The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the ineffectiveness of traditional multilateralism in addressing transnational challenges — where multilateral strategies fail, however, minilateralist policies may succeed.
All tagged Opinion
Argument | Bhutan's Shangri-La Society Masks its Persecution of the Lhotshampas
Bhutan’s reputation as the happiest country in the world is stained by its mistreatment and mass expulsion of the Lhotshampas — a sharp contrast to the jocund paradise it claims to be.
Analysis | In 2021, How Prepared is America to Face 21st-Century Challenges?
The success of 21st-century American statecraft will be defined by its ability to meet transnational challenges with a sustainable playbook that breaches the gap between domestic governance and foreign policy.
Opinion | Dead Bears Tell No Tales: South Korea's Bile Farming Must End
An immoral and unresolved legacy of the past military dictatorship, the bear bile industry in South Korea should have ended with the establishment of the post-dictatorship democratic government and transitional justice brought to the captive bears — animal victims of the former autocratic state.
Analysis | Europe is Losing Libya to a Game of Geopolitical Chess
Libya has become a chessboard for regional and foreign powers as Europe stands by, risking the creation of another geopolitical and refugee crisis in Northern Africa. There is a clear alternative path for Brussels and other European capitals to take.
Analysis | War in Peace: Post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina
Since the onset of the peace process in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, The Dayton Peace Accords codified the institutionalization of ethnic division and structural and political violence against minorities in BiH. As a result, political violence has become a defining feature of the post-Dayton era Bosnia.
Analysis | A Pandemic and an Opportunity: COVID-19 Could be a Boon for India’s Defense Industry
The COVID-19 global pandemic is forcing countries the world over to rethink government spending — reallocating funds from defense and security sectors to other priority areas along public health and economic fronts to contain the spread of the pandemic and manage its effects on the economy. Despite the fiscal strain imposed on New Delhi by COVID-19, the crisis also presents a unique opportunity for India to enhance the country’s defense exports at a point when the country is striving towards self-sufficiency in the sector.
Analysis | Old Enemies, New Tools: Renewed Threats to an Open World
At a time when a polarized American political environment challenges U.S. capacity to construct and follow through on durable strategies for American engagement in the world, old enemies around the globe are empowered with new tools at their disposal. Authoritarian governments have found new ways to more effectively silence critics, harass opponents, control or influence the information at home, and manipulate online content to serve their own interests.
Analysis | U.S. Foreign Policy in Latin America Desperately Needs a Course Correction
On May 3, a U.S.-led mercenary group sailed to the fishing village of Chuao in Venezuela, only to be immediately apprehended while attempting to land. Even as events were unfolding, it became apparent that the small group was plotting to capture and overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While this spectacular fiasco might appear an anomalous deviation, it is in fact representative of past American conduct in the Western Hemisphere.
Analysis | Where Domestic Meets Foreign: Domestic America and U.S. Foreign Policy
Domestic factors are substantially affecting the way the U.S. engages international affairs and will carry long term implications for the face of American power, values, alliances, and grand strategy abroad. Surveying the U.S. political landscape for ways to restore the foundations of American democracy is as important for the future of U.S. foreign policy as analyzing the global system within which the country operates.
Analysis | Gambling in Pandemic Proportions: COVID-19 in Tajikistan and Turkmenistan
Across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging assumptions held by many for years about the capacity and capability of their governments. Unfortunately, not all countries in Central Asia have taken the threat of the virus seriously. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have chosen to gamble that they can both weather the storm and minimize the damage to their power and economy.