diplomacy

Egypt: Proud and jittery as El-Sisi begins second term

Egyptian woman holds portrait of President El-Sisi on second day of presidential election

14.05.2018

With the Middle East in turmoil, the Arab world’s most populous nation and its biggest army are nowhere to be found. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi believes the path to national greatness begins at home, with economic development – not foreign entanglements. But as trouble builds up in Egypt’s immediate neighborhood, Mr. El-Sisi may not be able to stay out.

Ambassador Zvi Mazel

DEFENSE

Turkey and the West – distant yet inseparable

President Erdogan in front of a portrait of modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

08.05.2018

Turkey’s growing estrangement from the West stems from its domestic and regional ambitions, as well as from a feeling of being unwanted in the European Union. There is also a deeper undercurrent, present since the founding of the Turkish Republic, that questions the Kemalist strategy of a radical alignment with Europe. Even so, a total break with its Western partners is not on the cards.

Dr. Udo Steinbach

POLITICS

A sad centennial: Unfinished peace in the Balkans

Western leaders and heads of Yugoslavia’s successor states sign Dayton peace agreement

01.05.2018

The approaching anniversary of the end of World War I is a reminder that the place where that conflict started, the Western Balkans, has still not achieved a lasting peace. Three big political, legal and financial processes must still be carried through – reconciliation of former enemies, settlement of war reparations, and division of the former Yugoslavia’s assets among its successor states. It is unlikely any of the three will be completed in the next decade.

Professor Dr. Blerim Reka

POLITICS

War or peace for Syria: A humanitarian and geopolitical predicament

Syrian flag is raised in Douma, site of alleged chemical attack

17.04.2018

The United States, France and the United Kingdom were forced to attack Syrian government forces for using chemical weapons against rebels. But that cannot disguise the unpleasant fact that the only road to peace in Syria leads to Damascus and President Bashar al-Assad.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

POLITICS

GIS Dossier: The North Korean opening

U.S. President Trump meets South Korean envoy Cheong Wa Dae

04.04.2018

President Donald Trump’s surprising decision to hold summit talks with Kim Jong-un has triggered a round of high-stakes diplomacy, including repeat meetings between North and South Korean officials and a lightning visit by Mr. Kim to Beijing. There is nothing accidental about Pyongyang’s charm offensive. It is the moment the North Korean leader has been preparing for years.

GIS Feature

POLITICS

Opinion: Venezuela nears the breaking point

Venezuelans cross the border into Colombia seeking trade goods and refuge

23.03.2018

What will happen to Venezuela after the government tries to steal an unconstitutional presidential election on May 20? Everything depends on the cohesion of the splintered opposition and the determination of the international community. If either fail, the Western hemisphere could be faced with its most severe humanitarian crisis in more than a decade.

Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin

ECONOMY

A free and open Indo-Pacific: Regional and global implications

Chinese expansion has Japan’s and India’s prime ministers seeking U.S. support

20.03.2018

One of the techniques devised for managing China’s ascent and its destabilizing impact is the concept of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” This idea, embraced by the governments of Japan, India and the United States, includes military, economic, political, legal and diplomatic dimensions. Some argue it is a smoke screen to mask U.S. disengagement, while others maintain it is a Japanese-inspired effort to enlist American help.

Dr. James Jay Carafano

POLITICS

Saudi Arabia’s hidden power struggle comes into the open

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

14.02.2018

The arrest of 208 high-ranking individuals in November 2017 on suspicion of corruption suggests that the House of Saud faces serious challenges. King Salman’s son, Mohammad bin Salman, has consolidated power in a way that contravenes the traditional rules of succession of the Saudi ruling dynasty. But amid foreign policy setbacks and a mixed record with domestic reforms, it is far from certain that the Crown Prince will succeed his father on the throne.

Dr. Udo Steinbach

POLITICS

2018 Global Outlook: Four dangerous dynamics in the Middle East

Syrian government artillery shells Islamic State positions near Deir Ezzor

16.01.2018

Early 2018 finds the Middle East at a singular moment in its history. It is hard to recall a period when so many fundamental geopolitical shifts have occurred just as societies, states and alliances in the region were all starting to fall apart. Four disruptive trends can be identified, any one of which would have sufficed to produce regional instability in the not-too-distant past. Today, their combination creates a formidable dynamic for armed conflict.

Bernard Siman

ECONOMY

Opinion: Jerusalem recognition narrows U.S. options on Iran

Egyptians protest the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in Cairo

12.01.2018

President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has hurt U.S. efforts to build a Sunni alliance against Iran. Given the risk of a region-wide conflict erupting near the Golan Heights or in southern Lebanon, its timing was also unfortunate. However, there could be a deeper logic behind the move.

Bernard Siman

ECONOMY

Egypt: Proud and jittery as El-Sisi begins second term

Turkey and the West – distant yet inseparable

A sad centennial: Unfinished peace in the Balkans

War or peace for Syria: A humanitarian and geopolitical predicament

GIS Dossier: The North Korean opening

Opinion: Venezuela nears the breaking point

A free and open Indo-Pacific: Regional and global implications

Saudi Arabia’s hidden power struggle comes into the open

2018 Global Outlook: Four dangerous dynamics in the Middle East

Opinion: Jerusalem recognition narrows U.S. options on Iran