Under the Influence: Advent of the Contested Global Commons
Andrew Bast Jul 31, 2009 July 29, 2022
Ironically, the cyber-attack that shut down the Web sites of the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Trade Commission struck on Independence Day. Because as unsophisticated as the attacks were, they made it clear that the U.S. is as intertwined with its enemies as it is with its allies, in a newly emerging, little-understood, and rapidly evolving 21st-century terrain. In probing the future of American influence, it's apparent now that cyberspace occupies a prominent place in an unwieldy battlefield known as the global commons. Michele Flournoy — who holds the position of undersecretary of defense for policy at the […]
Disarmament Movement Needs Youth Involvement to Counter Cynicism
Johan Bergenas Jul 30, 2009 July 31, 2009
President Barack Obama's lofty pursuit of a world without nuclear weapons is off to a peculiar start. But the main reasons are not Kim Jong-il's nuclear saber-rattling on the Korean peninsula, the centrifuges continuing to spin in Iran, or even the political and technical reasons that skeptics highlight to mock President Obama's decision to recommit the U.S. to eliminating nuclear arsenals around the world. Instead, the twin Achilles' heels of the "no nukes" quest are that patience, rather than urgency, is the prevailing attitude, and that the disarmament community has failed to engage youth movements as an antidote to the […]
Risk and Resilience, Too
Judah Grunstein Jul 23, 2009
It occurred to me after yesterday's post on the new WPR feature issue that I never flagged our previous feature issue, Risk and Resilience in the Globalized Age. That was a major oversight on my part, because the two articles — by John Robb (Global Guerillas) here, and by David Steven and Alex Evans (Global Dashboard) here — are among the most thought-provoking I've read on the "big" problems facing policymakers today. Better late than never, though, so definitely give them a look. If you've seen "resilience" being tossed around and wondered what people were talking about, or if you're […]
VideoGlobal
Clinton on U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations
The Editors Jul 15, 2009 September 8, 2009
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, and provided the most comprehensive statement so far on Obama administration foreign policy.
AQIM Steps Up Attacks; Islamists Looking to Africa?
Hampton Stephens Jul 10, 2009
The New York Times reports that al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb "has carried out a string of killings, bombings and other lethal attacks against Westerners and African security forces in recent weeks that have raised fears that the terrorist group may be taking a deadlier turn." For some great background on AQIM, see Joseph Kirschke's October 2008 feature article for WPR, "AQIM: The North African Franchise." To read it in full online, or as part of the January-February 2009 issue of our digital journal (which can also be downloaded as a .pdf file) you can sign up for a free […]
VideoEurope
Judah Grunstein and Will Ferroggiaro on Bloggingheads.tv
The Editors Jul 6, 2009 October 18, 2022
WPR Managing Editor Judah Grunstein and Will Ferroggiaro of the Fund for Peace discussed America's priorities, the U.S.-European relationship and more in a July 6 discussion hosted by Bloggingheads.tv. Browse the discussion by topic at Bloggingheads.tv.
Holiday Weekend
The Editors Jul 2, 2009
World Politics Review will not be publishing tomorrow, July 3. Enjoy the Fourth of July weekend, and check back in on Monday.