The Carnegie Endowment has published a very good assessment of the current situation in Syria. The bottom line of the analysis is that Russia’s policies towards the world and the region are the key to any resolution of the civil war. Russian interests have, over time, solidified in favor of protecting the Assad regime, but that policy is gradually losing credibility and respect. Whether the other members of the UN Security Council can persuade Russia to change its policy vis-a-vis Assad is the critical question.
Paul Krugman has been relentless in his critique of the austerity policies being pursued by many governments and international organizations. His analysis is firmly rooted in statistics and he frankly acknowledges his own bias as a Keynesian who believes that governments should stimulate an economy that is depressed. He has written a very comprehensive review of several books that have recently been published on the austerity/stimulus debate. It is a long essay, but I highly recommend it.
The democratization of Burma is truly a significant event–the end of military rule in the country was one of the most important events in the last few years. Unfortunately, the Muslim minority–known as the Royinghas–has not enjoyed the new freedom. Instead, the persecution of the Muslims in the country has significantly increased.
World Politics News 
Dear Vinnie,
I am a British student who very much appreciates your regular posts. I am very glad my friend Piyari Paienjton whom you have taught this year at Mount Holyoke forwarded your blog to me! I thought you might be interested in this article in the New Statesman, about the future of the world for the next 100 years. Looking at the decline of a single global hegemonic power combined with internal politics in the individual countries he talks about how we must not be complacent with the thought that because of our economic interconnection and dependence there will be no more wars (as did many before the first world war). I found it a very interesting read. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/04/next-hundred-years
Best wishes,
Robin Tyne
LikeLike
Dear Robin,
Thanks for the link to an excellent article. It is interesting how many scholars are returning to geopolitics as a useful framework for analysis. After World War II, most thought that geopolitics was too archaic and inflexible. The resurgence of interest is due to the increased emphasis on resource scarcity, and it is undeniable that these constraints will become increasingly important. Whether those issues will make conflict more likely is open to question (as, as you rightly point out, interdependence does not necessarily make cooperation more likely). For me, the real question is the extent to which military conflict is at all useful in resolving those resource disputes. Do we go to war to prevent deforestation? Will military power make fresh water more available? The ability to deny access to resources is actually available to many weak military powers (including on-state actors). We’ll have to see how these dynamics play out.
Again, thanks for a great article.
Best,
Vinnie
LikeLike