Foreign Policy Blogs

Regions

IDF shooting in Hebron challenges Israeli democracy

IDF shooting in Hebron challenges Israeli democracy

On March 24, a video of an Israeli soldier shooting an incapacitated Palestinian point blank in the head was released. The incident has split the country.

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Putin Likes Israel but Supports Palestine

Putin Likes Israel but Supports Palestine

Vladimir Putin, arguably, is the most pro-Israeli president that Russia, Russian Empire, or the Soviet Union have ever had: he has officially visited Israel, opened the Jewish Museum of Tolerance in Moscow, and offered Russian refuge to Jews facing anti-Semitism in Europe.

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Beijing Frets Over Hong Kong Independence Movement

Beijing Frets Over Hong Kong Independence Movement

Nearly two decades later, many in Hong Kong are calling for the territory to become an independent city-state along the lines of Singapore, which is probably what should have happened in the first place.

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Beijing’s Man in Bangkok: Wang Zhimin and the Thai-Chinese Soft Power Machine

Beijing’s Man in Bangkok: Wang Zhimin and the Thai-Chinese Soft Power Machine

Amorn Apithanakoon, known in Chinese as Wang Zhimin, is the CEO of one of Thailand’s biggest entertainment companies, Wang is also an officer in several Thai-Chinese “community organizations” that serve as political front groups for the Chinese government in Thailand. If Beijing succeeds in drawing Thailand into China’s authoritarian orbit, no small thanks will be due to his long years of pro-Beijing activism in the kingdom.

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10 Characteristics of Chinese Diplomacy in the Xi Jinping Era

10 Characteristics of Chinese Diplomacy in the Xi Jinping Era

Since Xi Jinping the became supreme leader of the People’s Republic of China, the country’s foreign policy has shown greater proactivity and confidence, with more emphasis being placed on constructive engagement with international institutions.

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Asia-Pacific Trilateral Meeting: shaping a new regional strategy

Asia-Pacific Trilateral Meeting: shaping a new regional strategy

On March 31, Washington hosted the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), gathering more than 50 leaders from all over the world. Despite the clear absence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran, the Obama Administration’s commitment to fostering nuclear non-proliferation in the Asia-Pacific region remains on the top of Washington’s agenda.

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Will Beijing Declare Another Air Defense Zone?

Will Beijing Declare Another Air Defense Zone?

In a potential geopolitical tit-for-tat, some analysts warn Beijing may soon declare an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, should the U.S. go ahead with plans to conduct a freedom of navigation exercise announced for April.

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Nairobi – A Hard Road to Travel?

Nairobi – A Hard Road to Travel?

Tourism floundered in the aftermath of the notorious 2013 attack at Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Centre, carried out by Al Qaeda’s affiliate in neighbouring Somalia, Al Shabaab; but now a series of international conferences during 2016 has raised hopes for a successful year for the city’s tourism industry.

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U.S. Announces New Freedom of Navigation Exercise in the South China Sea

U.S. Announces New Freedom of Navigation Exercise in the South China Sea

On Friday, the U.S. Navy officially announced another episode of its planned “freedom of navigation” series in the South China Sea, shortly after U.S. President Barack Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a nuclear summit in Washington.

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The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and geopolitical chessboard of the South Caucasus

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and geopolitical chessboard of the South Caucasus

The recent fighting outbreak in Nagorno-Karabakh, the worst in a twenty years period, reveals a sweeping complexity of the longstanding geopolitical chessboard that is the South Caucasus.

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Chinese Nightmare: Education and Thought Control in Xi Jinping’s China

Chinese Nightmare: Education and Thought Control in Xi Jinping’s China

The smallest, most ordinary scrap of information can often speak volumes about the direction in which a nation is going. A case in point from China is a Fuzhou, Fujian Province public schools memo dated Feb. 29, 2016, on the subject of “moral education” and “education for the Chinese Dream.”

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I Am Human

I Am Human

When attacks such as the one in Paris last year or the latest in Brussels take place, the world rises up in solidarity. Having spent the better part of my life in Pakistan, I know that our loss is ours alone, any solace we seek must come from within our borders.

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U.S. Warns China Against an Exclusion Zone

U.S. Warns China Against an Exclusion Zone

On Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work warned Beijing against declaring an exclusion zone in the South China Sea, calling any potential announcement as “destabilizing,” and vowing the United States would not recognize such a zone.

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First Tango in Buenos Aires: Mending U.S.-Argentinian Relations

First Tango in Buenos Aires: Mending U.S.-Argentinian Relations

Obama has set out to improve economic and political ties with the country since the election of Mauricio Macri, a centrist pro-market president that vowed to break from the Kirchner legacy.

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Kenya’s Tourism Sector Set to Recover

Kenya’s Tourism Sector Set to Recover

After declines following attacks by Somalia-based militants and piracy, Kenya’s $1 billion a year tourism sector looks set to for a robust recovery in 2016.

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