Annual Editions: World Politics 05/06

This twenty-sixth edition of Annual Editions: World Politics is a compilation of articles selected from the best of the public press including magazines, newspapers, and journals. This title is supported by Dushkin Online (dushkin.com/online/), a student website that provides study support tools and links to related websites.

UNIT 1. New World Order 1. A Global Power Shift in the Making, James F. Hoge Jr., Foreign Affairs, July/August 2004Asia is rising fast, with its growing economic power translating into political and military strength. The West must adapt¿or be left behind. ¿With the global flow of energy assuming ever-growing economic and strategic prominence, oil and gas pipelines in the world today have become the major focus of international geopolitical competition.¿ 2. Terrorism Goes to Sea, Gal Luft and Anne Korin, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2004The number of pirate attacks worldwide has tripled in the past decade, and new evidence suggests that piracy is becoming a key tactic of terrorist groups. In light of al Qaedäs professed aim of targeting weak links in the global economy, this new nexus is a serious threat; most of the world¿s oil and gas is shipped through pirate-infested waters." 3. Web of Influence, Daniel W. Drezner and Henry Farrell, Foreign Policy, November/December 2004Today, online diarists, or ¿bloggers,¿ are able to share their opinions with a global audience. Bloggers have established elaborate networks that in some cases have agenda-setting power on issues ranging from human rights in China to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. What began as a hobby is evolving into a new medium that is changing the landscape for journalists and policy makers alike.4. The People¿s Sovereignty, George Soros, Foreign Policy, January/February 2004George Soros, a philanthropist who has given more than $5 billion to populist causes, expalins how the priciple of sovereignty can block efforts to help people in other nation-states. His foundation¿s approach for overcoming this barrier is to give money directly to support local governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).UNIT 2. World Economy 5. America Overdrawn, Lawrence H. Summers, Foreign Policy, July/August 2004The U.S. economy is the world¿s economic engine. But with American citizens saving less and Washington spending more, that engine is now running on fumes. Together, these trends could ignite trade protectionism and threaten global economic integration.6. Charging Ahead, Joshua Kurlantzick, The Washington Monthly, May 2003For decades the American consumer market helped drive the world economy. Americans spent and foreigners invested in the U.S. economy. Joshua Kurlantzick explains how Americäs biggest new export¿credit cards¿could have perverse and unintended negative consequences throughout the world that might bring down the world economy. 7. A New Pattern Is Cut for Global Textile Trade, Peter S. Goodman and Paul Blustein, The Washington Post, November 17, 2004At the beginning of 2005 the World Trade Organization¿s rules governing textile trade underwent their biggest revision in 30 years. The changes are expected to jeopardize as many as 30 million jobs in some of the world¿s poorest places as textile industry uproots and begins to consolidate in the world¿s acknowledged low-cost producer: China. 8. A (Social) Capital Idea, Andrew Holm, Harvard International Review, Winter 2004The concept of social capital, that includes norms, networks, and social trust that make society function more smoothly, is increasingly being explored in terms of its potential to reduce poverty and vulnerability among the poor and powerless in developing countries. This approach has been adopted by the World Bank and several other development organizations as an important aspect of a multi-faceted approach for promoting economic development.9. From Petro to Agro: Seeds of a New Economy, Robert E. Armstrong, Defense Horizons, October 2002As the world shifts from a hydrocarbon molecule based economy to a bio-based economy, genes will replace petroleum as the basic unit of commerce. National security implications accompanying this shift may include a downgrading of the importance of dealings with oil-rich countries and an increase in conflicts between gene-rich but technologically-poor states and gene-poor but technologically-rich nations over who will control access to high valued genes used in commercial applications.UNIT 3. Weapons of Mass Destruction 10. Pakistan: It¿s D¿ Vu All Over Again, Leonard Weiss, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2004Leonard Weiss reviews how Pakistan lied, stole, and conned its way to becoming a nuclear weapons power. Now, the father of Pakistan¿s nuclear bomb program, A.Q. Khan, is doing the same as a nuclear broker. Weiss questions what the U.S. can do about the A.Q. Khan network now that Pakistan is a major U.S. ally. 11. How to Counter WMD, Ashton B. Carter, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2004The U.S. counterproliferation policy needs an overhaul. Ashton Carter outlines why the new goals should be to get nuclear material out of circulation, reinforce nonproliferation agreements, and use new technologies and invasive monitoring to get better and more actionable intelligence.12. Towards an Internet Civil Defence Against Bioterrorism, Ronald E. LaPorte et al., The Lancet Infectious Diseases, September 2001There is little evidence that the large resources put into bioterrorism preparedness work. We must face the disturbing fact that it is very difficult to predict and guard against bioterrorism because there are too many targets, too many means to penetrate the targets, and the bioterrorists are crafty. Instead of building an inflexible Maginot line of defence as we are now, perhaps we should consider an ever alert, flexible electronic-matrix of civil defense.UNIT 4. North AmericaPart A. The United States 13. The Perils of Empire, Paul Kennedy, The Washington Post, April 20, 2003Kennedy warns of the dangers of America underwriting a global Pax and urges several policy changes to avoid the perils that faced European powers in an earlier era. Recommended changes include reordering regional priorities, consistent with the principle of economy of force, redirecting defense reform efforts, creating new mechanisms for imperial planning and coordination, rebalancing existing institutuions, and developing an imperial civil service. 14. The Decline of Americäs Soft Power, Joseph S. Nye Jr., Foreign Affairs, May/June 2004¿Success in the war on terrorism depends on Washington¿s capacity to persuade others without force, and that capacity is in dangerous decline.¿ 15. Democracy of dominion?, Walter C. Uhler, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January/February 2004What is the price when the American public pays little attention to political affairs? ¿The question today is the same as it has been earlier in U.S. history¿how great a price?¿ According to Walter Uhler, the ¿War on Terror¿ frame now incorporates all aspects of U.S. foreign policy.Part B. Canada16. Economic Crossroads on the Line, Michael Grunwald, The Washington Post, December 26, 2001After September 11th the United States and Canada moved to increase barriers along their 5,500 mile frontier. The dramatic costs of doing so have helped energize long-term commitments from both nations to use technology to create a ¿smarter border¿ to increase security. Nevertheless, the changes created delays for Canadians, 90 percent of who live within 100 miles of the border, and highlighted attitudinal differences between citizens of the two countries on several issues related to the War on Terrorism. 17. North Americäs Second Decade, Robert A. Pastor, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2004NAFTA has brought the United States, Mexico, and Canada an unprecedented degree of social and economic integration. According to Pastor, ¿North Americä is now more than just a geographical expression. Fifty-eight percent of Canadians, 69 percent of Americans, and a surprisingly, 34 percent of Mexican consider themselves to be ¿North American.¿ Overwhelming majorities in each country favor more integrated North American policies on the environment, transportation, defense, and the development of a North American security perimeter.UNIT 5. Latin America 18. NAFTA at 10: A Plus or a Minus?, Jorge G. Castaneda, Current History, February 2004"Neither boon nor catastrophe," the 1994 trade pact has yet to boost living standards in Mexico. The European Union offers a model for moving forward. 19. A Political Awakening, The Economist, February 21, 2004Radical Indian movements in Andean countries are being fueled by continuing poverty and discrimination, a new ethnic politic, the growth of democracy, and growing international recognition of the rights of indigenous people to participate in politics. The question now facing Latin American rulers is whether growing indigenous demands are a threat or a boost to democracy?UNIT 6. EuropePart A. West Europe20. America as European Hegemon, Christopher Layne, The National Interest, Summer 2003Layne describes U.S. aims in Europe during the post-war period to illustrate that the United States has always sought to assert its hegemony and France and Germany seek to create a European counter balance to U.S. hegemony. Within a widened Europe, France and Germany¿with Russia and sometimes Chinäare developing new habits of diplomatic cooperation to oppose Washington, while the United Kingdom and newer members of a widened Europe work closely with the Untied States. 21. At the Gates of Brussels, Robert D. Kaplan, The Atlantic Monthly, December 2004According to Kaplan, Turkey¿s reformist Islamic government offers the single best hope for reconciling Muslims¿from Morocco to Indonesiäwith twenty-first century social and political realities. Europe has no choice but to integrate the 70 million citizens of Turkey into the European Union. An important unanswered question is whether the re-Islamization of Turkey through the rejuvenation of the country¿s Ottoman roots will take a radical or moderate path. 22. For U.S. to Note, Europe Flexes Muscle in Afghanistan, Craig S. Smith, The New York Times, September 22, 2004The European military presence in Afghanistan is proof that the long-vaunted idea of a European Defense¿as distinct from NATO¿is slowly taking shape. The 25-member European Union has recently created a European Defense Agency to coordinate training. Eurocorps will take over command of NATO¿s peacekeeping forces beginnning in August of 2004 in Afghanistan and later in 2004 the European Union will take over peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina from NATO altogether. Most Europeans now believe that a common defense and foreign policy is critical for the E.U. to have its own ideas and interests respected the world over. 23. Al Qaedäs Next Target?, International Herald Tribune, December 4, 2004At the largest conference ever on Al Qaeda, experts agreed that, ¿Europe seems increasingly likely to be the target of the next major Al Qaeda attack¿ and ¿Europe is vulnerable in ways that the United States is not.¿ The main danger is not a Sept. 11-style attack but rather ¿a succession of Madrids, Casablancas, and Istanbuls.¿Part B. Central Europe24. A Nervous New Arrival on the European Union¿s Block, The Economist, August 30, 2003With nearly 40 million people, Poland accounts for roughly half the population and half the GDP of all ten incoming countries joining the European Union in 2004. But it must also do the most to get into shape. Poland sees EU membership as playing a big part in its future security but also hopes that the EU keeps rolling eastward.UNIT 7. Former Soviet Union 25. Flight From Freedom, Richard Pipes, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2004Richard Pipes summarizes survey data that indicates that the majority of the Russian public approves of President Putin¿s deliberate transformation of Russia into a one-party state. 26. America Discovers Central Asia, Charles William Maynes, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2003Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, U.S. interest in Central Asia has increased. America is likely to remain militarily engaged there for some time. To manage this relationship effectively, Washington needs a better grasp on the realities of this troubled region. Maynes outlines why he believes the U.S. needs to work with Russia and China to exclude Central Asia from great-power politics.27. The Terrorist Notebooks, Martha Brill Olcott and Bakhtiyar Babajanov, Foreign Policy, March/April 2003Excerpts from a young man recruited for jihad as one of a group of Central Asians, mostly Uzbek by nationality, describes their training at local terrorist schools in the mid-1990s. While many of these recruits were killed during U.S. bombings in Afghanistan, there remain many young people with limited education and diminishing economic prospects who live in communities throughout Central Asia that are likely to be future recruits for radical forms of Islam.UNIT 8. The Pacific Basin 28. China Views Globalization: Toward a New Great-Power Politics?, Yong Deng and Thomas G. Moore, The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2004Globalization has become a lens through which Beijing¿s grand strategy is filtered. For Chinese strategic thinkers, globalization as manifested in transnational forces, international instututions, and a great need for multilateralism is a means to ¿democratize¿ the U.S. hegemonic order to minimize unilateralist power politics. Chinese political elites actively seek to manage the course of globalization through a strategy that emphasizes multilateralism and cooperation. The steady rise in Chinäs status has vindicated its cooperative diplomacy. 29. Japan: Americäs New South Korea?, James E. Auer and Robyn Lim, Current History, September 2004¿There are signs that Japan will assume the geostrategic role of the ¿new South Koreä¿a leverage point against China. Missile defense in particular will transform the U.S.-Japan relationship into a ¿normal¿ alliance, taking it in directions not hitherto contemplated.¿30. Can India Overtake China?, Yasheng Huang and Tarun Khanna, Foreign Policy, July/August 2003While Chinäs export-led manufacturing boom is largely a creation of foreign direct investment (FDI), India has spawned a number of domestic entrepreneurs that now compete internationally with the best that Europe and the United States has to offer. Indiäs stronger infrastructure and more efficient capital markets and legal system are additional reasons why Indiäs homegrown entrepreneurs may have a long-term advantage over Chinäs inefficient banks and capital markets. 31. Afghanistan Unbound, Kathy Gannon, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2004Afghanistan is once more lapsing into bloody chaos. Although President Hamid Karzai is strong on paper, he is weak in fact. The drug trade is surging, the Taliban are creeping back, and real power rests in the hands of the country¿s many warlords. Instead of disarming the militias, Washington is using them to hunt the remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban. But ordinary Afghans are paying the price. 32. Learning by Doing: Al Qaedäs Allies in Southeast Asia, Zachary Abuza, Current History, April 2004¿Terrorists in the region are reproducing faster than America and friendly governments can arrest and kill them.¿UNIT 9. Middle East and AfricaPart A. The Middle East 33. Lifting the Veil: Understanding the Roots of Islamic Militancy, Henry Munson, Harvard International Review, Winter 2004Public opinion polls in the Arab world in recent years suggest that Muslim extremists¿ hostility towards the United States has less to do with cultural or religious difference than with U.S. policies in the Arab world. The issue that arouses the most hostility in the Middle East toward the United States is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the humiliation, despair, and rage that many Palestinians have experienced. The U.S. War on Terrorism and invasion of Iraq has increased hostility towards the United States in the Middle East. As more Arabs feel impotence, humiliation, and rage, Osama bin Laden is seen more as a heroic figure who is fighting the infidel oppressors. 34. What Went Wrong in Iraq, Larry Diamond, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2004Although the early U.S. blunders in the occupation of Iraq are well known, their consequences are just now becoming clear. The Bush administration was never willing to commit the resources necessary to secure the country and did not make the most of the resources it had. U.S. officials did get a number of things right but they never understood¿or even listened töthe country they were seeking to rebuild. As a result, the democratic future of Iraq now hangs in the balance. 35. Is the Two-State Solution Dead?, Gary Sussman, Current History, January 2004A binational Israeli-Palestinian state ¿may come to be viewed as preferable¿ to a two-state arrangement or a single polity in which winner takes all¿and loser loses all¿The politics of accommodation and power sharing may prove to be the only viable alternative to endless war or brutal domination by one community over another.Part B. Sub-Saharan Africa 36. The Terrorist Threat in Africa, Princeton N. Lyman and J. Stephen Morrison, Foreign Affairs, January/February 2004The Bush administration has focused on destroying al Qaeda in East Africa and defines emerging conflicts in Africa in primarily humanitarian rather than strategic terms. The growth of Islam, increased support for radical Islamic fundamentalism, and the continued operation of al Qaeda networks throughout the continent may prove costly in the future for both Africans and Americans.UNIT 10. International Organizations and Global Issues 37. Courage to fulfil our responsibilities, The Economist, December 4, 2004The Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, summarizes the key themes in the 101 recommendations for changes in the United Nations listed in, ¿A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility.¿ The recommendations are the result of a High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Changes review that Annan requested from 16 eminent people to consider. The report identified six inter-related threats to world security that no state can defeat by acting alone and organizational reforms designed to improve the functioning of the UN. 38. Beyond Kyoto, John Browne, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2004Global warming is real and needs to be addressed. Private businesses understand that instead of bashing the Kyoto Protocol there is a need to start taking small steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions now. To harness business potential, governments in the developed world must create incentives, improve scientific research, and forge international partnerships.