MORE THAN TEN MONTHS TO GO
The US presidential election is more than ten months off and it is going to be, to borrow a phrase from the unloved Donald Rumsfeld, a long, hard slog to get there. The Republican nominee is yet to emerge from the messy competition that began months ago and seems likely to stretch on for months more.
Tea with Madam Secretary, Part II
The following is one of the questions I asked Secretary Albright: Do you see the decision by the Security Council to vote in favour of a US-led military engagement as the beginning of a significant development in a movement towards protecting human security at the expense of national sovereignty?
Kim Jong-un: Too Young for Coronation?
Any serious blunder of inexperience by the new leader in connection with redirecting the country’s economic and diplomatic affairs could lead to irreversible challenges by the competing elite groups in North Korea, divided largely into the military brass and the technocrats.
The Key To Constitution Making In Turkey
The constitutional process is slowly but surely becoming a catch all answer to many of Turkey’s ills. The coming months will witness a crucially important debate about a renewed social contract. Turkey’s challenge will be to engineer the required popular consensus in an increasingly polarized political atmosphere.
Cameron’s diplomatic defeatism delivers a hammer blow to the UK’s influence
David Cameron needs to put British national interest before his party’s interest. Angela Merkel has now left the door open for the British government to rebuild alliances and regain its position in Europe. It is in the British national interest that the government embraces that opportunity.
The Role of Religion in the Arab Spring
There needs to be a greater understanding of the role that religion plays in different societies and countries, and specifically how this shapes the politics of these countries. Unless the different theories of international relations can accommodate religion in their frameworks, we will be unable to fully comprehend important geopolitical events.
Brazil: Growing Pains of an Emerging Power
Much has been written about Brazil’s successful trajectory from emerging economy to emerging giant. Less attention has been given to the remaining challenges which need to be addressed.
Patterns, Challenges, and Strategic Choices in the Euro Crisis
The crisis in the Euro Area is enmeshed in an evolving global, and European, financial and economic crisis. Its dimensions are profound, historical, and structural. It raises the stakes in European integration to new heights.
Britain and the Eurozone: What Next?
There has been much sound and fury but little progress in Euroland in the days following David Cameron’s veto at the meeting of the EU heads of government in Brussels on 11 December. Far from them saving the Euro, they agreed to differ on some things, and agreed to delay on others.
The Merkel Gambit
Merkel’s actions over the EU fiscal pact have been likened to a game of chicken. They are more akin to tightrope walking while composing an opera. Lurking in the background is the threat that the markets will lose faith and tear the whole edifice down. Either way, this pact will not be the last word.
