As the world’s leaders – representing over 85 percent of the global economy – gather in London, the international community waits to see if the G20 summit can achieve results and meet high expectations (arguably too high for a one-day event). Two weeks ago, Brazil, Russia, India and China issued a joint communiqué – the […]
President Obama announces his Af-Pak Initiative. Source: CNN Portrait of Prince Metternich Source: Wikipedia Keeping nuclear-armed Pakistan out of the hands of radicals should be a central goal of U.S. foreign policy. Like a nuclear-armed Iran, control of the Pakistani government by believers in a radical ideology would be one of the worst scenarios for […]
The New York-based website Eurasianet.org, part of the Open Society Institute, issued 2 reports today on happenings in the Caucasus. First, Stephen Blank, a professor at the US Army War College, writes an article on Friday’s agreement in the form of a memorandum of understanding between Russia’s Gazprom (state controlled energy company) and the State […]
Some commentators are encouraging the Obama administration to nurture a strong relationship with India. With attention turned towards China, Russia, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even Mexico, is the United States ignoring a rising power in a geopolitically significant region? India is too big and important to ignore. James Steinberg, deputy secretary of state, […]
For the first time, an American official attended a meeting organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The SCO met in Moscow on Friday to discuss Afghanistan. Patrick Moon, the United States deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, was present and commented that the US views “this as a positive forum for […]
Turkish municipal elections just finished today. The vote is seen by many as a confidence vote for the ruling AK Party (Justice and Development Party) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Most electoral analysts expect the AK, an Islamist Party which is highly criticized by secularists and military leaders, to retain its majority leadership over […]
This week, two experts debated whether China is the new America or the United States is the new China in Foreign Policy. While the authors compare the two powers in different ways, both believe China is rising and the US is falling. Harold James, a professor at Princeton University, says leadership in the international order […]
The State Department has released the blacklist of religious freedom violators established by the Bush administration. It is the same list as in 2006, and it’s questionable whether the new department really analyzed the current situation before releasing the names of eight countries. Burma, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan are […]
A Kremlin strategy paper, outlining Russia’s plans to develop a military force capable of protecting its interests in the disputed arctic region, was made public today. By 2020, Moscow expects the arctic to be the country’s main strategic resource base. Rising temperatures are melting polar ice, opening shipping lanes and easing exploration in the area. […]
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travelled south this week to ease relations with Mexico. The US-Mexico relationship is increasingly characterized by trade, drugs and violence. Clinton praised President Felipe Calderón’s efforts to reduce corruption and fight drug cartels, tried to alleviate concerns over a recent decision to scrap a pilot program allowing Mexican […]
Welcome to the Arms Control and proliferation blog, the latest addition to the Foreign Policy Blogs network.
This week South Africa rejected a visa to Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama for his scheduled visit to a peace conference in Johannesburg. Many of the attendees including several Nobel laureates have withdrawn from the event and the conference has been canceled. South Africa reportedly admitted that it banned the Dalai Lama’s visa due to […]
2. The global financial crisis pushed the G20 to the fore and next week the grouping will take center stage. Many hope the solutions for the economic crisis – developing new financial regulations, coordinating stimulus packages, reforming financial institutions and preventing protectionism, trade wars and “deglobalization” – will be born in London. In many ways, […]
As expected, Beijing reacted angrily to the United States Defense Department’s latest report on China’s military. Qin Gang, the spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, called the document a “gross distortion” and “interference” into the country’s internal affairs. “We urge the U.S. side to…drop the Cold War mentality and bias, stop issuing the so-called report on […]
Obama Administration: Please don’t neglect China because of too much focus on Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and elsewhere, like, uh, your predecessor did… The Pentagon has been required by law since 2000 to report to Congress annually on China’s military. This year’s report, along with testimony this week before Congress by […]