diplomacy

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

Opinion: EU-60 summit evades disaster and reform

Musicians from 1931 comedy film “The Congress Dances”

31.03.2017

The European Union avoided embarrassment at its 60th anniversary reunion thanks to British Prime Minister Theresa May, who tactfully stayed away before signing her divorce papers. But with the bloc facing tough choices about its future course, its leaders merely raised their champagne glasses. The EU fiddled at the Rome summit while its citizens did a slow burn.

Dr. Michael Wohlgemuth

ECONOMY

Opinion: Military situation heats up on China’s perimeter

24.03.2017

The main threat to world peace can be found not in Eastern Europe or the Middle East, but along a 6,000-mile stretch of land and sea on Asia’s eastern and southern rim. As China’s push for access to the sea runs up against a picket line of U.S. allies and bases, potential conflicts are brewing.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein

ECONOMY

Asian powers ponder options as America turns inward

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak in New Delhi

09.03.2017

With internationalism on the retreat in the United States and Europe, Asia’s two biggest powers find themselves on the spot. Both China and India have spoken in defense of globalization and a multilateral, rules-based order. But neither appears ready to fill the vacuum left by receding U.S. power.

Pramit Pal Chaudhuri

ECONOMY

The Minsk process and Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

17.10.2016

The breakdown of yet another truce in Syria has sent relations between Russia and the United States to new lows. The mosaic of opposing forces and conflicting agendas is so complex that without a strong element of trust between Russia and the U.S., there cannot be a sustainable truce, let alone a realistic path to peace. This path leads through Donbas, in eastern Ukraine.

Professor Stefan Hedlund

DEFENSE

England in Europe – perennial ambivalence

British Prime Minister Theresa May listens to speech at Conservative Party Conference

06.10.2016

Great Britain’s greatest modern statesman, Winston Churchill, called for a United States of Europe in 1946. Now the British will have to make other arrangements. After Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May could revert to the ad hoc coalition-building and power-balancing that has long been a British speciality in Europe. But she may have something else up her sleeve.

Dr. Uwe Nerlich

DEFENSE

Kim Watch: The G20 and bad karma

Fireworks display at September G20 meeting in Hangzhou, China

30.09.2016

Kim Jong-un felt slighted when he didn't get an invitation to this month's G20 meeting in Hangzhou. The North Korean dictator made sure that the Chinese heard about it. Now it's Beijing's move.

Kati Kang

POLITICS

India raises its profile in Africa

Indian Prime Minister Modi meets South Africa’s President Zuma in Pretoria

16.09.2016

India is taking keener interest in Africa as it tries to buttress its strategic position against Chinese encroachments in the Indian Ocean. Trade, investment and security cooperation are all expanding rapidly, especially in Mozambique, which New Delhi regards as a crucial bridgehead. But India is still a long way from matching China’s footprint on the continent.

Pramit Pal Chaudhuri

ECONOMY

Will El-Sisi bring Egypt back?

China’s stealth expansion in Latin America

The Kim Conundrum

Opinion: EU-60 summit evades disaster and reform

Opinion: Military situation heats up on China’s perimeter

Asian powers ponder options as America turns inward

The Minsk process and Syria

England in Europe – perennial ambivalence

Kim Watch: The G20 and bad karma

India raises its profile in Africa