Global Geopolitics

Kerry Draws Israel Hawks’ Ire Amid Failed Talks

By Mitchell Plitnick
In the wake of the collapse of U.S.-led peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the angry rhetoric around this conflict has only escalated.

The Opportunity of a Plastic Bag

By Gunter Pauli
The European Union was founded to create conditions for a lasting peace on the old continent, establishing an internal market, integrating agriculture and industry. As new generations emerge that have never experienced war or terrorism in Europe, the concept of quality of life increasingly dominates the debate. Will Europe offer its citizens the future all aspire to?

Russia ‘Liquidating’ Civil Society

By Pavol Stracansky
NGOs working in Russia are facing more repression in the form of even tighter legislation on foreign funding as part of what some rights activists say is a concerted campaign to “liquidate” civil society in the country.

Brazil Assumes Leadership in Future of Internet Governance

By Marcia Pinheiro
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed into law an Internet bill of rights just before her opening speech at an international conference on Internet reform in the southern city of São Paulo Wednesday.

OP-ED: As EU Reconsiders Russian LNG, Qatar Waits in Wings

By Daniel Wagner, Giorgio Cafiero, and Sufyan bin Uzayr
Throughout the Ukraine crisis, European Union (EU) leaders have become more vocal about their interest in reducing Europe’s consumption of Russian natural gas. As a result, Qatar — the world’s number-one provider of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — is well positioned to play a more influential role in Europe’s energy landscape.

U.S. Public Feeling More Multilateral Than Isolationist

By Jim Lobe
Amidst a roiling and mostly partisan debate over Washington’s global role, a survey released here Thursday suggests that President Barack Obama’s preference for relative restraint and multilateral - over unilateral - action very much reflects the mood of the voting public.

U.S. Apache Delivery Highlights Mixed Messaging on Egypt

By Jasmin Ramsey
Last October, the Barack Obama administration suspended the delivery of attack helicopters to Egypt’s interim government following the Jul. 2 military ouster of Egypt’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.

Bringing the Bridges Home

By Francesca Dziadek
As foreign forces withdraw slowly from Afghanistan, they leave behind a vulnerable band of people who were their ears and guides on the ground. These people who served as interpreters, face a life of threats and uncertainties. Many have been killed.

U.S.-Russia Sabre Rattling May Undermine Nuke Meeting

By Thalif Deen
The growing tension between the United States and Russia over Ukraine has threatened to unravel one of the primary peace initiatives of the United Nations: nuclear disarmament.

Imprisoning Themselves to Stay Safe

By Karlos Zurutuza
"I don’t dare tell you who the murderers are but their target is just us, Turkmens," says Ahmed Abdulla Muhtaroglu, sitting by the portrait of his brother who was killed last year.

Obama Seeks to Reassure Anxious Asians on “Rebalance”

By Jim Lobe
As he embarks Tuesday on a major trip through East Asia, U.S. President Barack Obama will be focused on reassuring anxious – albeit sometimes annoying – allies that Washington remains determined to deepen its commitment to the region.

U.N. Denies Dragging Its Feet on U.S.-Iran Visa Dispute

By Thalif Deen
After two long weeks of raging controversy over Washington's refusal to grant a U.S. visa to the Iranian envoy to the United Nations, the U.N.'s office of legal affairs is being accused of moving at the pace of a paralytic snail - only to seek more time while remaining non-committal on the dispute.

U.S. Foreign Aid Approach Is Outdated, Experts Say

By Farangis Abdurazokzoda
U.S. foreign aid is becoming increasingly outdated, analysts here are suggesting.

Afghanistan Turns a Political Corner

By Giuliano Battiston
The Afghanistan presidential election is turning out to be a tale of two narratives. The more positive and democratic one could be winning the day.

Russian Law Corners Drug Users

By Pavol Stracansky
As local authorities prepare to put an end to opioid substitution treatment (OST) programmes in the newly annexed Crimean peninsula, drug users there say they are being forced to choose between a return to addiction and becoming refugees.

U.N. Visa Denials Appendage of U.S. Foreign Policy

By Thalif Deen
The United States has rarely, if ever, denied a visa to a head of state seeking to visit the United Nations to address the 193-member General Assembly, the highest policy making body in the organisation.

OP-ED: Egyptian-Saudi Coalition in Defence of Autocracy

By Emile Nakhleh
The Bahraini Arabic language newspaper al-Wasat reported on Wednesday Apr. 9 that a Cairo court began to consider a case brought by an Egyptian lawyer against Qatar accusing it of being soft on terrorism.

Russians Blend Loyalty to Nazarbayev with Pro-Kremlin Sentiments

By Joanna Lillis
On a hillside in northeastern Kazakhstan, south of the Russian border, a simple and stark slogan looms over the city of Oskemen: “Kazakhstan,” reads the message in giant white letters arrayed across the green slope.

Emerging Nations Opt for Arms Spending Over Development

By Thalif Deen
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has relentlessly advocated drastic cuts in global military spending in favour of sustainable development, will be sorely disappointed by the latest findings in a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

World Cuts Back Military Spending, But Not Asia

By John Feffer
For the second year in a row, the world is spending a little less on the military. Asia, however, has failed to get the memo. The region is spending more at a time when many others are spending less.

Taliban Screens a New Silence

By Ashfaq Yusufzai
Mushfiq Wali, a 22-year-old shoemaker in northern Pakistan, loves watching films in the local Pashto language. But he says the Taliban are a killjoy: their bomb attacks have led to the closure of movie theatres, again. “They don’t spare anything that brings happiness.”
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