Foreign Policy Blogs

Regions

San Francisco Politicians Pander to China on National Day

San Francisco Politicians Pander to China on National Day

Question: When was the last time the mayor of a major Chinese city attended an American Independence Day celebration or raised an American flag over the city hall? Answer: Never.

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Chasing Mirages Across Somalia

Chasing Mirages Across Somalia

With Somalia’s election around the corner, what criteria should be used to evaluate each candidate? Hint: not name recognition nor clan affiliation.

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The Tattered Mirage of a South Asian Union is Dying Fast – Pt. 3

The Tattered Mirage of a South Asian Union is Dying Fast – Pt. 3

The escalating India-China rivalry in the region is increasingly dwarfing all other issues regarding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

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Wu Jianmin’s Rational Diplomacy

Wu Jianmin’s Rational Diplomacy

On June 18th, former Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin died in a car accident. Without him, some expect hawkish views to become dominant in Beijing.

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Duterte’s Friendly Visit to Vietnam

Duterte’s Friendly Visit to Vietnam

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte latest rants have caused international concern, resulting in capital flight and drops in the stockmarket and currency.

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Muslim Democrats? Tunisia’s Delicate Experiment

Muslim Democrats? Tunisia’s Delicate Experiment

In May 2016, Ennahda—an Islamist party—did something fairly shocking: it disassociated itself from Islam, or, more specifically, from political Islam.

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Disputed Islands and Clashing Powers: Explaining Sino-Japanese Tensions

Disputed Islands and Clashing Powers: Explaining Sino-Japanese Tensions

Ties between China and Japan remain tense after having deteriorated over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea, a result of Beijing’s assertiveness in the region.

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The Tattered Mirage of a South Asian Union is Dying Fast – Pt. 2

The Tattered Mirage of a South Asian Union is Dying Fast – Pt. 2

The Indian subcontinent is chequered with a history of border disputes and issues regarding transnational ethnic and religious groups.

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Central and Eastern Europe at odds with Brussels

Central and Eastern Europe at odds with Brussels

The refugee crisis revealed the extent of the ideological parting of ways between old and new Europe.

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Prague’s Terrorist Perils

Prague’s Terrorist Perils

In late August, Martin Konvicka, a Czech anti-immigrant nationalist planned and staged a fake ISIS assault in the middle Prague’s Old Town Square.

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Arab Spring Aftermath: Libya

Arab Spring Aftermath: Libya

The fall of Gaddafi destroyed the fragile post-colonial state which his iron-fisted rule had held together.

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Bringing Life to the Dead Sea

Bringing Life to the Dead Sea

Water can be an economic win-win agent and a ‘lubricant of peace,’ especially when basins transcend jurisdictional boundaries

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The Fall of North Korea: A Wikistrat Crowdsourced Simulation

The Fall of North Korea: A Wikistrat Crowdsourced Simulation

Drawing from the opinions of 70 analysts, the simulation “gamed out” the various pathways to collapse and the response of major actors in the region.

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Unexpected Responses to a Massive Aid Program

Unexpected Responses to a Massive Aid Program

This week, Israel and the U.S. signed a $38 billion military aid package. It was controversial, but not necessarily for the reasons you would think.

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Stability in Libya Remains in Doubt

Stability in Libya Remains in Doubt

Many had hoped that the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011 would herald a new era for Libya. Yet, five years later, stability remains a long-off goal.

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