Foreign Policy Blogs

Tag Archives: United States

Stalemates, not Soulmates

Stalemates, not Soulmates

If you thought Washington’s ongoing political dysfunction was unrivaled, think again.  There are any number of running political stalemates on the European side of the Atlantic.  They don’t get the attention that the impasse in Washington has recently garnered, but one in particular, in Bosnia-Herzogovina, may be just as intractable as the no-holds-barred struggle between […]

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What shale gas could mean for Southern Africa

What shale gas could mean for Southern Africa

The shale gas debate rages on across Europe, Asia, and North America, but one ponders how the already resource rich Southern Africa fits into this equation. What is there, what is the potential and what could it mean from an economic and geopolitical standpoint? One country already known to possess great potential that can be […]

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Stopping terrorist attacks starts at home

Stopping terrorist attacks starts at home

On Sept. 20, 2013, the world watched the gruesome ordeal unfold in Kenya as a platoon of terrorists from the Somali militia group al-Shabab stormed the Westgate Mall in a posh neighborhood in the capital of Nairobi. As of today, nearly 70 people have been confirmed dead in the four-day siege and the death toll is […]

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Post-Windsor Progress

Post-Windsor Progress

Federal agencies are beginning to revise their policies in the wake of the decision in United States v. Windsor, where the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the controversial definition of marriage contained in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This paradigm shift has the potential to promote a rapid change in the […]

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The World without US (2008)

The World without US (2008)

Now that the U.S. has been poised to strike Syria militarily, it is helpful to consider the United States’ role in the world. The premise of this documentary is intriguing: what if the United States removed all of its troops and military hardware from the dozens of bases it has all over the world? The […]

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A Candid Discussion with Ron Deibert

A Candid Discussion with Ron Deibert

Ronald J. Deibert, is Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Canada Center for Global Security Studies and the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs,at the University of Toronto. Dr. Deibert is also a co-founder and a principal investigator of the OpenNet Initiative and Information Warfare Monitor. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on cyber […]

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The Next Major Energy Transit Hub: Syria?

The Next Major Energy Transit Hub: Syria?

The world continues to watch as President Obama and his administration increase their lobbying efforts to convince the Congress and the international community to support a U.S. led military strike in Syria. President Obama went on a media blitz Monday and is expected to deliver his case to the nation today to launch a “limited” […]

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Attracting FDI: Openness Helps, But Opportunity Rules

Attracting FDI: Openness Helps, But Opportunity Rules

    If a country had the most-restrictive regulations on foreign direct investment (FDI) of 55 nations studied, where do you think it would rank among those nations in terms of actually attracting investment from abroad? If you said “First,” you obviously would be flaunting conventional economic theory and engaging in highly counter-intuitive speculation. Further, […]

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The Guns of August Redux

The Guns of August Redux

The classic book The Guns of August is not exactly standard summertime beach reading material. It is, however, a book I like to turn to every once in a while to remind me of the role of folly in international affairs. In the book, author Barbara Tuchman studiously examines the role of misconception, misperception and […]

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Uncle Sam, Uncle Bob and elections in Zimbabwe

Uncle Sam, Uncle Bob and elections in Zimbabwe

Zimbabweans will go to the polls on Wednesday to participate in an election that will be closely monitored by hundreds of foreign observers, mostly from around Africa. One country that will be watching despite Western observer missions not being invited is the United States of America. Relations between Washington and Harare are definitely nowhere near the […]

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Efforts to Light Africa Increase

Efforts to Light Africa Increase

President Obama’s trip to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania was touted as a commitment to begin a new partnership with the rising continent. Home to 6 of the 10 fasted growing economies, Africa has made great strides – the International Monetary Fund predicts growth of 5.4 percent this year and 5.7 percent next year, but […]

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Mexico Adopts Some Nasty US Habits

Mexico Adopts Some Nasty US Habits

Within one week, Mexico has demonstrated its ability to adopt some characteristics previously credited solely to its northern neighbour: obesity and workplace violence. Last week the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) announced that Mexico has a 32.8 percent adult obesity rate, inching just past the 31.8 obesity rate in the U.S. The news […]

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Taking the Wind out of the Sails of Piracy in West Africa

Taking the Wind out of the Sails of Piracy in West Africa

As 25 leaders from West and Central Africa convened for a two-day conference in Yaounde, Cameroon, global leaders awaited solutions from the summit on how to fix the challenges of security in the Gulf of Guinea. The region is crucial in the geopolitical scope for many world powers as its vast oil resources account for large portions of […]

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President Obama Decides Time is Right for Climate Change Plan

President Obama Decides Time is Right for Climate Change Plan

As immigration legislation is prodded through the U.S. Senate then likely to collect mothballs in the U.S. House of Representatives, and major Supreme Court decisions are announced, the executive branch has garnered a portion of the headlines. Ready to take on another challenge, President Obama laid out his plan to combat Climate Change – a […]

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Iran Has a New President: Key Priorities, Managing Expectations

Iran Has a New President: Key Priorities, Managing Expectations

Hassan Rohani, the 65-year-old Western educated cleric and a former chief nuclear negotiator, is the seventh President of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979. Iran’s state-run television reported that Mr. Rohani won over 50 percent of the electoral vote. Mr. Rohani ran on a platform of moderation, mending ties with the outside world, and easing social […]

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