diplomacy

Russia losing the new Great Game

Map of Central Asia with rail and pipeline connections

14.08.2017

Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow last month brought a raft of investment deals, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin is successfully executing his version of a pivot toward Asia. But appearances deceive. The Sino-Russian "strategic partnership" is not an agreement between equals, and Russia has lost the upper hand in Central Asia.

Professor Stefan Hedlund

DEFENSE

India and Germany draw closer

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands in Berlin

08.08.2017

India and Germany may seem like an odd couple. But a recent flurry of diplomatic consultations suggest that the two countries may be beginning to form a strategic relationship. What animates them is a belief that second-tier powers need to work more closely together to shore up an international order threatened by an assertive China and a whimsical United States.

Pramit Pal Chaudhuri

ECONOMY

Self-destruction by arrogance and hypocrisy

EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn in Ankara

11.07.2017

Turkey-bashing remains a favorite sport in the European Union, as shown by the two latest resolutions approved by the European Parliament on July 6. For short-term gain, politicians are needlessly alienating the EU's most important strategic partner to the south and east.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

ECONOMY

Trumping Cuba: back to the future

President Trump signs new Cuba policy in Miami

07.07.2017

Donald Trump has rolled back with a flourish one of the signature diplomatic achievements of the Obama administration – the opening to Cuba. While playing to Cuban-American voters, however, the president left key elements of this predecessor's policy in place.

Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin

ECONOMY

America edges back into the Middle East

U.S. soldier guards Patriot missile battery in Qatar

27.06.2017

The United States is cautiously reengaging in the Middle East. To deal with an explosive situation that threatens world peace, President Donald Trump must first tackle the legacy of the Obama years, which left Russia and Iran well entrenched in some of the region's Arab countries. Forcing them out may not be possible, but the U.S. could restore some equilibrium.

Ambassador Zvi Mazel

DEFENSE

China hasn’t won yet in the South China Sea

A map of the major territorial claims in the South China Sea

06.06.2017

Much has been made of China's increasing activity in the South China Sea, especially its reclamation of islands and other land features that it is converting into air bases and outposts. But while it has extended its military foothold, it is still far from securing several of its strategic objectives. In fact, some steps proved counterproductive and led to major setbacks.

Walter Lohman

DEFENSE

Opinion: The United Nations – missing in action

Gustav Dore illustration from Dante’s Inferno

02.06.2017

Dag Hammarskjold was one of the great secretary generals of the United Nations. The Swedish economist-turned-diplomat died in a plane crash in 1961, while trying to negotiate a ceasefire in the Congo. More than half a century later, his courage is missed. Is there any way for Hammarskjold's successors to reconnect the UN with its mission?

David Alton, Lord Alton of Liverpool

POLITICS

Will El-Sisi bring Egypt back?

Egyptian President El-Sisi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House

22.05.2017

At the heart of the Middle East is a surprising absence. Egypt, the most populous nation in the Arab world, with the largest army and a proud 6,000-year history, is no longer a leader. It exerts virtually no influence in the region, a situation that is unlikely to change unless President Abdel-Fattah Eli-Sisi turns his country around.

Ambassador Zvi Mazel

DEFENSE

China’s stealth expansion in Latin America

The first couples of the U.S. and China pose at Mar-a-Lago, Florida

03.05.2017

Donald Trump's short tenure in the White House has already enhanced China's low-profile but pervasive influence in Latin America. While Chinese trade penetration has slowed, investment and infrastructure lending are expanding at a brisk pace. Perhaps most helpful to Beijing has been Mr. Trump's general indifference to the region, though some generals in his national security apparatus are beginning to fret.

Dr. Joseph S. Tulchin

ECONOMY

The Kim Conundrum

Kim John-un waves to a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2017

25.04.2017

Kim Jong-un's recent provocations directed at the new U.S. administration seem to be the work of a dangerously unbalanced madman. But once the geopolitical context is considered, baiting Washington – and Beijing, for that matter – turns out to be canny survival strategy for North Korea's dictator.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

ECONOMY

Russia losing the new Great Game

India and Germany draw closer

Self-destruction by arrogance and hypocrisy

Trumping Cuba: back to the future

America edges back into the Middle East

China hasn’t won yet in the South China Sea

Opinion: The United Nations – missing in action

Will El-Sisi bring Egypt back?

China’s stealth expansion in Latin America

The Kim Conundrum