Elections indicate a positive step in the transition away from authoritarianism and toward democracy, but they are not always a means of reassuring that a transitioning country is in optimum condition. Elections are a means, not an end, of the post-authoritarian transition process.
Read MoreWe may be collectively worried about the stability of Egypt’s fledgling democracy, but this is a normal and expected concern. It is part of the process of democratization. But it is a mistake to confuse our anxiety with a suggestion that the Egyptian revolution has failed.
Read MoreInternational soccer can lead to respect and admiration for all different members of one’s nation and national team. But there are two teams in every match. The other team and the individuals that comprise it are “them,” one’s team is “us.” When a member of the opposition does not match the vision of what “us” looks like, especially when “us” is nearly homogeneous, it is easy to consider him an enemy.
Read More
CPR’s Andrea S. Viejo had the opportunity to converse with Valeria Hamel, one of the student spokespeople of the #YoSoy132 student movement in Mexico advocating for freedom of the press. She gave us insight into the upbringing of this movement and what it was like to organize the first independent student run presidential debate in the history of Mexico.
Read More
It is the global community that needs to learn from Myanmar. Rather than attempting to wait out the gluttons of privilege, international sanctions ought to be relaxed to let the North Korean people eat and allow for some much needed foreign dollars to enter the country. And, maybe, with a little time, and a little help, North Koreans can have a Coke too.
Read More
Greece accuses the former Yugoslav province, which has been independent since 1991, of stealing its national heritage and misappropriating Hellenic heroes such as Philip and Alexander of Macedon for the purpose of tourism and national identity building. Stealing another country’s national heritage is a bad enough crime, say Greeks, but revising history is unacceptable.
Read MoreRevolutionary forces must recognize that the military has been in power since 1952, and the decisions of the SCAF over the year and a half “transitional” period have only tried to preserve the old order. The sad truth is that alliance between the people and the army was only a means for the SCAF to pursue its own agenda.
Read MoreIran’s reaction to these talks has, time and again, proven that it is not what we are proposing that bothers them. What bothers them is that we are proposing anything at all.
Read MoreChina has an image problem and an influence deficit. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government has already taken coordinated steps to raise China’s profile on the world stage.
Read More
The international community as a whole has an interest in ensuring that Caspian oil continues to flow, and Azerbaijan’s stability is central to that aim. The abeyance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, for example, because of an avoidable regional conflict would wreak havoc on a global energy market already under tremendous pressure. Hillary Clinton ought to pay several more visits to the region in the near future to ensure that Armenia and Azerbaijan’s glacial peace process quickens its pace.
Read MoreIf we are to seek an effective international solution, we need the cooperation of states. And although these states have different political agendas, it is only through their agreement that we can create a more effective solution for the crimes in Darfur.
Read More
NATO took a step away from Pakistan was taken when it reached an independent deal with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to open a transport route to ship military equipment out of Afghanistan. Circumventing Pakistan may very well become the norm in the region as the US, hopefully, begins a bona fide search for a new regional partner.
Read More
They must recognize that while the President may be able to ponder who to kill miles away, the rest of the world does not believe that America legitimately has this power. And they must recognize that while drones continue to kill almost daily—a senior al Qaeda leader, Abu Yahya al-Libi was just killed yesterday—and have killed up to 3,000 people since their inception, many in the Middle East may just decide that it is time to fight back.
Read More
The discursive frameworks that the P5+1 talks are predicated on do not bode well for future negotiations. The West is a veritable echo chamber of calls for regime change in Iran and its actions to date demonstrate that it does not consider Iran an equal partner.
Read More
It is ironic that the two leading candidates elected by the first free and fair elections brought about by the January 25th Revolution do not resemble the ideals of the revolution.
Read More
The world is seeing the beginning of an Asian arms race with global implications. India could have chosen to test this missile anytime, but it appears that India is trying to reflect its emergence onto the world stage and show everyone that its strength is equal to that of its neighbor — not necessarily competing with China — but proving itself.
Read More
The SNC, which claims to be leading the uprising from outside Syria, is battling between leading an opposition movement against Assad’s authoritarian grip and gaining credibility among its civilian population and the Western world.
Read More
Today we are able to sit with our laptops and tablets and watch the horrors of a regime slaughtering its own people. But despicable as this inaction is, posting filmed clips on YouTube has become one of the only viable means for the Syrian people to call out for help.
Read More
The problem lies instead in a tax code that is ill-equipped to combat today’s highly mobile capital caused by technological advances. Instead of being put to work through domestic reinvestment, capital is stockpiled overseas. Furthermore, tax competition both between states and globally continues to drive tax rates downwards and exacerbates the problem of insufficient revenue.
Read MoreJust a little over a year has passed since the outset of the massive uprisings that shook Egypt and deposed one of the longest-ruling Middle Eastern leaders in modern history, and they are quickly passing from the realm of current events into history.
Read More