World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

Reuters is reporting that the US will be sending a “small” number of special operations forces to Syria.  This is the first time that combat troops have been sent to Syria.  The troops will be in support of the Syrian Free Army, a small rebel force opposed to both the Assad regime and the Islamic State. The move places the US in opposition to the Russian and Iranian forces which are operating in Syria in support of Assad.  Given that Russian planes have been bombing the Syrian Free Army, one can only hope that the US and Russia have been carefully talking about how to avoid  confrontation.

China has announced that it is ending its “one-child” policy.  The policy was implemented during the early years of the People’s Republic as a way to avoid overpopulation.  It has, however, led to several problems.  From a public policy point of view, the policy led to a demographic shift which made older Chinese people the dominant age cohort.  That shift has led to labor shortages and constant upward pressure on wages.  But the policy was never popular among the Chinese people who tended to favor boys over girls.  That preference led to female infanticide and corruption as couples bribed officials to permit another child in hopes of getting a male child.  On the other hand, the pressure for smaller families is just as intense in China as it is in other wealthier countries.

The Christian Social Union (CSU), one of the parliamentary partners in Angela Merkel’s coalition government, is threatening to leave her cabinet in protest over her handling of the refugee crisis.  Such a move would threaten Merkel’s ten-year hold on German politics and expose a growing cleavage in German society.  The issue of immigration is fast becoming a highly volatile one in German politics and one that could lead to a change of government.