Election Unrest in Moldova: The View from Europe
Valerie Nichols | April 13, 2009
Last Wednesday marked the beginning of continued violent protests in Moldova after elections the previous day saw the Communist party retain its power with 50 percent of the vote. However, OSCE gave the elections a more or less positive review. So why a degree of unrest not witnessed since the fall of the Soviet Union?
Publicly Funded Energy Research Needed Yesterday
Boyko Nitzov | April 13, 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has been touted as a major step towards a more secure and cleaner energy future. This much is quite true. The question is, is the step big enough to span the void and aren’t we risking being pushed into it before the step could be actually made.
After G-20: Not Quite A New World Order…Yet
Robert Manning | April 13, 2009
Now that the dust has settled from the London G20 meeting earlier this month, what did it add up to? The media was not kind to British PM Gordon Brown’s boast that, “I think the New World Order is emerging.”
When Bubbles Burst: Daewoo All Over Again
Peter Beck | April 10, 2009
I have been teaching a class called “The Global Marketplace” this semester, but often I begin class by stating, “Welcome back to `The Global Meltdown’ class.” Instead of studying about rising trade and investment and economic integration, we discuss deglobalization and the prospects for a global depression.
AfPak: One Theater, Two Countries
James Joyner | April 10, 2009
The Obama administration has brought a new emphasis to its predecessor's policy of treating the fight against militants in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region as part of single theater. As a joint Atlantic Council appearance of the two ambassadors makes clear, however, it would be wise to remember that they are in fact two countries.
Georgian Protests: A Threat to US-Russia Relations?
Valerie Nichols | April 09, 2009
Tbilisi has been overrun by tens of thousands of protestors. An estimated 60,000 people have turned up outside of Georgia’s parliament to rally against President Mikhail Saakashvili, blaming him for the 2008 disastrous conflict with Russia and continuing economic recession, as well as accusing him of stifling democracy.
Public Relations, North Korean Style
Patrick deGategno | April 09, 2009
North Korea's launch of a Taep'odong-2 prototype intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over the weekend was a political success for the Kim Jong-Il regime on a series of levels. The North effectively used international law to test its missile technology, the Obama administration, and the resolve of UNSC and the other 5 members of the Six-Party talks.
Central Asia Key to Afghan Success
Alexandros Petersen | April 09, 2009
As the United States prepares to deploy an additional 17,000 troops to the troubled Afghan theater, Kyrgyzstan to the north vows to close the U.S. air base at Manas, considered vital for continued operations in Afghanistan.
Game Changer in Somalia? Not yet
Derek S. Reveron | April 08, 2009
The seizure of the M/V Maersk Alabama represents a first in the recent increase in ship hijackings in the vicinity of Somalia. It is the first US-flagged vessel to be seized and its crew are the first Americans to be kidnapped by Somali pirates. While significant, this does not necessarily make it a problem for the US government to solve.
Somali Pirates Capture U.S. Vessel, World Attention
James Easaw | April 08, 2009
Over the past week, there has been a rash of maritime hijackings off the East African coast after what had been something of a lull. But New Atlanticist readers were not surprised.
