Mexico’s industrial output rose by 1.7 percent from August to September, the biggest leap in nearly two years. Analysts had expected a negligible 0.21 percent increase, but the hearty rebound of America’s car industry helped Mexican car factories chalk strong gains. In addition to manufacturing, the construction industry posted a healthy uptick. “Despite all the […]
A trade dispute has arisen between U.S solar firms and their Chinese equivalent in a row that is threatening to put a dampener on solar energy technology in the near future. The disagreement erupted when the US manufacturers called for a 100% mark up on solar imports from Chinese manufacturers that are driving artificially low […]
The Latinobarómetro poll is out. The 2011 survey included 20,204 face-to-face interviews in 18 Latin American countries. Conducted annually since 1995, the poll is widely seen as the most comprehensive study of public opinion across the region. For most of the past decade it has been a delight to read. Support for democracy and market […]
In today’s World Politics Review I argue that Argentina’s recovery from meltdown in 2001 is not a model that Greece can emulate. Primarily, this is because Argentina devalued its currency by 70 percent, then saw its fortunes rise with a global commodity boom. By contrast, most scenarios for a Greek default include the country staying […]
Will education quality strengthen as Latin America’s economic growth continues? With Latin America’s GDP projected to grow 4 – 5% in real terms over the next three years, and most major economies holding positive trade balances, Latin America’s growth engine is far from slowing down. Recent developments in Chile, Mexico, and Brazil show civil society […]
Al Jazeera is reporting that three people have been killed in in an exchange of gun fire with riot police in Monrovia. There are also reports of injuries to several UN peacekeepers, part of the 8000 strong UNMIL mission which has been in the country since 2003. It is still not clear whether the boycott […]
New blog by Ed Husain, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and expert on counterradicalization, offers a unique perspective on Middle East. Mr. Ed Husain explores the role of religion in Muslim-majority societies, the narrative and appeal of radicalism, and efforts to counter facets of Islamist extremism. Mr. Husain, among other things, explains […]
Guest Post: Leila Hanafi As the Arab Spring turns to fall across the Middle East and North Africa, the region is unquestionably in the midst of transformational change. The cascade of events over the past few months have varied from country to country, but in each case there has been a focus on the emerging […]
Lots of moving parts in the Afghanistan situation. I’ll cover them in a series of blogs. Last week the Department of Defense released its quarterly report: Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan. If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’ll remember I always like to begin topics like this with reiterating […]
There has been lots of news on the national security front over the last few days; the death of Libya’s Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi, President Obama’s announcement of bringing home all Iraqi troops in time for the holidays, and Secretary of State Clinton’s visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the midst of all of this, some […]
With the ensuing brouhaha over the alleged assassination plot by the Iranian government to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington, the spectrum of views—from skeptics with their outright rejection of the plot as yet another pretext for military confrontation to those who firmly believe that the plot can be traced to the top echelons of […]
Today’s announcement of Qaddafi’s death is a reminder of the remarkable geopolitical shift taking place in North Africa and the Middle East, one that has the opportunity to radically alter decades of static rule, corruption and oppression. The Arab Spring, or Arab Awakening, or Great Uprising certainly also creates vast challenges, and for the international […]
Suffice to say, the Foreign Policy Association’s National Opinion Ballot confirmed an attitude that’s prevalent in the foreign policy community. Key findings suggest that some defense budget cuts are necessary, global financial regulatory regimes are welcome and opposition to military adventurism is robust. Perhaps most importantly, disillusionment with the huge costs and uncertain outcomes of […]
On August 16, Ecuador police commander General Wilson Alulema announced that the nation’s 42,000 police officers will each take lie detector tests. The rule stems from the September 30, 2010 incident when large numbers of police verbally and physically abused President Rafael Correa, culminating in the army’s rescue of the President from a hospital where […]
This week FPA.org presented the results of the FPA’s National Opinion Ballot Report that surveyed many policy experts on key issued related to US foreign policy. With over 200,000 policy experts contributing to the survey, it was found that respondents were in favour of an increase of counterinsurgency efforts as opposed to funding traditional warfare […]