Why Obama Should Just Let Putin Have the Mess in Syria

You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Nor can Vladimir Putin broker a political solution in Syria. In fact, as a result of his recent attempts to play diplomatic power broker in the Middle East, he will lose credibility. That will only grow more apparent later this week when officials from Iran — like Russia, a major backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — meet with their American and Russian counterparts in Vienna to discuss a political resolution to the Syrian conflict. Russia has reportedly been pushing for Iran’s inclusion in these high-stakes talks.

Thailand and the TPP: Exports at Risk

What will the recently-struck TPP agreement mean for Thailand?

With a final agreement on the Trans Pacific Partnership reached and ratification at the national level pending, concerns over lost competitiveness are growing among nations excluded from the mega trade deal.

Viktor Orban Wades into Hungary’s Dark Waters

 

A specter is haunting Europe — the spirit of reactionary populism. Xenophobic parties are deeply entrenched in the politics of such staunchly democratic nations as France and Holland; but the greater danger lies to the east. Earlier this month, the anti-immigrant Freedom Party almost won provincial elections in reliably left-wing Vienna; in elections held Sunday, Poles gave a parliamentary majority to the right-wing Law and Justice party.

Κουρασμένος από τον κόσμο

Γάλλοι της ειρηνευτικής δύναμης του ΟΗΕ καλύπτουν τα αυτιά τους κατά την διάρκεια άσκησης εκπαίδευσης στο νότιο Λίβανο, τον Δεκέμβριο του 2008. HAIDAR HAWILA / REUTERS

Κρίμα για τα Ηνωμένα Έθνη, τα οποία γίνονται 70 ετών αυτόν τον μήνα. Αντί να απολαμβάνει μια ξέγνοιαστη συνταξιοδότηση, ο ΟΗΕ αντιμετωπίζει αδυσώπητες απαιτήσεις [1] για τον χρόνο και τους πόρους του, από απειλές που είναι και παλιές (βίαιες συγκρούσεις, διάδοση των πυρηνικών όπλων [2] και μολυσματικές ασθένειες) και νέες (κλιματική αλλαγή, τρομοκρατία και κυβερνοπόλεμος, μεταξύ άλλων). Εκ πρώτης όψεως, τουλάχιστον, ο ΟΗΕ έχει κρατηθεί σε ικανοποιητικό επίπεδο απέναντι σε αυτές τις προκλήσεις, παραμένοντας το πιο σημαντικό πολυμερές φόρουμ στον κόσμο, χάρη στην δεσμευτική Χάρτα του και την καθολική συμμετοχή. Αλλά αν σκάψετε λίγο βαθύτερα, καθίσταται σαφές ότι ο ΟΗΕ αντιμετωπίζει μια τετραπλή κρίση: Ταυτότητας, συνάφειας, εξουσίας και επιδόσεων.

China divided: Beijing struggles for control

The 60th anniversary of the establishment of the autonomous region of Xinjiang has been saluted by Beijing as a great step toward a stronger national unity. However, rising tensions and incidents seems to jeopardize Beijing’s control over one of its most strategic regions. 

This October, the massive celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Urumqi were disrupted by the dreadful news of an attack in a coal mine that is believed have claimed the lives of 50 workers.

Lax Americana

What’s the biggest challenge facing American statecraft today? Reaching a meaningful global agreement on climate change? Countering a rising China? Containing the Islamic State? Convincing Vladimir Putin to cool his jets (both literally and figuratively)? Making sure Iran fulfills the nuclear deal and doesn’t make more mischief in the Middle East?

Cameron's EU gamble: Five reforms he can win, and ten pitfalls he must avoid

As in 1975, a British prime minister is trying to win a new deal from the EU, before holding an in-or-out referendum. David Cameron will probably achieve reforms in five areas:

1) Making the EU more competitive. Everyone will agree on extending the single market into new areas and on the need for better regulation.

A New Era For Canadian Oil And Gas, For Better Or Worse

Canadian voters kicked out the conservative government in the October 19 election, a party that had been in power for a decade. Polls had predicted a slight lead for the Liberal Party, but in a surprise result, the Liberals actually won a majority of seats in parliament and will form a majority government. Most analysts had expected the Liberal Party would have had to form a coalition government, but many voters appeared to strategically vote for the frontrunner in order to ensure a loss for the conservatives. The new government of Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau will almost certainly be much less friendly to the oil and gas industry in Canada, though to what extent remains uncertain. Trudeau opposes Enbridge’s (NYSE: ENB) Northern Gateway Pipeline, but also backs TransCanada’s (NYSE: TRP) Keystone XL Pipeline – the latter of which could be blocked by the U.S. government. More will be known in the coming weeks. However, one clear promise from Trudeau was his plan to engage in deficit spending to goose the economy through higher investments in infrastructure.

Gain or more pain in Spain?

In a new CER policy brief, 'Gain or more pain in Spain?' Simon Tilford demonstrates why Spain is no poster child for fiscal austerity and structural reforms. Tilford shows that Spain’s growth performance is less impressive than it appears at first sight. The level of economic activity remains highly depressed compared to pre-crisis levels (see Chart 1). He highlights that:

Questioning Greece’s future from the other side of the Atlantic

In the last month (20 Sept-18 Oct 2015) I visited a number of universities and think tanks in Canada and the US to give a series of lectures supported by the Onassis Foundation lectureships program. Visiting six cities and many more institutions in four weeks was a demanding but rewarding experience.

The subject was the adjustment of the Greek economy and in particular of the banking sector within the changing governance of the Eurozone. And there was an impressive amount of interest in progress in Europe and Greece even in places as geographically remote from the old continent as Vancouver, San Francisco or Sacramento. Interest was also strong in New York, New Haven as well as Washington. Fifty participants attended the last lecture given at the World Bank mostly staff of the Bank and the IMF but their interest was more or less expected given their knowledge of and involvement in Greece.