherently weak, it is likely that Moscow will continue its global initiatives throughout the 2020s. Only by the end of that decade and into the next is there likely to be a gradual decline in Russia’s adventurism abroad.
- Topic:
- International Affairs, Geopolitics, Grand Strategy, and Elites
- Political Geography:
- Russia, Eurasia, and Global Focus
5. Western Balkans in the loop: Reshaping regional cooperation in times of uncertainty
- Author:
- Gentiola Madhi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Europeum Institute for European Policy
- Abstract:
- Gentiola Madhi authored, within the Think Visegrad Non-V4 Fellowship programme, an analysis on the state of the affairs of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
6. The Silk Road and the Gulf: A New Frontier for the RMB
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Many view the Belt and Road Initiative as the most geoeconomically significant infrastructure project since the Marshall Plan. Promising alternative trade routes, abundant capital flows, and advanced infrastructure to the developing world, the program has scaled significantly since its inception in 2013.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
7. In the Gulf, China Plays to Win but US has Upper Hand
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Saudi Vision 2030 — Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s bid to diversify his nation’s oil-dependent economy — is one of the most consequential development plans in modern history. So it was no surprise to see MbS, as he is known, grinning with Chinese leaders during his Asian investment trip last month. As Chinese officials raved about the “enormous potential” of the Saudi economy, Saudi officials praised the compatibility of Chinese and Saudi cultures, and MbS even defended China’s maltreatment of Muslim Uighurs
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
8. Envisioning a New Economic Middle East: Reshaping the Gulf with Israel
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- We can envision the advent of a new economic revolution forming in the Shia crescent as a new, cohesive political force in the Middle East between Sunni Gulf Arabs and Israel by deepening rapprochement to counter Iran’s expansion. Alongside years of discreet contact and informal diplomatic backchannels between Gulf Countries and Israel, the future portends closer economic links between these power blocs. With the combination of Israeli technology and Gulf capital, there is no shortage of synergies eager to be developed, as Gulf States explore new visionary economic reforms looking beyond a dependence on oil revenues.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Israel
9. Kazakhs Wary of Chinese Embrace as BRI Gathers Steam
- Author:
- Philippe Le Corre
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Kazakhstan is one of China’s direct neighbours, and a prominent one by size and border. As the Chinese proverb states, “a close neighbour is more valuable than a distant relative”,[1] hence the importance of Sino-Kazakh ties, especially at a time when Beijing tries to promote its “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) across Eurasia. The country has a 1782.75 km-long border with China, and shares much history and people with the former Middle Kingdom. Although data is sparse, it is known that many Uyghurs –the main tribe of Xinjiang, China’s troubled autonomous region – live in Kazakhstan. There are also ethnic Kazakhs living on the Chinese side, in Xinjiang (many of them facing great political difficulties, if not persecutions).
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China
10. The Islamic Revolution at 40
- Author:
- Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The Islamic Republic of Iran marks its 40th anniversary this week. But, with the country beset by a severe economic crisis, the question on everyone’s lips –within Iran and the diaspora alike – seems to be whether the Islamic Revolution has actually improved Iranians’ lives.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran
11. 3 Reasons Why the Fed Wants to Keep Raising Interest Rates
- Author:
- Martin S. Feldstein
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to increase the short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, taking it from 2.25% to 2.5%. This was the fourth increase in 12 months, a sequence that had been projected a year ago, and the FOMC members also indicated that there would be two more quarter-point increases in 2019. The announcement soon met with widespread disapproval.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Financial Markets
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
12. Romania: NATO's Frail Anchor in a Turbulent Black Sea
- Author:
- Teodore Stan
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Abstract:
- As the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) foreign ministers gather this week in Washington to mark the 70th anniversary of the most successful military alliance in history, trouble is brewing over Brexit and the rise of populism in the western front and the challenges brought by autocratic leaders on its eastern front. Democratic backsliding, particularly in Turkey, Poland, and Hungary, has painted a bleak picture for the shared values-centered rationale of the alliance. Not unlike its troubled neighbors, Romania also presents its own frailty with regards to the challenged independence of its justice system and its defanged prosecution of high-level corruption.
- Topic:
- International Organization and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Romania
13. Implementing the National Defense Strategy Demands Operational Concepts for Defeating Chinese and Russian Aggression
- Author:
- Chris Dougherty
- Publication Date:
- 04-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
- Abstract:
- The 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) shifted the Department of Defense (DoD) away from a strategy focused on counterterrorism and deterring regional threats like Iran toward competing with, deterring, and, if necessary, defeating Chinese and Russian aggression. DoD is portraying the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2020, which is the first such request submitted since the release of the NDS, as a down payment on the long-term investments required to develop a future force that can execute this strategy. Given the price tag of $750 billion, Congress and the American people should, in the words of Ronald Reagan, trust DoD, but verify that this is money well spent on advancing the priorities of the NDS
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
14. Entrevista en IBERCAMPUS sobre el libro La política exterior de Estados Unidos
- Author:
- Antonio Marquina
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Unidad de investigación sobre seguridad y cooperación (UNISCI)
- Abstract:
- Entrevista en IBERCAMPUS sobre el libro La política exterior de Estados Unidos
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
15. First Nations, LNG Canada, and the Politics of Anti-Pipeline Protests
- Author:
- Will Greaves
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
- Abstract:
- In October 2018, LNG Canada – a C$40 billion joint venture supported by some of the largest multinational corporations in the world, including Shell, Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi and the Korean Gas Corporation – was approved by its investors, and a new chapter in Canadian political economy began. The project consists of a coastal liquefied natural gas terminal at Kitimat, British Columbia, which is fed by a 670-kilometre pipeline from the shale gas-producing region in the province’s northeast interior. It is the largest private-sector and natural resource investment in Canadian history, in a country where resource extraction still contributes more than 17 per cent of GDP. Moreover, LNG Canada is the cornerstone of the B.C. NDP government’s economic policy, promising to provide 10,000 jobs during construction and up to 950 permanent jobs once the project is fully operational. It will also create $5 billion in additional provincial GDP per year and $23 billion in new revenues over the project’s life, while spurring the growth of a new natural resource industry.1 Predicted economic benefits in the rest of Canada will total $2 billion per year and approximately $500 million in new federal revenues. These benefits will be in addition to an increase in the value of all Canadian liquefied natural gas exports of between $519 million and $5.8 billion per year, depending on market prices.2 Thus, it is not surprising that the federal government is also strongly supportive, and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seated next to B.C. Premier John Horgan when the agreement was signed.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy, Post Colonialism, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Canada
16. Vientiane-Hanoi Expressway Project
- Author:
- Masahito Ambashi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- The Vientiane–Hanoi Expressway (VHE) has been one of the most anticipated transportation projects between Lao PDR and Viet Nam. This report (1) explores the potentiality of the corridor between Hanoi and Vientiane as designated by the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Development Program; (2) illustrates impacts on economies and industries of Lao PDR and surrounding countries of the VHE; (3) sets out industrial development strategies for Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Thailand that take maximum advantage of the VHE; and (4) suggests appropriate financial mechanisms to construct the VHE. Thus, this report focuses on how Lao PDR and neighbouring countries can benefit from the expressway by strengthening relevant industries and forming a Bangkok–Vientiane–Hanoi industrial corridor from the perspective of global value chains and production networks developed in the Mekong region
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
17. Cool Japan, Creative Industries, and Diversity
- Author:
- Koichi Iwabuchi
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- This paper critically considers the operation and objective of Japan’s ‘creative industry’ policy and suggests how to redesign it to align it with recent attention to cultural diversity. But the paper’s scope goes beyond business and extends to defining ‘creativity’ as a means to enhance civic dialogue, sympathy, and inclusion, to imagine a better society. The ‘creative industry’ can include independent and non-profit cultural projects that promote diversity by involving artists, museums, non-governmental and non-profit organisations, public service corporations, local communities, volunteers, and researchers. Such a redesign is compatible with the creative industry policy’s aim to advance social inclusion and democratisation by promoting grassroots creativity.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
18. ASEAN Vision 2040 Volume IV : Integrated and Connected Seamless ASEAN Economic Community
- Author:
- Ponciano Intal
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- The volume consists of papers on critical elements for an integrated and connected Seamless ASEAN Economic Community up to 2040. The critical elements include seamless trade facilitation, managing nontariff measures, strategies on standards and conformance, engendering skills mobility and development, service sector development and open investment environment, competition and intellectual property policy, seamless logistics and connectivity, data flows and electronic payments in the digital economy, capital market deepening, and good regulatory practice.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
19. ASEAN Vision 2040 Volume III : Transforming and Deepening the ASEAN Community
- Author:
- Fukunari Kimura
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
- Abstract:
- The papers in Volume III delve into the theme of transforming and deepening the ASEAN Community. The main focus is on the digital and fourth industrial revolution as well as on innovation as both offer opportunities and challenges for ASEAN Member States for economic transformation and enhanced resiliency and sustainability. The volume also emphasises the drive towards greater inclusivity, leaving no one behind, and greater people centredness and engagement to deepen the sense of belongingness in the ASEAN Community.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
20. ASEAN Vision 2040 Volume II: Collective Leadership, ASEAN Centrality, and Strengthening the ASEAN Institutional Ecosystem
- Author:
- Simon Tay
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- The papers in Volume II discuss the imperative of collective leadership and ASEAN centrality in light of the greater uncertainty in the global trading system and on regional security which have been underpinning ASEAN’s outward oriented strategy and development. It is suggested that ASEAN’s major Dialogue Partners in East Asia and the United States as well as ASEAN itself can be important contributors to strengthening collective leadership in East Asia and to enhancing ASEAN Centrality. The last paper in the volume presents ideas on how to strengthen ASEAN’s institutional ecosystem, which is important for ASEAN to be able to assert ASEAN centrality in an increasingly uncertain and changing regional environment.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
21. ADBI Working Paper Series: Firm Adjustment to Trade Policy Changes in East Asia
- Author:
- Dionisius Narjoko
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- Trade and investment liberalization has been one of the key features of economic policy in many developing countries since the 1990s. Research on this subject has consistently produced more evidence on the benefits of globalization; theoretical studies give more attention to what happens within an industry when trade and liberalization occur, while empirical studies confirm the positive impact of trade liberalization. This paper reviews some recent studies on the subject of firms in a globalized economy to enable us to understand more about how firms respond to globalization or changes in trade and investment liberalization. The paper focuses on presenting or explaining the underlying mechanisms through which the effects are realized. The studies summarized in this paper generally confirm the positive impact of trade liberalization on productivity or the spectrum of measures reflecting productivity, such as product quality, firm size, or skill intensity. The positive impact goes through various channels, including competition and industry dynamics, exporting and innovation decisions, and production or investment decisions.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
22. Demand and Supply Potential of Hydrogen Energy in East Asia
- Author:
- Fukunari Kimura
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- If groundbreaking technological developments in fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen power generation, and hydrogen supply were to be achieved, costs are expected to go down, resulting in the further benefits of an expansion of the hydrogen market and learning effects. Aggressive and environmentally friendly policies will certainly help to expedite the arrival of hydrogen as an important part in the transition to clean energy.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
23. ERIA Frames
- Author:
- EIRA
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
- Abstract:
- ERIA and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hosted a meeting between the heads and the Parliamentary Leagues for both organisations on 16 April 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. ERIA’s President Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura provided a brief overview of ERIA’s recent collaboration with OECD, which was the revised ASEAN SME Policy Index 2018. In addition, he requested further support from several Japanese ministries, namely the Cabinet Office; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of the Environment; Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare; and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Read more.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
24. The EU’s role in stabilising the Korean Peninsula
- Author:
- Mario Esteban
- Publication Date:
- 02-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Elcano Royal Institute
- Abstract:
- This working paper is the result of a process of collective reflection in which many academics and diplomats –with whom I have had extraordinarily fruitful conversations in Brussels, Madrid, Pyongyang and Seoul– have participated. The contributions of those who responded to the policy Delphi that we launched in the spring of 2018, and of the participants in the seminar that we organised at the Brussels office of the Elcano Royal Institute on 5 October 2018, were especially valuable. I would therefore like to explicitly thank Alexander Zhebin, Axel Berkofsky, Bartosz Wisniewski, Charles Powell, Eric Ballbach, Félix Arteaga, Françoise Nicolas, Hideshi Tokuchi, Hiro Akutsu, John Nilsson-Wright, Kim Songyong, Lee Dongmin, Liu Qing, Luis Simón, Michael Paul, Mikael Weissman, Niklas Swanström, Ramón Pacheco, Shin Beomchul and Tariq Rauf for their contributions. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Elisa Lledó in organising the seminar and of Virginia Crespi de Valldaura in helping to prepare this paper.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
25. Brexit: Time regained
- Author:
- Andrew Duff
- Publication Date:
- 06-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- European Policy Centre (EPC)
- Abstract:
- The UK has wasted precious time in the Brexit process. A no deal outcome has become the legal and political default. The new prime minister cannot avoid returning to Mrs May’s deal if he is to avoid no deal. Andrew Duff argues for changes to be made not only to the Political Declaration but also to the Withdrawal Agreement itself. One amendment is needed to buy time: the transition period should be made extendable until the final association agreement enters into force. Such a revision will not breach anyone’s red lines, will obviate the need for the Irish backstop, reassure businesses and citizens, and enable an orderly exit. Duff also argues that the British should pay far more attention to the joint governance of the Withdrawal Agreement. The idea that the UK will become a vassal of the EU is nonsense: in fact, the British will be able to wield influence after Brexit if the new prime minister adopts a positive attitude.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
26. Creating Fossil-Fuel-Free Communities Globally
- Author:
- Emanuel Pastreich
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Now that the movement to address climate change at the systemic and cultural level has gained unprecedented momentum, it is critical for us to establish a viable alternative economy that committed citizens around the world can join. The basic unit of that economy should be fossil-fuel-free (FFF) communities. In these FFF (fossil-fuel-free) communities, to be built from the ground up, nothing eaten or consumed, no form of transformation or communication employed, and no aspect of housing, furniture or utensils will contain fossil fuels (including plastics or fertilizers). Nor will any of these items be produced, transported, or manufactured using fossil fuels.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, International Affairs, and Social Movement
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
27. It’s Not Too Late for Rojava
- Author:
- Edward Hunt
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy Research Institute
- Abstract:
- As Turkey continues its devastating military assault on Rojava, the Kurdish-led region of northeastern Syria, officials in Washington are facing a critical decision: allow Turkey to prevail in its campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurds or take action to protect them. The Turkish invasion, which began on October 9, has been devastating for Rojava. According to the United Nations, nearly 180,000 people, including 80,000 children, have been displaced. At the start of the attack, Turkish officials announced that Turkish-led forces had killed more than 200 Kurdish militants. About a week later, Kurdish officials said that more than 200 civilians had been killed.
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
28. Trump Isn’t Really Trying to End America’s Wars
- Author:
- Andrew J. Bacevich
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Let us stipulate at the outset that President Trump is a vulgar and dishonest fraud without a principled bone in his body. Yet history is nothing if not a tale overflowing with irony. Despite his massive shortcomings, President Trump appears intent on recalibrating America’s role in the world. Initiating a long-overdue process of aligning U.S. policy with actually existing global conditions just may prove to be his providentially anointed function.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America and Global Focus
29. Why I Cry at Work: Drone War Burnout
- Author:
- Allegra Harpootlian
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- America’s drone wars have gotten deadlier under Trump, but the Trump-first news cycle makes highlighting the human cost extremely difficult.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
30. How the Judiciary is Chipping Away at the War on Terror
- Author:
- Harry Blain
- Publication Date:
- 10-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- Lower courts are slowly but steadily eroding the legal basis for some of the most reactionary war on terror policies.
- Topic:
- International Law, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
31. The NBA’s China Fiasco Shows What Businesses Really Value
- Author:
- Brian Wakamo
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy Research Institute
- Abstract:
- Companies willingly censor or condemn free speech to retain market share in authoritarian countries. Just ask Daryl Morey
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
32. Abusive North American Companies Pay Off Latin American Police to Harass Critics
- Author:
- Jen Moore
- Publication Date:
- 10-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- In countries like Peru, extractive industries contract police to suppress Indigenous protesters and detain international observers — including me
- Topic:
- Political Economy, International Affairs, and Domestic Politics
- Political Geography:
- Peru
33. How to Displace the Great Replacement
- Author:
- John Feffer
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- The far right is on a roll. Just a few years ago, liberals and conservatives would have considered its recent political victories a nightmare scenario. Right-wing extremists have won elections in the United States, Brazil, Hungary, India, and Poland. They pushed through the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom. In the most recent European Parliament elections, far-right parties captured the most votes in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Hungary.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
34. The Ukraine Whistleblowers and the Rise of Partisan Whistleblowing
- Author:
- Hannah Gurman
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- This moment should spark a conversation about the place of national security whistleblowing in a democratic society.
- Topic:
- International Security, International Affairs, Intellectual Property/Copyright, Political Activism, and Democracy
- Political Geography:
- America and Global Focus
35. Don’t Forget: Nuclear Weapons Are an Existential Threat, Too
- Author:
- Olivia Alperstein
- Publication Date:
- 09-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- A new study shows just how bad a nuclear war could get. We need a plan to eliminate this risk permanently
- Topic:
- Climate Change, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
36. Trump’s Betrayal of the Kurds Is Terrible, But the Answer Is Not Endless War
- Author:
- Khury Petersen-Smith
- Publication Date:
- 10-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Abstract:
- It is sickening that the U.S. would deliver the Kurds to Turkish violence, but that doesn’t mean we should embrace the U.S. presence in Syria.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
37. Five years after Maidan: Toward a Greater Eurasia?
- Author:
- LSE Ideas
- Publication Date:
- 05-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- LSE IDEAS
- Abstract:
- This report, building on a workshop held at LSE IDEAS in December 2018 and supported by the Horizon 2020 UPTAKE and Global Challenges Research Fund COMPASS projects, brings together some of the UK’s foremost scholars on Russia, the EU and the post-Soviet space to evaluate the challenges and opportunities facing Russia’s 'Greater Eurasia’ foreign policy concept.
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
38. Ireland-UK Relations and Northern Ireland after Brexit
- Author:
- LSE Ideas
- Publication Date:
- 01-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- LSE IDEAS
- Abstract:
- This report explores the impact of Brexit from an Irish perspective, explaining Europe’s role in improving Ireland-UK relations since 1970s and outlining the threat posed by Brexit to the political settlement in Northern Ireland. In April 2019, LSE IDEAS produced a second edition of this report, containing a new contribution from Michael Burleigh, important updates from Paul Gillespie and Adrian Guelke, and a refreshed introduction from Michael Cox.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy, International Affairs, and Brexit
- Political Geography:
- Ireland and Global Focus
39. China in the 2020s: a more difficult decade?
- Author:
- George Magnus
- Publication Date:
- 10-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- LSE IDEAS
- Abstract:
- The conventional narrative is that China is, or will, by 2030, be the largest economy in the world. Based on commonly held expectations historically about prewar Germany, the USSR and Japan, greater humility would not go amiss. It is not preordained that past economic trends will continue, especially in view of a much compromised outlook for both China and the rest of the world in the 2020s
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- China and Global Focus
40. Gendered Vulnerability: How Women Work Harder to Stay in Office
- Author:
- Kelly Dittmar
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Journal:
- Political Science Quarterly
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- In this book Jeffrey Lazarus and Amy Steigerwalt leverage an impressive data collection to make the case that women legislators are more active and more responsive to their constituents than men. Moreover, they offer a theoretical argument to explain why women appear to work harder to meet constituent needs and demands, suggesting that women legislators’ perceptions of their electoral vulnerability—even as incumbents—motivate them to focus their legislative efforts on proving to their constituents that they are worthy of re-election.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
41. Unstable Majorities: Polarization, Party Sorting, and Political Stalemate
- Author:
- Matt Grossmann
- Publication Date:
- 03-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Journal:
- Political Science Quarterly
- Institution:
- Academy of Political Science
- Abstract:
- Everyday claims that the United States is descending into a culture war of two polarized and irreconcilable parties deserve more scrutiny. Morris P. Fiorina has been at the forefront of assessing and pushing back against this view, especially the blame placed on the American public. Unstable Majorities goes beyond this important myth busting to offer an explanation for contemporary paralysis: many Americans have sorted into two minority parties with distinct issue positions, but both sides have empowered their officials to overreach in office, losing the support of independents in subsequent elections and thus having to share and alternate power.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
42. BASC News
- Author:
- Vinod K. Aggarwal
- Publication Date:
- 11-2019
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Berkeley APEC Study Center
- Abstract:
- Industrial policy in cybersecurity: Origins, evolution and implications
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Cybersecurity
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
43. Reform and Renewal in Zimbabwe or More of the Same?
- Author:
- Paul Nantulya
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Multiple possible scenarios could emerge from Zimbabwe’s July 30 polls—the country’s first without Robert Mugabe’s name on the ballot. For now, the military appears intent on leveraging its interests.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Zimbabwe
44. World Cup Dreams Shape Africa’s National Narratives
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Since Egypt’s appearance in the inaugural 1930 World Cup, African countries’ performance in the tournament has been a source of pride and national identity.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
45. Overcoming the Democratisation Deficit in the Western Balkans: A Road to (No)Where?
- Author:
- Vedran Dzihic
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP)
- Abstract:
- The internal weaknesses of the process of democratisation in the Western Balkans ensue from reinforcing a system where (ethno)politics and (ethno)political entre-preneurs use all available strategies to deprive citizens of any political agency, thus working towards obedient democracies while keeping real political power within closed circles. The conscious deepening of differences, maintaining negative tensions and instrumentalising – predominantly ethnic – identities for political or other particular purposes are some of the crucial features of (ethno)politics in the Western Balkans.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Balkans
46. Why Americans pay too much for health care
- Author:
- Institute CATO
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Why do we pay $600 for EpiPens, a long-existing piece of technology that contains just a dollar’s worth of medicine? Why do hospitalized patients so frequently receive bills laden with inflated charges that come out of the blue from out-ofnetwork providers or that demand payment for services that weren’t delivered?
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
47. Cato Educates Capitol Hill
- Author:
- Cato Institute
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Congressional staff members play a vital role in shaping policy—they make decisions on which issues their bosses prioritize, which arguments the representatives and senators hear, and what language makes it into legislation. Cato’s popular Capitol Hill Briefings offer these staff members timely briefings on the most pressing issues facing their offices. At these events, Cato scholars and other experts update the staff on their latest scholarship and policy recommendations, critique current or upcoming legislation, and answer staffers’ questions.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
48. Your Uber Ambulance Has Arrived
- Author:
- Institute Cato
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Cato Institute
- Abstract:
- Ambulances are notoriously expensive—one ride may cost more than $1,000, and insurance companies frequently refuse to cover them. In the past, patients had few alternatives to get themselves to the hospital—but in “Does Ride-Sharing Substitute for Ambulances?” (Research Briefs in Economic Policy no. 114), Leon S. Moskatel of Scripps Mercy Hospital and David J. G. Slusky of the University of Kansas demonstrate how the age of Uber and Lyft is changing that and is reducing expensive and unnecessary ambulance trips.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
49. Japan-Russia relations: The Kremlin has the upper hand
- Author:
- Bart Gaens and Marcin Kaczmarski
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Even though bilateral relations have warmed somewhat, Japan has failed to convince Russia to make concessions with regard to the territorial issue of the Northern Territories/South Kuril Islands, or to cut back its cooperation with China
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Japan
50. The United States braces itself for the midterm elections: Is there a foreign-policy dimension?
- Author:
- Ville Sinkkonen
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Foreign policy rarely plays a decisive role in congressional elections in the US. However, President Trump’s tendency to mix foreign policy into the domestic debate might increase its salience. Electoral success for the Democrats could both constrain and embolden the president’s international conduct.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- America
51. Does Pattern Bargaining Explain Wage Restraint in the German Public Sector?
- Author:
- Donato Di Carlo
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- German public sector wage restraint has been explained through the presence of a specific type of inter-sectoral wage coordination in the industrial relations system – i.e., export sector-led pattern bargaining. This paper has a twofold ambition. First, as a literature assessing exercise, I review the literature in industrial relations and comparative political economy (CPE) and find that (1) the origins and mechanics of inter-sectoral wage coordination through pattern bargaining have never been laid out clearly; (2) the mechanisms of the pattern bargaining thesis have never been tested empirically; and (3) the CPE literature reveals a limiting export-sector bias. Second, as a theory-testing exercise, I perform hoop tests to verify whether the pattern bargaining hypothesis can really account for wage restraint in the German public sector. I find that Germany cannot be considered a case of export sector-driven pattern bargaining. These findings challenge core tenets of a longstanding scholarship in both CPE and industrial relations. Most importantly, they open a new research agenda for the study of public sector wage-setting that should shift its focus to public sector employment relations, public finance, public administrations, and the politics of fiscal policy
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Germany
52. International Monetary Regimes and the German Model
- Author:
- Fritz W Scharpf
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The end of the Bretton Woods regime and the fall of the Iron Curtain deepened the export orientation of the German model of the economy. Only after entry into the Monetary Union, however, did rising exports turn into a persistent export–import gap that became a problem for other eurozone economies. This Discussion Paper shows why the present asymmetric euro regime will not be able to enforce their structural transformation on the German model. Neither will German governments be able to respond to demands that would bring the performance of the German economy closer to eurozone averages. Instead, it is more likely that present initiatives for financial and fiscal risk sharing will transform the Monetary Union into a transfer union.
- Topic:
- International Political Economy and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Germany
53. Joint Humanitarian Operations
- Author:
- Jeremy Konyndyk
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- The Government Reform and Reorganization Plan released earlier this year by the White House calls for substantial reform of US humanitarian institutions. The plan mandates that the State Department and USAID produce a “specific reorganization proposal” to “optimize” humanitarian assistance and “eliminate duplication of efforts and fragmentation of decision-making.” This policy note lays out guidance for how an ambitious but feasible optimization could be achieved. It is informed by two high-level private roundtables convened by the Center for Global Development to solicit expert input, as well as a desk review of documents, expert interviews, and the author’s own experiences serving in the humanitarian arms of both USAID and the State Department. While numerous experts contributed thoughts and feedback, the author takes sole responsibility for the views represented herein.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
54. It’s Like That and That’s the Way It Is? Evaluating Education Policy
- Author:
- Susannah Hares
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- It’s tricky to evaluate government education policies. They’re not implemented in NGO-like laboratory conditions, and political motivation and public sector capacity constraints play as much of a role in their success or failure as policy design. Using the examples of three rigorous studies of three different education policies, this note aims to shed some light from the perspective of someone on the policy side on how, why, and when to evaluate government-led reforms. A government education policy is not an abstract theory that can easily be replicated in a different place. In each new context, it is effectively a brand-new programme and needs to be evaluated as that. None of the three examples presented was “new” as a policy: school inspections, school vouchers, and charter schools have all been tried and evaluated elsewhere. But the evaluations of these policies—when implemented in new contexts—illuminated a new set of challenges and lessons and generated a different set of results.
- Topic:
- Education and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
55. SVP for Clean Energy, on the Union Organizing Drive at Buffalo Solar Factory
- Author:
- Josh Freed
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- Third Way Senior Vice President for Clean Energy Josh Freed released the following statement on the United Steelworkers and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers drive to organize production and maintenance workers at Tesla’s solar factory in Buffalo, New York:
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
56. DC Can Show True Climate Leadership by Cutting Carbon Even Faster and More Efficiently
- Author:
- Josh Freed
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- I am not only the Vice President for Clean Energy at Third Way, a center left think tank based in Washington dedicated to getting the United States to zero carbon pollution by 2050. I am also a native of the DC area and almost twenty-year District resident. My father was born here, as were my children.
- Topic:
- Climate Change and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
57. DC’s Climate Policy Should Be Even More Ambitious: Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia
- Author:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- My name is Ryan Fitzpatrick, and I am a resident of Ward 5 in the District of Columbia and Deputy Director of Clean Energy for Third Way, a policy think tank here in DC. As we saw yesterday with the release of the new report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world is facing an enormous challenge in the fight against climate change. We at Third Way believe that this demands urgent, aggressive action now to reduce and eliminate carbon pollution as cost-effectively, and from as many sectors of the economy, as possible
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Globalization, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
58. Unemployment to Reemployment: An Idea to Modernize the Safety Net for the Digital Age
- Author:
- Gabe Horwitz
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Third Way
- Abstract:
- The basic tenets of Unemployment Insurance (UI) have changed little since the program was enacted during the Great Depression. It was built as a bridge for workers between jobs in similar industries that required similar skills. You lose your job and a weekly check tides you over until you land a new one, usually doing the same type of work as before.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Employment
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
59. From Silicon Valley to Shenzhen: Dollar Exposures in Chinese Fintech
- Author:
- Michael B Greenwald
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- In the post-9/11 era, Washington has waged innovative campaigns against terrorism finance, sanctions evasion, and money laundering. Leveraging America’s heavyweight status in the international financial system, the United States Treasury has isolated and bankrupted rogue regimes, global terrorists, and their enablers. As financial technology transforms global business, the traditional financial system faces new competition across a suite of offerings, ranging from brokerage services to peer to peer lending. In no area is this clearer than in mobile payments, where a global hegemon lies ready to exercise its weight, and it is not the United States
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Affairs, and Financial Markets
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
60. The China Tariff Mess
- Author:
- Martin S. Feldstein
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
- Abstract:
- The cost to US consumers and firms imposed by tariffs on Chinese imports is not large relative to the gain that would be achieved if the US succeeds in persuading China to stop illegally taking US firms’ technology. But the Trump administration should state that this is the goal, and that the tariffs will be removed when it is met.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, International Political Economy, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
61. A New Strategy for European Health Policy
- Author:
- Anna-Lena Kirch and Daniel Braun
- Publication Date:
- 09-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
- Abstract:
- Germany considers itself a leading European power that utilizes its influence to promote EU cohesion in the face of Brexit and numerous other crises. However, a different picture emerges in European health policy, an area that is not only being discussed as an essential part of the EU’s social dimension but also in the context of its security and development positioning: Far from shaping the discussion, Germany is at times even perceived as the brakeman to an effective European health policy.
- Topic:
- Health and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
62. The United States and China— A Relationship Adrift: The New War in Trade, Investment, and High Technology
- Author:
- Asia Society Policy Institute
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- HISTORY TEACHES US THAT PICKING WHEN ONE AGE ENDS AND ANOTHER BEGINS is a tricky business. None of us has the powers of reflection, perception, or anticipation to identify when certain tipping points of historical significance are reached. And when we reach such conclusions, it’s usually with the full benefit of 20/20 hindsight, which for those of us working in the rarefied world of contemporary public policy is not particularly useful
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
63. The United States, China, and Southeast Asia: Can ASEAN Find a New Strategic Equilibrium?
- Author:
- Kevin Rudd
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Asia Society
- Abstract:
- U.S.-China relations have now entered into a new structural phase. Officially, the Americans describe this as a change from 40 years of “strategic engagement” to a new period of “strategic competition.” The precise definition of strategic competition, as an operational rather than a declaratory strategy, has yet to fully emerge. But we would be foolish not to recognize that there has been a fundamental systemic shift in U.S. sentiment toward China
- Topic:
- Diplomacy, International Affairs, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- China
64. The Islamic State and Drones: Supply, Scale, and Future Threats
- Author:
- Don Rassler
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
- Abstract:
- The Islamic State is a group known for doing things a bit differently, for its capacity for innovation, and for its many ‘firsts.’ Two of those ‘firsts’ happened within months of each other. The first occurred in October 2016 when the group used a bomb-laden drone to kill, after the explosive hidden within the drone killed two Kurdish peshmerga soldiers who were investigating the device. Another ‘first’ happened in January 2017 when the Islamic State released a propaganda video that showed nearly a dozen examples of the group releasing munitions on its enemies from the air with a fair degree of accuracy via quadcopter drones it had modified. And it wasn’t long before the group’s bomb-drop capable drones would go on to kill, too.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Military Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
65. Exploding Stereotypes: Characteristics of Boko Haram’s Suicide Bombers
- Author:
- Jason Warner and Hilary Matfess
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
- Abstract:
- Since 2009, the Islamist group known as Boko Haram has ushered in a wave of violence across the Lake Chad Basin region of West Africa, at the intersection of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Among other tactics that it has employed during its reign of terror, the group has been noted for its use of suicide bombers. While the prevalence of suicide bombings has been duly recognized, little remains known about the broader arc of their existence and efficacy: What strategic and operational trends underlie Boko Haram’s use of suicide bombers, and how effective have they been at achieving their objectives? Just who are Boko Haram’s suicide bombers? Where are they deployed, what do they target, and how do different bomber demographics differ in their actions? More broadly, what does Boko Haram’s use of suicide bombers reveal about the past, present, and future of the terrorist group?
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
66. Turkish-German Relations From Conjunctural Cooperation to the Solution of Structural Issues
- Author:
- Zeliha Eliaçık
- Publication Date:
- 12-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- To the contrary of its relatively “new” relations with the United States of America, Turkey’s relations with the West have been established and continued via Europe since the period of the Ottoman Empire.1 The military alliance and cooperation initiated between Turkey and Germany in the late 19th century have gained a human dimension in the frame of the “Turkish Labor Force Agreement” signed upon the settlement of Turkish workers in Germany in the 20th century. Bilateral relations have been maintained without interruption despite occasional fluctuations in the intensity of these relations. Recently, the two countries have maintained closer ties as they both are affected by the U.S. sanctions and “trade wars.”
- Topic:
- International Relations, International Cooperation, and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey, Germany, and Global Focus
67. Natural partners? Europe, Japan and security in the Indo-Pacific
- Author:
- Luis Simon
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Elcano Royal Institute
- Abstract:
- Europeans and Japanese are often described as ‘natural’ partners. As liberal democracies, market economies and close allies of the US, they have similar world views and share many interests. They also have a long history of cooperation, whose foundations go back to Japan’s embracing of modernisation and industrialisation in the late 19th century along European lines
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
68. Forty years of democratic Spain: Political, economic, foreign policy and social change, 1978-2018
- Author:
- William Chislett
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Elcano Royal Institute
- Abstract:
- Whichever way one looks at it, Spain has been profoundly transformed since the 1978 democratic Constitution that sealed the end of the 1939-75 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, the victor of the three-year Civil War. Be it economically with, for example, the creation of significant number of multinationals or the world’s second-largest tourism industry in terms of visitors (81.8 million in 2017), politically with a vibrant democracy that ranks high in classifications, socially with the greatly improved status of women or in foreign policy –where Spain has reclaimed its place on the international stage–, the country bears no resemblance to what it was like 40 years ago. Over the period, per capita income at purchasing power parity increased fivefold and life expectancy at birth rose by almost 10 years. All the more remarkable is that the transition, guided by King Juan Carlos I, was achieved in the face of considerable adversity. It was not guaranteed from the outset to be successful: the Basque terrorist group ETA killed an average of 50 people a year in the first decade of democracy (and mounted assassination attempts in 1995 on both the King and the Prime Minister, José María Aznar), and Francoist officers staged a coup in 1981 in an attempt to turn back the clock. The economy, which was entering a period of recession, galloping inflation and rising unemployment, was also subjected to unprecedented competition after decades of protectionism. In the first three months of 1976 there were 17,731 cases of industrial action alone. Today’s problems, such as the very high jobless rate, particularly among young adults, acute income inequality, increased social exclusion, the illegal push for independence in Catalonia and corruption in the political class do not detract from the fact that Spain has enjoyed an unprecedented period of prosperity and stability over the past 40 years. Spain has achieved conditions that are similar –in some cases better– than in the rest of Western European nations, disproving the theory, still beloved in some quarters, of the country’s ‘exceptional nature’ or ‘anomaly’.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
69. Dead Man Walking: Time to Put the INF Treaty to Rest?
- Author:
- Ian Anthony
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
- Abstract:
- On 11-12 July 2018, the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance met in Brussels. Political and public attention centred almost exclusively on the Allies’ defence expenditure, the issue of spending 2% of national GDPs on defence, and President Donald Trump’s criticism of Canada and European nations. The political agenda of the summit, however, and the range of decisions taken there, was much broader and much more substantial. It was the third summit in a row since 2014 that dealt with NATO’s far-reaching and long-term adaptation to the fundamentally changed security environment since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the illegal occupation of Crimea, as well as the emergence of the terrorist organisation ISIL/Daesh. The Wales summit of 2014 adopted the Readiness Action Plan (RAP) as an initial response to Russia’s aggressive posture.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
70. Challenges of Real National Defence
- Author:
- Jonatan Vseviov
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
- Abstract:
- Jonatan Vesviov is the Estonian Ambassador to the US. Before this he worked in the Estonian Ministry of Defence for 10 years. He served as Director of the Policy Planning Department, the ministry’s representative in the Washington embassy, acting and later substantive Undersecretary for Defence Planning, and for two and a half years, Permanent Secretary. This decade saw tumultuous developments in the international situation—the Russian offensive against Georgia, intervention in Syria, the occupation and annexation of the Crimea and ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine in the east of the country. Reorganisation within NATO to respond to Russian behaviour, part of which was the deployment of allied forces to the eastern border of the Alliance, also occurred during this period.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
71. The Citizens’ Opinion of the Police
- Author:
- François Lhoumeau
- Publication Date:
- 10-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Centre for Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The third round of the public opinion survey "The Citizens’ Opinion of the Police Force" was conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. The questionnaire based on which the public opinion survey was conducted was devised by the regional network POINTPULSE to provide answers concerning the citizens’ opinion of the police. The questionnaire included six groups of questions
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
72. Technology and National Security: The United States at a Critical Crossroads
- Author:
- James Kadtke
- Publication Date:
- 01-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Marine Corps University Press, National Defense University
- Abstract:
- Rapid globalization of science and technology (S&T) capacity presents a serious and long-term risk to the military and economic security of the United States. To maintain U.S. preeminence, our domestic science and technology enterprise requires a new paradigm to make it more agile, synchronized, and globally engaged. U.S. technological competitiveness depends not only on research but also on legal, economic, regulatory, ethical, moral, and social frameworks, and therefore requires the vision and cooperation of our political, corporate, and civil society leadership. Re-organizing our domestic S&T enterprise will be a complex task, but recommendations presented in this paper could be first steps on the path to maintaining our future technological security.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
73. Turkey’s Economic Problems before the Elections
- Author:
- Karol Wasilewski
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- In May, the Turkish lira reached a record low to the U.S. dollar. Turkey’s growing economic problems stem from Turkish politicians’ preference for political goals over economic ones. For now, the authorities have begun to undertake actions to regain investors’ trust, but in the longer term, Turkey’s economy needs to undergo deep and probably unpopular structural reform. The country’s economic problems may significantly influence the parliamentary and presidential elections set for 24 June.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
74. The Varna Quadrilateral: A New Format for Regional Cooperation
- Author:
- Jakub Pieńkowski and Tomasz Żornaczuk
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- The Polish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Initiated at the end of 2017, the Varna Quadrilateral is a forum for cooperation between Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania. It is intended to improve coordination of cross-border infrastructure and energy investments between the largest countries in southeastern Europe. Meetings to date also show that collaboration can have clear political elements. However, a half year after the inauguration of the new initiative, its future is in doubt due to the great differences between its members.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Europe
75. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 04-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- Judging from President’s latest statements on his readiness to capture Ukraine’s stable progress towards EU and NATO membership in the Preamble to the Constitution, we are to expect yet another session of “constitutional vivisection”. Moreover, it is very likely that the parliament and the president will finalise the long-term story of bidding farewell to the constitutional guarantees of parliamentary immunity. Also, one cannot write off a possible attempt to implement the currently semi-fictional idea of transitioning to a parliamentary form of government, again – by introducing corresponding amendments to the Constitution.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
76. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- In February of this year, Stanislav Shevchuk was elected the new Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) at one of its sessions. Position of CCU Chairman has been vacant since 20 March 2017. This is when Yurii Baulin’s term has run out. On several occasions, elections of a new chairman were disrupted. In December 2017, they did not take place due to the lack of candidates. The responsibility of CCU Chairman, besides swearing in the newly elected president, is to organise the regular work of the Constitutional Court. We also expect the pressure on the new chairman to mount after the appointment of two new CCU judges on the president’s quota and the election of two more judges on the Verkhovna Rada’s quota.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
77. The Razumkov Center Newsletter
- Author:
- Razumkov Center
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Razumkov Centre
- Abstract:
- On 30 January 2018, in Kyiv, Razumkov Centre together with the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting and CEDOS think tank presented the annual 2017 global top think tanks rating (2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report). This report is issued since 2008 by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania (USA).
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
78. Ituri Becomes Congo’s Latest Flashpoint
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- The DRC’s ongoing political crisis is straining local peace agreements forged after the Second Congo War, threatening wider instability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Democratic Republic of Congo
79. Lost Opportunity in Zimbabwe
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- The violence in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s elections and ongoing disputes over their credibility undercut the goal of establishing legitimacy for the post-Mugabe government.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Zimbabwe
80. Africa Lags in Protections against Human Trafficking
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Trafficking in persons has become a multibillion dollar business in Africa that African governments have been slow to address.
- Topic:
- International Affairs and Sex Trafficking
- Political Geography:
- Africa
81. Presidential Elections in Mali: A Step toward Stabilizing a Weak State
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Mali faces multiple security challenges that demand both strengthened legitimacy and state capacity to address. Building on credible elections, stabilization will also require reconciliation and extending the presence of the state.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Mali
82. After Burundi’s Referendum, a Drive to Dismantle the Arusha Accords
- Author:
- Paul Nantulya
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Sweeping changes to Burundi's constitution have consolidated power in the presidency, dismantled much of the Arusha Accords, and heightened the risk of greater violence and instability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Burundi
83. YALI Fellows Participate in Africa Center Security Simulation Exercise
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Twenty-five YALI Mandela Washington Fellows participated in a one-day simulation exercise focused on Africa’s security concerns.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
84. Q&A: Somalia Charts Security Transition
- Author:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Publication Date:
- 07-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Africa Center for Strategic Studies
- Abstract:
- Somalia’s National Security Advisor Abdisaid Ali talks about political will, security reforms in Somalia’s Transition Plan, and the commitment to domestic and international coalition building to sustain the country’s progress.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Africa
85. The Begin Doctrine: The Lessons of Osirak and Deir ez-Zor
- Author:
- Amos Yadlin
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- The decision to attack a nuclear reactor in enemy territory is one of the most difficult decisions that an Israeli leader may face. Prime Minister Menahem Begin drafted the unofficial doctrine that is named for him, “the Begin Doctrine,” seeking to prevent countries hostile to Israel calling for its destruction from developing a nuclear military capability.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
86. The Ministry of Defense Budget for 2019: Major Issues
- Author:
- Shmuel Even
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- According to the state budget for 2019, approved by the Knesset on March 15, 2018, the Defense Ministry budget will stand at NIS 72.9 billion gross and NIS 55.3 billion net (11.5 percent of the state budget). The Defense Ministry’s budget for 2019 represents the fourth year in the IDF’s five-year plan (the Gideon Plan for 2016-2020), during which it must start to formulate a new five-year plan
- Topic:
- International Security and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Middle East
87. Iran in a Changing Strategic Environment
- Author:
- Meir Litvak, Emily Landau, and Ephraim Kam
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- This collection contains essays analyzing the state of Iran’s nuclear program and the deterrent relationship between the United States and Iran since the nuclear agreement was presented; Iran’s relations with specific Middle East states; and dominant political and social issues within Iran, and their influence on Iran’s foreign policy.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran
88. Turkey and Iran: Two Regional Powers and the Relations Pendulum
- Author:
- Gallia Lindenstrauss
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- Over the past decade, despite periodic hostile statements on the one hand and high level visits on the other, Turkey-Iran relations have experienced few surprising developments. As Hakki Uygur has argued, “The Turkish-Iranian relationship can be considered one of the most consistent and predictable sets of relations in the Middle East region.” During this time, Turkish-Iranian relations have fluctuated within a defined range whereby despite the intense competition, they never reach the point of deep crisis. However, even in the case of shared interests, the two states have not proved capable of achieving close strategic cooperation.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran and Turkey
89. Iran in the Wake of the Protests: Voices of Change without Change
- Author:
- Raz Zimmt
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- Some two months after the outbreak of the most significant wave of protest in Iran since the 2009 riots, the Iranian authorities are endeavoring to bring the situation back to normal, though various pockets of protest are still discernible. While the wave of protest began to wane already a week after it broke out, demonstrations on a limited scale are ongoing in various parts of the country, mainly concerning wage withholding and the collapse of pension and saving funds. There are also some local instances of defiance against the regime, including anti-establishment graffiti in the public domain, strikes, torched banks, and defaced posters with the Supreme Leader’s picture.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iran
90. Russian Intervention in the US Presidential Elections: The New Threat of Cognitive Subversion
- Author:
- Yotam Rosner and David Siman-Tov
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- The indictment filed by the United States Justice Department on February 16, 2018 against 13 Russian citizens and three Russian companies regarding attempts to promote the candidacy of Donald Trump for the US presidency, amounting to intervention in the country’s political system, is a phenomenon enabling interference in the “consciousness” of another country
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Russia
91. Germany-Israel Relations: Unique or Normal?
- Author:
- Shimon Stein
- Publication Date:
- 03-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
- Abstract:
- Recent events and statements by German figures indicate a change in Germany’s attitude to Israel. What for decades was a unique bilateral relationship – grounded in the memory of the Holocaust and the commitment that Germany consequently made to Israel’s existence and security – has been increasingly shaped by considerations of realpolitik that formerly played a secondary role.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Israel and Germany
92. Sustaining Peace in Practice: Building on What Works
- Author:
- Youssef Mahmoud, David Connolly, and Delphine Mechoulan
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute
- Abstract:
- Prevention is generally viewed as a crisis management tool to address the destructive dynamics of conflict. The sustaining peace agenda challenges this traditional understanding of preventive action by shifting the starting point of analysis to what is still working in society—the positive aspects of resilience—and building on these.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
93. To Defeat Terrorism, Use 'People Power'
- Author:
- Maria J. Stephan and Leanne Erdberg
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- As governments and communities seek the right combination of methods to halt terrorism, one that we too often miss is nonviolent resistance. It’s not that we haven’t seen the power of protest movements that use mass marches, sit-ins, boycotts and other forceful but nonviolent tactics. To the contrary, people worldwide have been moved by watching such movements sweep aside the walls of apartheid, the tanks of dictators or the impunity of kleptocracies. But governments and civil society alike have failed to connect the dots—to promote nonviolent action that can help communities address grievances while absorbing the youth alienation upon which terrorist movements feed.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
94. USIP’s Work on Violent Extremism
- Author:
- USIP
- Publication Date:
- 02-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- United States Institute of Peace
- Abstract:
- Over the past decade, transnational and deadly violent extremist movements—such as ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and al-Shabab—have risen out of instability and conflicts and repeatedly inflamed and perpetuated hostilities. These movements recruit followers and destabilize regions by harnessing agendas and exploiting grievances such as social marginalization, political exclusion, state repression, and lack of access to justice and resources.
- Topic:
- International Relations and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
95. Resisting TTIP Behind the Boarder Talks: The Case of Genetically Modified Organisms
- Author:
- Vinod K. Aggarwal
- Publication Date:
- 11-2018
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Berkeley APEC Study Center
- Abstract:
- During negotiations of mega-regional trade agreements, state representatives have the incentive to demand that other parties align with their entrenched regulatory practices. Indeed, a country’s exporters will derive extensive benefits if negotiating partners fulfill these demands. Strictly pursuing self-interest, however, often leads to stalemate. When the United States (US) and European Union (EU) entered into negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), they sought to more effectively align transatlantic regulation and associated practices. Although extant literature indicates that relatively similar, rich, and developed countries should easily conclude agreements due to shared interests, negotiations between the US and EU in the regulatory area of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) deteriorated. By 2016, this matter effectively fell off the TTIP negotiating agenda.
- Topic:
- Science and Technology and International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus