30,000 More U.S. Troops Being Sent to Afghanistan
DEVELOPMENTS President Obama’s address to the nation at the West Point Military Academy on Tuesday December 1st was well received in as much for its subject matter…
Blood, Land and Sovereignty: The Status of Indigenous Rights in the Americas
DEVELOPMENTS The indigenous rights movements of the Americas are experiencing a renaissance. Indigenous peoples of the Americas are increasingly reasserting their…
Fifth World Water Forum: Paper Tiger or Path for Progress on Mideast Water Crisis?
DEVELOPMENTS From March 16 th to March 22 nd , representatives from private industry and international organizations, activists, and government officials – in sum a…
Fighting Corruption, One Zero-Rupee Note At A Time
DEVELOPMENTS Petty corruption is pervasive in India, where local officials demand bribes from ordinary citizens for the delivery of public services that should not…
From the Mountain to the Sea: 'Climate Change' Changes More Than Just the Weather
DEVELOPMENTS This month, ten underprivileged youth from Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in order to draw international attention to climate…
Georgia and Russia: The Search for Peace, Stability and Territorial Integrity
BACKGROUND Georgia is strategically located at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, on the Black Sea between Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan.…
Interview with Stefan Aust: Author of Baader-Meinhof: The Inside Story of the R.A.F.
The Red Army Faction (RAF), also known as the Baader-Mainhof Gang, was postwar Germany’s most violent left-wing terrorist group. Most active in the 1970s, the group…
Renewed Rebel Offensive in Chad: An Analysis
DEVELOPMENTS Only four months after Chadian rebels attacked and briefly occupied the capital city of N’Djamena, hostilities renewed in the east of Chad on June…
Scaling the Climate Summit: Reaching a Deal This December Will Be a Major Climb
DEVELOPMENTS The European Union has declared as one of its main policy objectives for 2009 the signing of a global treaty on climate change. In December, a…
Some Got Rich First--and Richer Later: The Uneven Nature of China's Economic Development
DEVELOPMENTS Over the last two months, a spate of violent attacks against schoolchildren in China’s eastern provinces has heightened authorities’ concerns about the…
Tax Evasion Paradise No More: The U.S. and Caribbean Nations Crack Down on Hidden Offshore Accounts
DEVELOPMENTS For decades, Americans have hidden their assets in a number of offshore accounts with the goal of avoiding paying more taxes. When President Obama…
The Respiratory Disease Capital of the World: What Guangdong Province May Mean for Health Policy in a Globalizing World
DEVELOPMENTS Guangdong Province in China is widely considered the primary point of origin for the Chinese Diaspora , as evidenced by the predominance of Cantonese…
Uzbekistan's Vanishing Civil Society: Why NGOs are shutting down as the country opens up
DEVELOPMENTS During a U.N. review of Uzbekistan’s human rights record last week, dialogue between the Human Rights Committee and the Uzbekistani state delegation…
Why Obama’s Ghana Speech Comes at a Time of New Hope for Africa
DEVELOPMENTS President Obama went to Ghana this past July on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since becoming president. Obama chose to visit Ghana partly…
'Enhanced Interrogation:' Just a Clever Euphemism?
BACKGROUND Torture has a long, treacherous history with parallels in nearly every civilization from the Greek empire to modern America . With the advent and near…
(Still) Separate and Unequal: Roma Education in Central and Southeast Europe
DEVELOPMENTS The Roma are one of Europe’s largest, least known, and most disadvantaged ethnic minorities. Numbering approximately 10 million, the Roma—also…
A Crisis of Christianity: Why China’s most explosive religious movement worships underground
DEVELOPMENTS In one of her last actions as Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice signed a statement identifying China as one of the worst violators of religious…
A Difficult Birth: Kosovar Independence and Eastern European Stability
On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence fromSerbia. While Serbia's government officially announced it wasannulling the declaration of independence,…
A Dispute Not Settled
DEVELOPMENTS A series of Israeli construction projects in West Bank settlements drew world attention this summer, further derailing the stagnant Israeli-Palestinian…
A Healthy Debate: Does the Brazilian Healthcare Model Offer a Guide to the U.S.?
DEVELOPMENTS Recently, the Brazilian Minister of Health, José Gomes Temporão, defended his country’s unified healthcare system, Sistema Único de Saúde (S.U.S.) ,…
A New Chance to Shine: Latin America’s Challenges and Opportunities for the Obama White House
DEVELOPMENTS: One region that may prove surprisingly significant during President Barack Obama’s administration, despite eight years of relative neglect, is Latin…
A New Cold Conflict: Arctic Claim Disputes
DEVELOPMENTS On August 2nd, 2007, Russian scientists grabbed headlines by successfully planting a titanium Russian flag on the seabed directly underneath the North…
A Return to Normalcy? The Restoration of Iraq’s Marshlands
DEVELOPMENTS Life has improved for Iraq’s Marsh Arabs, or Ma’adan since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. No longer threatened with the complete destruction of…
ASEAN's New Human Rights Commission: "Toothless Tiger" or Catalyst for Change?
DEVELOPMENTS At the fifteen annual summit this past October, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) launched the first regional human rights commission.…
Accounting for the Uncountable: Resettling Iraq's Refugees
DEVELOPMENTS As the situation in Iraq improves , attention and resources are shifting elsewhere. However, the problems facing the 1-2 million Iraqi refugees , and…
Africa a Hotspot for Oil Investment
DEVELOPMENTS With the price of oil having more than quadrupled since 2004, governments are negotiating more and more deals in oil-producing African states, now…
Al-Bashir Indicted: Justice versus Peace?
DEVELOPMENTS On July 14th, 2008, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo requested an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar…
Amid Turmoil in Somalia, a Hint of Hope
DEVELOPMENTS Somalia is becoming increasingly unstable. Fighting between Ethiopian-backed Somali government troops and insurgents has ravaged for months. Roadside…
Can Latin America Weather a Global Recession?
DEVELOPMENTS In the final weeks of the U.S. presidential campaign, the declining economy has emerged as the greatest concern of both U.S. voters and onlookers…
Change in Cuba?
On February 19, Fidel Castro, 81, announced his permanentretirement as Cuba's president. At the time of his announcement,Fidel had served as head of state for 49…
Channeling Hope in Haiti
DEVELOPMENTS Haiti’s recent unexpected catastrophic 7.0 earthquake has brought global attention to the long-ignored impoverished island nation . As images of a…
Chile’s Marginalized Small Fishermen: The Secret Weapons of a Disaster-Struck Nation
DEVELOPMENTS On February 27, Chile suffered a more powerful earthquake than the far more famous one that struck Haiti just weeks before , and which was followed…
Chile’s Secular Triumph Challenges Catholicism
DEVELOPMENTS Chile’s cultural and political history have shaped a nation that has long been considered one of South America’s most socially conservative and…
China's Military Rise
DEVELOPMENTS On March 4th, China announced its intention to increase military spending next year by 17.6% to $59 billion. The increase is on top of last year’s…
China's New Safari into African Development
DEVELOPMENTS Walking the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, many visitors would be shocked by the changing social composition of this bustling capital. A colony of Great…
China's Slow Growth Challenge
DEVELOPMENTS China has not been immune to the global economic downturn, but an influential report by the World Economic Forum now proclaims that China’s economic…
China's Total Recall
DEVELOPMENTS Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao announced a draft law designed to increase food safety on Wednesday. The new legislation comes in the wake of a…
Colombia: U.S. Base Sparks Suspicions
DEVELOPMENTS The United States and Colombia have finalized a deal that will allow U.S. military access to seven Colombian bases for the next ten years. Both…
Colombia: Will FARC Rise Again From the Ashes?
DEVELOPMENTS On Sunday July 20th, 2008, former hostage and Colombian Senator Ingrid Betancourt led a demonstration to end the longstanding conflict between…
Combating Human Trafficking in Timor-Leste
DEVELOPMENTS The fledgling government of Timor-Leste has made significant improvements to its interagency coordination of anti-human trafficking activities assisted…
Confronting Iran: Addressing the Need for a Coherent Foreign Policy
DEVELOPMENTS Rhetoric between Tehran and Washington is heating up again. The situation is tense as President George W. Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud…
Confronting Iran: The Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian Regime
Ever since the Muslim Brotherhood won nearly 20% of the vote and88 seats in the fall 2005 parliamentary elections, the Egyptianregime has launched a sustained…
Corporate Social Responsibility: An Answer to Conflict Jewelry?
BACKGROUND Conflict diamonds have reached every corner of the African continent from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, the Democratic…
Corruption Concerns Plague Kazakstan's Rise
DEVELOPMENTS On January 1, 2010, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), amid unusual controversy.…
Corruption in Kenya: The Plots Continue
DEVELOPMENTS Corruption is at the heart of news from Kenya these days. Last week, President Mwai Kibaki suspended eight senior officials for three months…
Cyprus: An Island Long Divided
DEVELOPMENTS In April 2009 Turkish Cypriot voters gave the hard-line National Unity Party a parliamentary majority for the Northern Turkish enclave, lending urgency…
Diplomacy and the Vatican Sex Abuse Scandals
DEVELOPMENTS In recent weeks the Catholic Church has been besieged by accusations of sexual abuse of children by priests. The accusations are being made across…
Education in Afghanistan
DEVELOPMENTS Afghanistan’s history is a complex and violent one marked by a series of foreign evasions and occupations. The twentieth century history of Afghanistan…
Effects of the Greek Bailout on E.U. Development Aid
DEVELOPMENTS The financial situation in Greece has become the biggest threat to the process of European economic integration that began more than half a century…
Energy Policy in Latin America: A Cross Roads of Environmentalism, Indigenous Rights and Development
DEVELOPMENTS Energy policy has become ever more important to our national self interest both because energy exploration and exploitation involving moral and legal…
Engaging the Middle East: The View from Washington
DEVELOPMENTS The Obama presidency begins at a time of great challenge and great opportunity in the Middle East . Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons ,…
Ethnic Conflict in Zimbabwe: A Ghost of the Past?
DEVELOPMENTS Zimbabwe’s main opposition leader and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai ended his boycott of the government last week, raising hopes for the survival of…
Europe is Out, the Americas Are In: Surprising New Trends in U.S. Study Abroad Data
DEVELOPMENTS There is no question that American college students are studying abroad in increasing numbers. According to the Institute of International Education ,…
FPD World Views: Interview on Haiti with Monika Kalra Varma
Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to present the following interview with Monika Kalra Varma, the Director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human…
Fashionistas Dress Down the Taliban - The Triple Assault
DEVELOPMENTS On November 4th, 2009, Fashion Pakistan launched the country’s first Fashion Week. The four-day event, taking place during an army offensive in South…
Fool Me Once: Making Sense of North Korea’s Mixed Signals
DEVELOPMENTS When Laura Ling and Euna Lee flew back from 140 days of imprisonment in North Korea, it was hard not to feel elated and perhaps even hopeful for…
Gacaca: Rwanda's Experiment in Community-Based Justice for Genocide Crimes Comes to a Close
DEVELOPMENTS In the next six months, Rwanda will complete the most comprehensive post-conflict justice program attempted anywhere in the world . Since 2001, 11,000…
Historical Antagonism and the Future of Japan-ROK Relations
DEVELOPMENTS Since his rise to the power in February 2008, South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak has significantly alleviated the historical political and social…
How Obama and McCain Would Respond to Darfur
Developments During the second Presidential Debate , moderator Tom Brokaw asked both candidates under what circumstances they would use “United States…
How Technology Can Support Education in Africa
DEVELOPMENTS From May 27-29, the eLearning Africa 2009 Conference will be held in Dakar, Senegal. Some 350 people from sixty countries will speak, and…
Human Commodities? - A Look at Human Trafficking and the Rise of this Illicit Global Trade
DEVELOPMENTS Slavery as we once knew it no longer exists, but new, contemporary forms have taken its place. One of the largest rings of contemporary slavery exists…
Human Rights and Aid Transparency in Haiti’s Roadmap to Recovery
DEVELOPMENTS Overwhelmed by sadness, empathy and disbelief, the world’s eyes and hearts have been focused for weeks on the rescue and relief efforts resulting from…
Identity Crisis in Pakistan
DEVELOPMENTS Pakistan is at war: after decades of ambivalence the Pakistan Army has engaged the spawn of its Cold War tryst with the USA, the Taliban, in a…
Ikhwan: The Muslim Brotherhood
DEVELOPMENTS During the spring of 2007, the Bush administration began expanding its diplomatic engagement with independently elected Muslim Brotherhood officials in…
Iran and the Next Administration
DEVELOPMENTS Over the course of the Presidential campaign, John McCain and Barack Obama have clashed repeatedly over US policy toward Iran. McCain has staked…
Iran: Nuclear World Order
DEVELOPMENTS Iran’s recent test launch of nine long-range missiles is making its neighbors nervous. To make matters worse, attempts to dissuade Iran from…
Iraq and its Discontents
Reports from Iraq indicate that violence has abated recently . The decrease in casualties has even prompted some refugees to return to their homes in Baghdad . Many…
Is Free Trade in the West in Danger?
DEVELOPMENTS As the global community deals with a financial crisis of astronomic proportions, the casualties continue to mount. The latest endangered…
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process (Preview)
DEVELOPMENTS In a matter of weeks, President Bush will host the most direct diplomatic initiative in the Israeli Palestinian conflict since he took office . The…
Japan Opens the Way for Military Use of Outer Space
DEVELOPMENTS Japan’s Diet (legislature) passed a new Basic Law on Space on May 21st (the bill can be found in the index on-line here , and in pdf here ), which will…
Justice Threatens Peace in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda
DEVELOPMENTS On January 23rd, justice caught up to Congolese warlord General Laurent Nkunda. The leader of the Tutsi militia which caused nearly 200,000…
Kenya in Crisis
DEVELOPMENTS Until the recent outbreak of violence, Kenya was the only country in the Greater Horn of Africa not to experience a complex political emergency and to…
Kosovo Revisited
DEVELOPMENTS On March 24th, 1999, Bill Clinton announced the bombing of Yugoslavia. By June 10th of that year the UN had approved a peace plan for Kosovo,…
Migration Island: The Plight of African Refugees in Malta
DEVELOPMENTS As the third most densely-populated nation in the world, the island country of Malta is best known for its pristine beaches, centuries-old temples, and…
Mugabe in Zimbabwe: A Threat to Stability, Democracy
DEVELOPMENTS Zimbabwe’s March 29th, 2008 parliamentary and presidential elections renewed political turmoil in the country. For the first time, the Zimbabwe…
Nepal's Lesson in Democracy
DEVELOPMENTS On July 21st, Nepal swore in its newest president , Ram Baran Yadav. But this inauguration is particularly noteworthy because it was the…
New Alliances, Same Dirty War: The Real Cost of the Merida Initiative
DEVELOPMENTS The governments of the United States and Mexico established the Merida Initiative as a bilateral agreement designed to combat drug-trafficking,…
New Zealand's Energy Madness is Catching On
DEVELOPMENTS In 2004, Dr. Chris Mardon and Tom Mackenzie co-founded Energy Mad with the goal of reducing climate change through economical energy savings .…
No More Cheap Machines: Climate Change and China
DEVELOPMENTS We are now looking at a future climate that is beyond anything seriously considered in model simulations . Only a couple years ago, experts…
Nukes in North Korea
DEVELOPMENTS On October 12th, 2008, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said although US and Korean intelligence services estimate that although North…
Nurturing Enterprise (and Employment) in the Middle East
DEVELOPMENTS Following the recent Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship , the Obama administration’s focus has shifted to utilizing public-private partnerships…
Obama and the China Syndrome
DEVELOPMENTS President-elect Barack Obama already has considerable reason to worry about America's trade relationship with China. In November, China ran up a…
Oil, Courts, and Death: Interview with "Crude" Director Joe Berlinger
In 1993, thirty thousand indigenous and non-indigenous rain-forest dwellers sued the U.S. oil giant Texaco alleging decades of systemic pollution of water, land and…
Pakistan's Wake
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a political rally on December 27, less than three months after returning from exile to run for…
Peace vs. Justice in Uganda
Does international criminal justice promote the settlement of on-going conflicts or does it, in contrast, stand in the way of peace agreements? This question has…
Post-Communist Democracy
In early November, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili broke up opposition demonstrations with riot police and tear gas, shut down independent television…
Protecting Europe’s Indigenous, Regional and Minority Languages
DEVELOPMENTS A patchwork of languages makes up modern Europe and Russia. The region’s linguistic diversity includes numerically small, indigenous language…
Re-restructuring Foreign Aid: A Response to Dambisa Moyo
DEVELOPMENTS The Government of Rwanda recently declared its intention to significantly decrease its dependence on foreign aid within the next five years . For a…
Re-thinking the U.S.-Syria Trade Relationship
DEVELOPMENTS During and after his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama promised to engage early in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. If he keeps his…
Rebuilding Alliances and Managing Expectations in a Post-Bush World
DEVELOPMENTS The next U.S. President will inherit a complex and dangerous set of foreign policy challenges: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global financial crisis,…
Reforming a Predatory Army in Eastern Congo
DEVELOPMENTS Each of the two million displaced civilians in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a gut-wrenching story. In my five…
Religion is Key to Conflict and Peace in Northern Uganda
DEVELOPMENTS The most violent hotspot in Africa right now is not the Darfur region of Sudan. Nor is it Somalia or Zimbabwe. The deadliest place in Africa today is…
Returns to Rutshuru: A Glimmer of Hope in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
DEVELOPMENTS The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has uprooted millions of people from their homes. In North Kivu province however,…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Does Size Really Matter? Reflections on India's 15th General Elections
DEVELOPMENTS Though administered admirably and having produced a more stable ruling coalition government, India’s recently-concluded 15 th general election signals…
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Arrest of the World's Most Wanted Man
DEVELOPMENTS Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade, Serbia, on July 21 after more than a decade in hiding. There have been riots and protests in…
Save Darfur... and the rest of Sudan, too
DEVELOPMENTS Representatives from the Sudanese government met with various rebel groups this weekend in Sirte, Libya, for a new round of peace talks concerning…
Scared Into Action? The EU's Energy Future
DEVELOPMENTS At their respective parties’ national conventions, John McCain and Barack Obama called attention to America’s need for energy independence. With…
Serbia: The Little Engine that Could
DEVELOPMENTS In December 2009, people waved good-bye to family members boarding a morning train from Belgrade, Serbia to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. While…
Sierra Leone: Women in Conflict with the Courts
Developments Emmerson , one of Sierra Leone’s most popular artists, recently launched a new album, titled “Yesterday Betteh Pass Tiday?” The politically charged…
Sino-Indian Relations and the Search for the Next Dalai Lama
DEVELOPMENTS The People’s Republic of China has grown increasingly anxious about maintaining stability in its western regions, particularly Xinjiang and Tibet,…
Slavery in the New Century
DEVELOPMENTS Many people in the U.S. have still not heard of human trafficking, despite it being the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world.…
Somalia: At the Margins at Our Peril
DEVELOPMENTS Dismissed as a failed state, Somalia is sometimes perceived as less significant to international affairs than it should be. But the region’s…
Something Old, Something New: Security Issues to Watch in 2009
DEVELOPMENTS European leaders face a burgeoning inbox of new strategic challenges as 2009 begins. Addressing the fallout from the global economic crisis, working…
Sovereign Wealth Funds
Sovereign wealth funds have bailed out some of Wall Streetsbiggest players. On January 15th the governments of Singapore,Kuwait and South Korea provided a $21…
Sunni-Shiite Tensions Flare in Egypt-Hizbullah Dispute
DEVELOPMENTS Abdel-Magid Mohammed has had a busy two weeks. On April 8th, Mohammed, who is Egypt’s public prosecutor, announced he and his staff were…
The Bank of the South
DEVELOPMENTS Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is making headlines once again. Only months after he proposed scrapping presidential term limits, his new plan to…
The Different Roles of Arab Women in Conflicts
DEVELOPMENTS Iraqi women face a bleak future. A recent survey by the BBC shows that the status of women in Iraq has deteriorated significantly since the March 2003…
The Future of Saudi Oil
DEVELOPMENTS The Middle Eastern economy has thrived on oil profits since the 20th century, with six Middle Eastern states making the list of the world’s top 15 oil…
The General and the President
After six years of serving as both General and President of Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf stepped down as army chief on November 28th. He has allowed both of…
The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Eastern Europe
DEVELOPMENTS Recent statements by the Pope have revived the controversy surrounding the Catholic Church’s stance on condom provision, underscoring the role of this…
The Iranian Opposition: Taking Stock Eight Months Later
DEVELOPMENTS In June 2009, I witnessed hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters amassed in and around Enghelab (revolution) Square demanding to have their…
The Iraq Barometer: Sobering Milestones Frame the Conflict on the Ground
March 19, 2008 marked the fifth anniversary of the American-led invasion of Iraq. Our time there has spanned longer than both World War II (three years, eight…
The Nato Effort in Afghanistan
DEVELOPMENTS Recent months have seen key changes in the leadership of NATO and a renewed public focus on its operation in Afghanistan. Former Danish Prime…
The New Czar: Russia's Relations with the West Under Medvedev
On March 2nd, Dmitry Medvedev was elected the next president of the Russian Federation. He will succeed Vladimir Putin when he is sworn into office on May 7. A…
The Other Energy Crisis: Europe's Increasing Dependence on Russian Natural Gas
DEVELOPMENTS Despite the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, relations between the West and Russia remain critically important to global peace, security, and…
The Price of Success: Obama’s Efforts to Reform Military Spending in the Midst of Two U.S. Wars
DEVELOPMENTS Speaking before a national Veterans of Foreign Wars convention Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. President Barack Obama had sharp words for members of…
The Rio Tinto Trial in China: A Miscalculation about Rule of Law?
DEVELOPMENTS Last summer, the billion dollar steel industry watched in rapt attention as China cracked down on one of its own. On July 5, 2009, Chinese…
The Roaming Rohingya: Stateless and Suffering in Myanmar
DEVELOPMENTS After meeting this May with Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel laureate Burmese democracy icon, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell said…
The Role of the Arab World in the Post-2012 Climate Negotiations
DEVELOPMENTS At the end of 2007, countries who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) started a two-year process to draft a new…
The Sound and The Fury: Why Opponents of the US-Colombia FTA Miss the Point
DEVELOPMENTS During a time of immense economic uncertainty, the free trade agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Colombia, one of America’s staunchest Latin American…
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon Enters Its Second Year of Operations, but Challenges Loom
DEVELOPMENTS Four years after United Nations Security Council Resolution 1664 requested its creation, and more than a year after its first plenary session, the…
This BRIC Stands Out: Brazil's Outsized Role in the Fight Against Global Warming
DEVELOPMENTS In 2009, Brazil experienced two major milestones, which, while seemingly unrelated, have significant implications for the future of global climate…
Tibet and the Dalai Lama
DEVELOPMENTS All eyes are on Beijing as it hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. Since winning the Olympic bid in 2001, Beijing has come under intense scrutiny for…
Tough Times Ahead for Argentina
DEVELOPMENTS Argentina has experienced three farmer strikes in the past four months, as well as increasing food rationing in the capital city of Buenos Aires and…
Video Interview: Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton University (Part 1)
Know the World You Live In - Video Series: Interview with Prof. Anne-Marie Slaughter (Part 1) Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of…
Video Interview: Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton University (Part 2)
Know the World You Live In - Video Series: Interview with Prof. Anne-Marie Slaughter (Part 2) Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of…
Video Interview: Roger Ballentine, former Chairman, White House Task Force on Climate Change
Roger Ballentine, President of Green Strategies discusses climate change with Olivier Kamanda. Mr. Ballentine served as Chairman of the White House Climate Change…
Wall Street: The New Front of the War on Terror
DEVELOPMENTS As the human, financial and diplomatic costs of the War in Iraq continue to mount – five years later – America’s geopolitical equity spirals downward…
War Within Families: How Child Custody Battles Impact Foreign Affairs
DEVELOPMENTS Cases of international parental child abduction have recently garnered significant media and Congressional attention. A particular case with…
Was There Good News from Africa in 2008?
DEVELOPMENTS Headlines from Africa in 2008 recounted brutal riots in Kenya, a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and election-driven chaos in Zimbabwe.…
Western Europe and Its Muslim Minority: An Unbreakable Cycle of Alienation and Mistrust?
DEVELOPMENTS The majority of Western Europe today is a secular, nominally Christian society. In recent years, however, the growth of Islam as a minority…
Western Sahara: Looking for Hope in the Desert
DEVELOPMENTS Western Sahara is never front-page news, but it deserves more attention. Its political status is the subject of one of Africa’s longest…
What Do They Think About Us?
Last month's Foreign Policy Digest looked ahead to the Annapolis Conference to explain the stakes and participants. The conference took place in Annapolis on…
What can the international community do about corruption?
The results from Zimbabwe's election recount are nearly complete. A CNN source indicates that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai led with 47% of the vote to…
What the U.S. Can Learn from Brazil’s Energy Successes
DEVELOPMENTS With U.S. gas prices rising to record levels over the past year and contributing to fears about the national economy, both presidential candidates are…
What's Next for Europe?
DEVELOPMENTS Voters in Ireland rejected the Lisbon Treaty on June 12th, leaving a question mark hanging over the European Union’s latest attempt to reform its…
When Public Development Efforts Meet Private in the Americas
DEVELOPMENTS U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently told a gathering of Western Hemispheric leaders at the fortieth Washington Conference on the…
Who Will Stand for Rule of Law in Honduras?
DEVELOPMENTS Ever since the Honduran president Manuel Zelaya was arrested in the middle of the night and flown out of his country by military officers less…
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
DEVELOPMENTS In a matter of weeks, President Bush will host the most direct diplomatic initiative in the Israeli Palestinian conflict since he took office . The…
Renewed Rebel Offensive in Chad: An Analysis
DEVELOPMENTS Only four months after Chadian rebels attacked and briefly occupied the capital city of N’Djamena, hostilities renewed in the east of Chad on June…
Wall Street: The New Front of the War on Terror
DEVELOPMENTS As the human, financial and diplomatic costs of the War in Iraq continue to mount – five years later – America’s geopolitical equity spirals downward…
Is Free Trade in the West in Danger?
DEVELOPMENTS As the global community deals with a financial crisis of astronomic proportions, the casualties continue to mount. The latest endangered institution is…
President Obama and the China Syndrome
DEVELOPMENTS President-elect Barack Obama already has considerable reason to worry about America’s trade relationship with China. In November, China ran up a…
The Sound and The Fury: Why Opponents of the US-Colombia FTA Miss the Point
DEVELOPMENTS During a time of immense economic uncertainty, the free trade agreement (FTA) between the U.S. and Colombia, one of America’s staunchest Latin American…
Re-restructuring Foreign Aid: A Response to Dambisa Moyo
DEVELOPMENTS The Government of Rwanda recently declared its intention to significantly decrease its dependence on foreign aid within the next five years. For a…
Fueled By Faith: Ending the Genocide in Darfur
Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, M.D. Chairperson, Save Darfur Coalition 2009 marks the seventh year of the ongoing genocide in Darfur – seven years of constant killing,…
Video Interviews: FPD World Views: Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) discusses Pakistan, the Middle East and Climate Change
Olivier Kamanda interviews Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). The Congressman discusses his Pakistan opportunity zone bill, his Cap and Dividend climate change…
Iran Status Report
BACKGROUND The Iranian presidential election between the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his three challengers, Mir Hussein Moussavi, Mehdi Karrubi and Mohsen…
Western Sahara: Looking for Hope in the Desert
DEVELOPMENTS Western Sahara is never front-page news, but it deserves more attention. Its political status is the subject of one of Africa’s longest territorial…
The United States Cancels European Missile Defense In Search of Alternatives
DEVELOPMENTS After lengthy consultations with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, President Obama has decided to cancel the anti-ballistic…
Fashionistas Dress Down the Taliban – The Triple Assault
DEVELOPMENTS On November 4th, 2009, Fashion Pakistan launched the country’s first Fashion Week. The four-day event, taking place during an army offensive in South…
Video Interviews: FPD World Views: Interview with Cypriot Ambassador (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to offer to its readers a special three-part interview with Andreas Kakouris, the ambassador for Cyprus to the United States,…
Video Interviews: FPD World Views: Interview on Haiti with Monika Kalra Varma
Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to present the following interview with Monika Kalra Varma, the Director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human…
Gacaca: Rwanda’s Experiment in Community-Based Justice for Genocide Crimes Comes to a Close
DEVELOPMENTS In the next six months, Rwanda will complete the most comprehensive post-conflict justice program attempted anywhere in the world . Since 2001, 11,000…
Our April 2010 Issue: International Crime and Punishment
In this month’s issue of Foreign Policy Digest, we have looked at the different way states and institutions punish crimes that increasingly call for international…
Our May 2010 Issue: Development
The May issue of Foreign Policy Digest tackles the multi-faceted theme of “Development.” As this month’s articles make clear, the concept is far from monolithic.…
The Globalization of Guns
DEVELOPMENTS The international trade of firearms and heavy weaponry affects poor and developing nations the hardest. Abusive practices emerging from the…
President Obama’s Revamped Nuclear Strategy
BACKGROUND For the first time in decades, since the early days of the Cold War, the United States has issued a new set of policy guidelines regarding the use of…
Invisible Citizens: Statelessness in Europe
DEVELOPMENTS Although human rights are inherent in all individuals by virtue of their humanity, citizenship has been called “the right to have rights” because of…
North Korea and the Sinking of the Cheonan Warship
BACKGROUND Tensions on the Korean peninsula are the highest that they have been in nearly two decades, following the intentional sinking of the South Korean…
The Fetal Rights Bill and the Rise of the Pro-Life Movement in Brazil
DEVELOPMENTS Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985, the Brazilian government has struggled to establish a government that reflects the consensus of its…
The Fetal Rights Bill and the Rise of the Pro-Life Movement in Brazil
DEVELOPMENTS Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985, the Brazilian government has struggled to establish a government that reflects the consensus of its…
The Great Nuclear Race in South Asia
DEVELOPMENTS On March 19, 1998 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Hindu-backed BJP parliamentary party was sworn in for the second time as India’s Prime Minister.…
Children in Focus: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’s Toll on Youth
When I last visited Israel over ten years ago, I was struck by the sense of hope and optimism that surged through the region’s youngest generation As an Ambassador…
A Bottom-Up Approach to Combating Climate Change, One Neighbor at a Time
“This [sustainability] consciousness will not be attained simply because the arguments for change are good or because the alternatives are unpleasant…The central…
Climate Change and Continued Conflict in the Sudan
DEVELOPMENTS Without a concerted effort by the international community to curb the harmful effects of climate change in Africa, droughts and famines will increase…
Congo’s Conflict Minerals: U.S. Legislation and Impacts on the Ground
DEVELOPMENTS The world’s deadliest conflict has persisted in remote regions of eastern Congo, in part because more than a decade of international efforts to…
Turning the Corner in Kashmir
BACKGROUND Toward the end of September, the Indian government unveiled a major policy shift to address the volatile Kashmir situation. A new 8-point plan would…
Advancing Women’s Rights as Sudan Referendum Approaches
DEVELOPMENT Fears of further violence in Sudan are currently generating many news headlines because of the looming January 2011 deadline for the referendum on…
Domesticity and Equality in Europe
DEVELOPMENTS European women – and European women’s groups – are beginning to question their rights, and are finding what they consider to be surprising deficiencies…
Microfinance: Empowering Women, or Micro-Effective?
DEVELOPMENTS Without question, microfinance has become the feel-good charity movement du jour. The underlying premise that individuals can lift themselves out of…
UN Women: The Powerful Potential to Change the Global Development Landscape for Women and Girls
DEVELOPMENTS Last month, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet — the first and only woman elected to her country’s highest office — addressed the Third…
Women’s Rights in Nepal: Big Changes, Broken Promises
DEVELOPMENTS Nepal is promising its citizens some big changes, but the reality is littered with broken promises. Unfortunately this is a pattern especially familiar…
High Drama in the West Sea: China Likely to Play Leading Role in Tempering Korean Shows of Aggression
DEVELOPMENTS North Korea’s recent artillery shelling of South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island killed two soldiers and two civilians, and has generated a frenzy of…
Interview with Abel Barrera Hernández, Founder and Director of the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña
Abel Barrera Hernández, founder and director of the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center of the Montaña, is the 2010 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate for…
Resetting the Reset? Relations with Russia and the Party of “No” on American National Security
If twelve secretaries of the State and Defense Departments serving under five presidents of both political parties agree on any issue, that must make it bipartisan,…
The Past and Future of U.S. Alliances in South Asia
DEVELOPMENTS The United States relies heavily on its allies to advance foreign policy priorities such as combating terrorism, conducting wars, and maintaining open…
Tough Decisions on Iran: Turkey’s Zero Problems Dilemma
DEVELOPMENTS The Islamic Republic of Iran and E.U. Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton – representing the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and…
Turkish and Israeli Relations and the Eastern Mediterranean Region
DEVELOPMENTS During October and November 2010, an unexpected friendship has emerged in the Mediterranean. Increased politico-military cooperation between Israel and…
Our December 2010 Issue: Shifting Global Alliances
For this month’s issue on shifting global alliances, Americas Regional Editor Sean Bartlett interviewed Abel Barrera Hernández, the Founder and Director of the…
Ask the Czar: Foreign Policy Digest Interview with Coach Mike Fratello
Mike Fratello, aka “The Czar,” was a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 16 years, and is widely considered a leading expert in the game of…
Billionaires to the Rescue: Can the Giving Pledge Truly Go Global?
In the 1930s, Winston Churchill famously observed that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Two of America’s wealthiest…
Brazil’s Foreign Policy Awakens: Is the United States ready? Is Brazil ready?
DEVELOPMENTS Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, the former union leader turned center-left president of Brazil, left power on New Year’s Day after 8 years in office, his…
Our January 2011 Issue: New Global Power Brokers
As we begin a new year, Foreign Policy Digest is proud to bring you a flurry of diverse articles highlighting the new global power brokers who are reengineering…
Rahul Gandhi: Heir Apparent to the Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty
DEVELOPMENTS Indian media coverage of recent diplomatic dynamics centered on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks to the U.S. Ambassador to India that Hindu extremism could pose…
Sudan: Separation Anxiety, Nervousness and Fear
DEVELOPMENTS During a Fall 2008 episode of the continuing Somali pirate saga, Sugale Ali, a representative of the band of pirates that hijacked the Ukrainian cargo…
DADT: A (Former) Soldier’s Story
As a freshly-minted 26 year old lawyer and 1st Lt (Promotable), I was the youngest member of the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps to serve as Chief, U.S. Claims…
Cyberwar Enters a New Phase: Stuxnet and Iran
DEVELOPMENTS The Stuxnet worm has sounded the alarm of cybersecurity professionals around the world. Stuxnet is the first known malware designed to attack an…
Lack of Strong Cyber Security Exacerbates Domestic Issues in Latin America
DEVELOPMENTS In advance of a United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) conference in Mexico last October, ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Touré…
Nigerian Letters: Seduction of the Rich and Exporting Malicious Codes
DEVELOPMENTS Pssst! Want to get rich quick and never worry about money again? No worries. Click reply on your email and send your personal information to the “good…
Our February 2011 Issue: Cyber-Warfare
We have been reminded of the significant role that information technology can play in world events over the last few weeks.From Tunisia , to Egypt , to Jordan, to…
Prevention is the Best Policy: Why the U.S. Needs a Proactive Defense Strategy Against Chinese Cyberwarfare
DEVELOPMENTS Internet experts consider China to be one of the most active leaders in cyber espionage. According to one computer security company’s estimate , there…
Cyberwar Enters a New Phase: Stuxnet and Iran
DEVELOPMENTS The Stuxnet worm has sounded the alarm of cybersecurity professionals around the world. Stuxnet is the first known malware designed to attack an…
China’s Pro-Isolationist Intentions: Beijing’s Curious Engagement With North Korea and Myanmar
DEVELOPMENTS China’s policies toward North Korea and Myanmar are a sharp departure from international consensus on how to deal with these regional outcasts. China…
Cuba and the Tyranny of Groupthink
DEVELOPMENTS A Freedom House assessment of “ Freedom on the Net ” reports that Cuba remains one of the world’s most repressive environments for the internet and…
Disconnected: Perils and Paradoxes of the Isolated Global Value Chain
DEVELOPMENTS We live in a world so complicated that few anticipated the financial crisis that crippled the world economy. Nothing stopped us from seeing the damage…
Nigeria: Oil Spills, Natural Gas Flares, and Bunkering
DEVELOPMENTS The big banner, imitating thick oozing oil, hung from the façade of Shell Headquarters in the Hague, Netherlands. It read: “Shell, let’s go clean…
Special Feature: 18 Days That (May Have) Changed the World
In the past two months, the Middle East has changed drastically. The recent acts of protest, demonstration, and revolution throughout the region not only marked a…
Our March 2011 Issue: Isolated Regimes
Our March 2011 Issue Despite the adage one often hears — that the world continues to become a smaller and more interconnected place through technological advances,…
In Humanitarian and Political Fracases, Don’t Forget Haiti’s Environmental Issues
DEVELOPMENTS Since the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 , the world’s attention has turned to the Caribbean country. In only fifteen months,…
Japan, Shaken: Radiation Leaks and Economic Losses Continue to Rock the Country
DEVELOPMENTS More than three weeks since a magnitude 8.9 earthquake rumbled off the coast of Japan and sent 97-foot waves crashing inland, Japan’s Prime Minister…
“Qat Time” in Yemen
DEVELOPMENTS An ongoing war in the north, a separatist rebellion in the south, and a revolution stirring in the capital-center may not measure up to the imminent…
The Disaster That Changed It All
DEVELOPMENTS It was the stuff of nightmares. Early morning on December 3rd, 1984, as an entire community slept their homes were invaded by a silent, lethal foe.…
Toxic Waste in Eastern Europe: Yesterday’s Byproduct, Today’s Nightmare
DEVELOPMENTS Aging chemical waste management facilities are found across Europe, relics of the Soviet era. Many have been decommissioned since the communist era,…
Osama bin Laden is dead. What does this mean? What happens next?
Osama bin Laden is dead. The news comes almost ten years after the terrorist attack he orchestrated on 9/11. Details are still forthcoming, but late last night…
Syria’s Wealth in the 21st Century: Corruption Leaves Most on the Outside Looking In
DEVELOPMENTS Over the past five years, there has been a startling trend developing in Syria, and one need not spend more than a few hours in central Damascus to…
FPD Book Review: BRAND AID
Once in a while a nectarous, readable volume arrives from the academic press. Impressively matched by the rigorous research that went into it, Lisa Richey and…
Latin America’s Growth Picks Up After Decades of Failure
DEVELOPMENTS Countries in Latin America, like most of the developing world, have been recovering much faster than the United States and other high-income countries…
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood
DEVELOPMENTS On January 25, 2011, popular demonstrations calling for reform began in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. From January 28 to February 11, hundreds of thousands of…
Interview of Ambassador Edward M. Gabriel, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco
On June 17, 2011, King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced a series of proposed amendments to the country’s constitution. The announcement followed a three-month…
Sufism, Pakistan, and the Battle for the Future of Islam
DEVELOPMENTS The killing of Osama bin Laden last month highlighted the fight underway over the direction of Islam in Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world.…
African Mobile Phones Disconnected
DEVELOPMENTS Across Africa, the deadlines for SIM card registration are fast approaching. Some countries like Zimbabwe have already finished the process after a few…
China’s Military Rise
DEVELOPMENTS On March 4th, China announced its intention to increase military spending next year by 17.6% to $59 billion. The increase is on top of last year’s…
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Arrest of the World’s Most Wanted Man
DEVELOPMENTS Radovan Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade, Serbia, on July 21 after more than a decade in hiding. There have been riots and protests in Belgrade from…
The Other Energy Crisis: Europe’s Increasing Dependence on Russian Natural Gas
DEVELOPMENTS Despite the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, relations between the West and Russia remain critically important to global peace, security, and…
A Hotspot for Oil Investment
DEVELOPMENTS With the price of oil having more than quadrupled since 2004, governments are negotiating an increasing number of deals in oil-producing African…
Video Interviews: FPD World Views: Knight Kiplinger – Editor in Chief Kiplinger.com (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
Know the World You Live In – Video Series: Knight Kiplinger, Editor-in-Chief of Kiplinger.com joins us to explain the strength of the U.S. dollar and the…
What the U.S. Can Learn from Brazil’s Energy Independence
DEVELOPMENTS With U.S. gas prices rising to record levels over the past year and contributing to fears about the national economy, both presidential candidates are…
Re-thinking the U.S.-Syria Trade Relationship
DEVELOPMENTS During and after his campaign, President-elect Barack Obama promised to engage early in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. If he keeps his word,…
Was There Good News from Africa in 2008?
DEVELOPMENTS Headlines from Africa in 2008 recounted brutal riots in Kenya, a war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and election-driven chaos in Zimbabwe. But…
The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Eastern Europe
DEVELOPMENTS Recent statements by the Pope have revived the controversy surrounding the Catholic Church’s stance on condom provision, underscoring the role of this…
Why Obama’s Ghana Speech Comes at a Time of New Hope for Africa
DEVELOPMENTS President Obama went to Ghana this past July on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since becoming president. Obama chose to visit Ghana partly…
Our January 2010 Issue: Hope
This month, as we embark on a new decade filled with both great opportunity and uncertainty, Foreign Policy Digest has chosen the theme of “Hope” for its January…
Returns to Rutshuru: A Glimmer of Hope in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
DEVELOPMENTS The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has uprooted millions of people from their homes. In North Kivu province however,…
Fighting Corruption, One Zero-Rupee Note At A Time
DEVELOPMENTS Petty corruption is pervasive in India, where local officials demand bribes from ordinary citizens for the delivery of public services that should not…
Towards a Gender-Inclusive Definition of Child Soldiers
DEVELOPMENTS While the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) officially ended in 2003, peace seems tenuous at best, and many victims are still awaiting…
United States and Russia Sign a New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
DEVELOPMENTS U.S. President Barack H. Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitri A. Medvedev , have signed a treaty to succeed START I. F or clarification , START II…
Minimizing the Risks of Statelessness in South Sudan
DEVELOPMENTS In January 2011, south Sudan will hold a referendum to decide between continued unity with the north or independence. This event poses many important…
Political Asylum in the Wake of the Mexican Drug War: A New Group of Stateless Refugees?
DEVELOPMENTS In a recent address to the United States Congress, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said he regretted the flight of Mexicans north of the border,…
Statelessness in Kuwait: Kuwait’s Bidoon
DEVELOPMENTS Fresh from its participation in the 8th session of the United Nations’ Periodic Review , a process initiated in 2006 by the UN General Assembly and…
An Israeli-Arab Alliance: Inevitable Reality or Illusion?
DEVELOPMENTS In June, the Saudi government reportedly granted Israel use of Saudi airspace , should Israel decide to conduct air strikes against Iran’s nuclear…
Thailand’s Red Shirt Movement: The Battle for Bangkok
DEVELOPMENTS Months after the anti-government demonstrations ended on May 19th in Thailand, t he Thai government announced that it has frozen the assets of those it…
Ahead of the Climate Change Policy Curve in Brazil
DEVELOPMENTS According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, average global temperature increased 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, 90% of…
Interview with Poonam Bir Kasturi of the Daily Dump
The Daily Dump is a growing recycling business started by Poonam Bir Kasturi in Bangalore, India in 2006. In just four years, the Daily Dump has helped enable over…
Russia Burning: The Case Against a “Winners Theory” of Global Warming
DEVELOPMENTS From historic blizzards to flooding, headlines in 2010 have been dominated by extreme weather—even environmental chaos. One of the latest victims of…
Personal Insecurity and National Security in Venezuela
DEVELOPMENTS When a Venezuelan court banned two newspapers from publishing gruesome pictures of an overflowing morgue in August in Caracas, the South American…
Speak Softly and Carry a Big Wallet: China Flexes Economic Muscle in Regional Disputes
DEVELOPMENTS Last month, a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese coastguard patrol ships off the coast of a small chain of uninhabited islands in the East…
Women’s Rights in Turkey: Signs of Hope in a Country in Transition
After walking into a non-descript building in downtown Gaziantep – the economic hub of the southeast region of Turkey – several things became immediately apparent…
New Alliances, Same Dirty War: The Real Cost of the Merida Initiative
DEVELOPMENTS The governments of the United States and Mexico established the Merida Initiative as a bilateral agreement designed to combat drug-trafficking,…
Zimbabwe: Glamour, Ego, and Slippery Alliances
DEVELOPMENTS The Orwellian Big Brother Africa , a reality show aired in October of this year throughout Africa, gripped the attention of the continent, as it voted…
No Longer Playing “Good Cop, Bad Cop?”: How North Korean Provocations May Drive China To Lay Down the Law
DEVELOPMENTS Amidst North Korean threats of retaliation, on December 20, South Korea pushed forward with military drills on Yeonpyeong Island. To the surprise of…
Qatar: An Emerging Player in the Middle East and Beyond
DEVELOPMENTS Qatar’s successful bid to host the World Cup in 2022, announced by FIFA in December 2010, has shined a spotlight on a small nation with a population of…
We Are All Christina Greene
As the nation grapples with the unspeakable tragedy surrounding the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who at this very moment is bravely…
When it Comes to Cybersecurity, We Need a Citizens Corps
A plane crashing into a Pennsylvania field on 09/11. The Times Square bombing. The Nigerian underwear bomber. All attempted terrorist attacks thwarted in part due…
Dam If You Do, Dam If You Don’t
DEVELOPMENTS Pieces of rock from a dynamited boulder fly all over. An army of excavators, bulldozers, loaders, and scores of heavy machines dig through the giant…
Inclusive Growth?–China Struggles to Reconcile Rising Wealth Disparities
DEVELOPMENTS Over the last three decades, China’s economic development has been nothing short of astounding. Since the government began its economic “opening and…
South Asian Billionaires Arrive on the Scene
DEVELOPMENTS No event exemplifies the rise of South Asia’s richest better than the grand housewarming party hosted by Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai in late 2010. Valued…
Foreign Policy Digest App for iPhone and iPod Touch
Get the latest updates and newest content from the Digest on your mobile device. Please take a moment to download our latest app for iPhone and iPod Touch. iPhone…
Explaining China’s Fascination With Jews
DEVELOPMENTS The Chinese admire the Jews for their five thousand years of history, ability to withstand persecution in scattered minority communities, and their…
Room for Compromise: The Iranian Nuclear Negotiations
DEVELOPMENTS Iran and European Union representatives have engaged in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program for the better part of the last decade.…
The No-Party Talks
DEVELOPMENTS Whether the world is ready to admit it or not, non-proliferation in North Korea has failed. If Pyongyang were ever willing to give up its pursuit of…
Measuring Nuclear Weapon Capacity in India and Pakistan
DEVELOPMENTS Terrorist attacks in Mumbai on July 13, 2011 brought back to the forefront the issue of national security in South Asia. The bombings in India’s…
Russian Nuclear Exports: Balancing Nonproliferation with National Interest
DEVELOPMENTS Russia has chosen to back India’s accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a non-treaty based group seeking to limit the spread of sensitive…
A Young African’s Choice: AK-47 or a Laptop?
DEVELOPMENTS The good news this month is that South Africa marks the twentieth year of the end of its nuclear weapons program this July. That may have removed a…
Crash Course
DEVELOPMENTS Iranian workers were not at the forefront of the country’s recent pro-democracy uprising. With a few notable exceptions, that struggle was spearheaded…
Increased Taxes Take a Bite out of Innovative Small Business
DEVELOPMENTS An internal argument over higher taxes on business has been shepherded to a close by Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin in a decision that deals a…
To the Kingdom Come – Seeking Energy, Security, and Balance in the Middle East
DEVELOPMENTS From this year forward, longtime U.S. ally Saudi Arabia will supply more oil to China than the U.S. In 2010, the Middle East and Saudi Arabia accounted…
Russia and Modernization: The United States versus China
DEVELOPMENTS The word “modernization” has become ubiquitous in almost all major government policies and initiatives since the 2009 release of Russian president…