Global Geopolitics

Latin America Flexes Muscles at Joint EU Summit

By Marianela Jarroud
The nations of Latin America and the Caribbean strengthened their position with respect to Europe at the CELAC-EU summit held this weekend in the Chilean capital, reaching agreements that protect their natural resources from foreign investors and securing a joint condemnation of the United States’ trade embargo against Cuba.

OP-ED: How Deep Are Azerbaijan-Israel Relations?

By Eldar Mamedov
There has been much speculation surrounding Azerbaijan’s relations with Israel, including reports that Israeli warplanes might use Azerbaijani airfields as support bases during a potential attack against Iran. The reality of the bilateral relationship is not so dramatic, as it is pragmatic.

Venezuela’s Neighbours Walking on Eggshells

By Humberto Márquez
Governments of countries in the Americas are relying on the passage of time and a relatively peaceful political atmosphere to sort out the unprecedented institutional situation in Venezuela, whose ailing president Hugo Chávez is out of the country, while the executive team tasked with carrying out his former mandate continues in office.

Devil Is in the Details for Iran Nuclear Deal

By Jasmin Ramsey
After a year of fruitless negotiations that are expected to resume soon, Iranian and U.S. experts are urging both sides to show more flexibility and make more concessions on its nuclear programme.
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Kerry Gets a Pass as Factions Gear Up for Hagel Fight

By Jim Lobe
Sen. John Kerry received a warm reception from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee here Thursday, virtually assuring his approval as President Barack Obama’s second-term secretary of state as soon as next week.

Summit of the Peoples Demands Solidarity and Sovereignty

By Marianela Jarroud
More than 400 social organisations from Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean will gather on Jan. 25-27 at a Summit of the Peoples called as an alternative to the bi-regional meeting of heads of state and government to be held at the same time in the Chilean capital.

Victory Close to Defeat for Netanyahu

By Pierre Klochendler
As expected, Benjamin Netanyahu has been ensured another term in office. Against all expectations, he could have been defeated. Now, he faces uncertainty over the kind of governing coalition he will lead and thus the kind of policies he will carry out. And he faces a lingering question: can any prospective coalition last?

Cancelation

By Mario Queiroz
The writer has just confirmed he had recorded the interview and taken notes of the conference, but he incurred in a regrettable error confusing António Soares (Toni Tcheca) with Emílio Krafft Kosta. This is of course completely unprofessional, and we have erased both versions of the story, in Spanish and English. Please accept our sincere apologies.

Despite Immigration Reform, Travel Still Tricky for Cubans

By Patricia Grogg
Maria Lourdes, a Cuban, has two passports, one from the island and another from Spain, but until now traveling was only a dream.

Hugo Chavez and Colombia’s Peace

By Constanza Vieira
Colombia has suffered an internal armed conflict for so many decades that it almost amounts to a "forgotten crisis" for external donors. But the president of neighbouring Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is well aware of the conflict, and understands that it destabilises Latin America, where centre-left governments proliferate.

Obama to Accelerate Handover to Afghan Army

By Jim Lobe
President Barack Obama announced Friday that U.S. forces will accelerate the transfer of primary security responsibilities to their Afghan counterparts and take on an exclusively support and training role beginning this spring.

U.S. Urged to Stem Broader Ethnic Violence in Myanmar

By Carey L. Biron
Worried over the possibility of further escalation of armed conflict in Myanmar, activists here are calling on Washington to take stronger action to condemn state forces for aerial bombardment of ethnic Kachin rebels and civilians in the country’s north, which some say constitutes crimes against humanity.

Netanyahu Suffers From Being Too Popular

By Pierre Klochendler
“We feel like we finally live a normal life in a normal country,” marvelled a popular radio host. Normalcy – this rare appreciation by Israelis of the privilege to indulge in small talk about the stormy weather that’s wreaked the whole region – is so abnormal here.

Abandoning Nuclear Weapons – Lessons from South Africa

By John Fraser
Not many nice things can be said about the apartheid regime in South Africa. It was racist, violent in the brutal oppression of many of its own citizens, and was despised around the world.

Obama Nominates Hagel for Pentagon, Brennan for CIA

By Jim Lobe
Rounding out his second-term foreign policy picks, U.S. President Barack Obama Monday nominated former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon and his top counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, to direct the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
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Major Test for Israel Lobby As Obama Leans to Hagel for Pentagon

By Jim Lobe
With President Barack Obama reportedly primed to nominate former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon early next week, the powerful Israel lobby, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), faces a major dilemma.

OP-ED: The Arab Spring at Two: What Lessons Should We Learn?

By Emile Nakhleh
As the Arab Spring enters its third year, new Arab democracies and the international community should reflect on several critical lessons from the past two years.

Groups Decry Obama’s Failure to Close Guantanamo

By Jim Lobe
Human rights groups are denouncing President Barack Obama’s failure to veto a defence bill that will make it far more difficult for him to fulfill his four-year-old pledge to close the Guantanamo detention facility this year.

What is China’s Policy Driver in Central Asia?

By Joshua Kucera
China is increasingly active in Central Asia, building pipelines and infrastructure projects, as well as expanding its diplomatic and cultural presence in the region.
GALTUNG

Preventing World War III

By Johan Galtung
A Third World War is not impossible, but fortunately is rather unlikely. Let us explore why, and what can be done to prevent it.

The Mindlessness of War in Afghanistan

By Noor Wali Sheenwari
One night in 1979, bombs dropped from the sky, killing 16 members of Ismail’s family. “The war took some people to Europe and America, but it destroyed my family,” Ismail, who is universally addressed as “uncle”, says.
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