Commentary: For euro reforms, growth is the enemy
Europe’s currency union – not so long ago on its sickbed – has started the year in rude health. The winning streak looks set to continue since economic confidence in the euro area is at its highest for almost two decades, but it will have an unwelcome side-effect. The more the euro zone economy thri…
Want to Strike North Korea? It’s Not Going to Go the Way You Think.
For the bulk of my professional career, I’ve been studying maybe the most difficult and dangerous question in American foreign policy: how to handle a North Korea armed with nuclear weapons. During five of those years, my job at the Department of Defense was anything but academic. I was at the cente…
Four reasons why corruption matters
More than a trillion dollars are stolen from the world’s poorest countries every year, which is such a vast sum that it is hard to visualise. That amount of money would get you Apple, with enough left over to buy every sterling-denominated note or coin in circulation. To count out a trillion dollars…
The Two Camps Illusion
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has become more assertive. It first imposed a total blockade on Yemen, despite claims that this would lead to widespread famine. (It most recently announced that it would allow some humanitarian aid supplies.) It unseated the prime minister of Lebanon, presumably becaus…
EU sets date for next wave of enlargement
The EU is preparing to pledge a 2025 deadline for the next wave of enlargement, but Balkans disputes could hold things back. “The Western Balkans partners now have a historic window of opportunity. For the first time, their accession perspective has a best-case timeframe,” the commission is to say i…
These Are The Top 10 Risks to the World in 2018
Markets are soaring, but divisions are deepening among citizens of both developed and developing countries. Liberal democracy currently has less legitimacy than at any time since World War II, and the global order is unraveling. There has been plenty of turmoil in international politics over the pas…
Turkey, the Middle East, and the Revival of the “Eastern Question”
This article analyzes the relationship between Turkey, the countries of the Middle East, and the major powers in the context of a revival of the “Eastern Question.” Moreover, it places special emphasis on the position of Turkey, which the authors believe is often not taken into account sufficiently …
Coup or Hoax in Montenegro?
For those who remember the sad spectacle of Colin Powell at the UN Security Council, promoting bogus intelligence alleging Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD,) recent statements by American officials such as vice-president Mike Pence and Senator John McCain about an alleged “Russian…
The Killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh – Is Peace in Yemen Possible?
By James M. Dorsey Based on remarks at a 19 December 2017 NUS Middle East Institute seminar The Middle East being the Middle East, everything is interrelated. What happens in the region impacts Yemen and what happens in Yemen impacts the region. The crisis in Yemen, like many conflicts in the Middle…
The Uses and Misuses of Historical Analogy for North Korea
Amid a steady fusillade of ever more capable rockets from North Korea, and an escalating volley of threats and insults flying between Washington and Pyongyang, the crisis in Northeast Asia shows no sign of slackening. On the contrary, as North Korea’s drive for a nuclear-armed ballistic missile acce…