Iranians headed to the polls Friday in elections made easy for conservatives after sweeping bans that left many pro-reform candidates off the ballots, adding further political pressures on Hassan Rouhani,… Read more »
An upsurge in industrial militancy in China is presenting a challenge for a Communist Party that bases much of its legitimacy on its ability to manage the economy, Simon Denyer… Read more »
The Kurds have never been as influential in the Middle East as they are today, argues Henri Barkey, director of the Middle East program at the Wilson Center. They… Read more »
Venezuela is a failing state. Despite having the world’s largest proven hydrocarbon reserves, the nation is bankrupt, says Eric Farnsworth, the Vice President of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas:… Read more »
The Darfur peace process has stalled, and is now contingent upon the political opposition’s decision whether or not to join a national dialogue with President Omar al-Bashir’s government, notes Katie… Read more »
Burundi’s authorities are targeting perceived opponents with increased brutality. Government forces are killing, abducting, torturing, and arbitrarily arresting scores of people at an alarming rate, Human Rights Watch said today:… Read more »
In recent years, the European Union has made an unprecedented effort to transform its periphery by exporting values such as rule of law, democracy and good governance. What should donors… Read more »
Russia and the West are sliding into “a new Cold War,” Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned the recent 2016 Munich Security Conference, going on to ask: “Are we living… Read more »
The idea of Europe as a political superpower [left] was an illusion, argues historian Walter Laqueur. But a disunited Europe would be even more starkly exposed to the harsh winds… Read more »
Almost anything Vladimir Putin touches these days is perceived by the West as a weapon, and almost everything he does is seen as an attack, very often a successful… Read more »