US-Japan Airbase Spat May Have Regional Ripples

A protest of more than 90,000 Okinawans Sunday over the proposed relocation of a U.S. Marine Corps airbase in the southern Japanese prefecture has fueled speculation in Washington that the U.S.-Japanese alliance may be facing a serious test with the election of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), and that such strains might have serious implications for the U.S.'s ability to balance Chinese naval power in East Asia.

MALAYSIA: Tougher Days Ahead for Ruling Coalition, Opposition

A closely contested by-election over the weekend, which saw victory for the ruling coalition, shows that the political terrain in multi-ethnic Malaysia remains divided and raises searching questions for the opposing sides.

U.S.-MIDEAST: To Peace Plan or Not to Peace Plan, and When?

Reports earlier this month that President Barack Obama may present a comprehensive U.S. peace plan for resolving the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict have spurred a growing public debate over its wisdom and timing.

POLITICS: China Not Too Keen to Assume Global Leadership Role?

The late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was believed to have said that China should "hide our capacities, bide our time, and never be in the limelight."

World Court Highlights Environmental Vulnerability of Uruguay River

If anything was left clear by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the long-running pulp mill dispute between Argentina and Uruguay, it was the weakness of rules and regulations to prevent pollution of the Uruguay River in the 508-km stretch shared by the two countries.

EUROPE: IMF Tightening Control

One topic regularly addressed by the public relations industry is how to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Dominique Straus--Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, might offer a case study on rising to this challenge.

Obama Weighs Choices for Sharply Divided High Court

With the resignation of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, U.S. President Barack Obama faces an opportunity that may become a migraine - or vice versa.

POLITICS-HUNGARY: Rightward Swing Has Fascist Overtones

In the autumn of 2006 Hungary was rocked by a series of anti-government protests triggered by the release of a tape in which then prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány confessed to his Social-Democratic Party (MSZP) having lied to win elections that year. Now it is payback time.

Emerging Powers Cooking Up New International Order

Since the emergence of the Non-Aligned Movement, there has been no louder and more compelling call for a rethinking of the international economic system as the one issued this week in Brazil by the leaders of the main emerging powers.

Nukes Lobbying Brings Obama’s Foreign Policy into Focus

The past two weeks have been marked by major foreign policy accomplishments for U.S. President Barack Obama, including the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), the signing of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, and what appear to be improvements in the increasingly tense Washington-Beijing relationship.

Is Iraq’s Ultimate Survivor the Indispensable President?

While the question of who will become Iraq's future prime minister is still uncertain, when it comes to the presidency, incumbent Jalal Talabani stands the best chance of retaining the office.

POLAND: Many Causes Lose Their Leaders

The plane crash which claimed the lives of 95 Polish officials and public figures, including President Lech Kaczynski, has dealt a blow to minority rights movements in the country, activists say.

COLOMBIA: “Body Count” Scandal Haunts Uribe’s Candidate

The front-runner in the polls for Colombia's presidential elections, Juan Manuel Santos, has come under fire from his rivals for his role in the scandal over young civilians killed by the army and passed off as guerrilla casualties, which broke out while he was defence minister.

U.S.: Ignorance of Afghan Society Led to Botched Raids

A Special Operations Forces raid on Feb. 12 on what was supposed to be the compound of a Taliban leader but that killed three women and two Afghan government officials demonstrated a fatal weakness of the U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan: after eight years of operating there, the U.S. military still has no understanding of the personal, tribal and other local socio-political conflicts.

IRAQ: Election Sets Off New Political Tussle

The March elections have only deepened political divisions, and brought more violence.

POLITICS-SUDAN: Stage Set For Bashir Victory

While there is a growing desire for change in Sudan - particularly among the younger urban population in the north - there is no atmosphere of heated campaigning or supporters mobbing candidates in the south, as campaigning for general elections concludes.

ASIA: Mistrust Lingers as China Confronts Thorny Mekong Issues

Lost in the deluge of accusations that China's dams are the culprit in the Mekong River's unusually low levels is the fact that Beijing has actually become much less tightlipped about thorny issues with its neighbours than in the past.

IRAQ: Iran, Saudi Arabia’s Roles Play Out in Post-poll Crisis

While Iraq's election was largely a domestic affair, efforts there to form a new government in the weeks after the March poll have been bogged down by a flurry of contradictory pulls and pressures by several international actors.

POLITICS: Obama Expands Military Involvement in Africa

When Pres. Barack Obama took office in January 2009, it was widely expected that he would dramatically change, or even reverse, the militarised and unilateral security policy that had been pursued by the George W. Bush administration toward Africa, as well as toward other parts of the world.

IRAN: Obama Sanctions Strategy Complicated by Congress

President Barack Obama is hoping that relatively quick approval by the U.N. Security Council of a new round of sanctions against Iran will relieve growing pressure on Capitol Hill to take stronger measures against Tehran.

AFGHANISTAN: McChrystal’s Support for Raids Belies New Image

Gen. Stanley McChrystal has recently acquired the image of a master strategist of the population-sensitive counterinsurgency, reducing civilian casualties from airstrikes and insisting that troops avoid firing when civilians might be hit during the recent offensive in Helmand Province. One recent press story even referred to a "McChrystal Doctrine" that focuses on "winning over civilians rather than killing insurgents."