World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

American elections are a curious phenomenon, and they tend to mystify non-Americans.  The interesting thing about American elections is how many assumptions are taken as “given” by most Americans, even though some of those assumptions are contestable.  The theme that “explains” this critical lack of self-awareness is American exceptionalism.  The New York Times ran a great op-ed examining this critical theme.

We’re beginning to get more information about the Greek Party, Golden Dawn.  Right wing movements often start during periods of economic turmoil, and the rise of this party has been nothing short of meteoric.  What is also interesting is that the party leading in polls in Greece right now is the hard left party, Syriza.  The polarization of politics is not confined to just the US.

The New York Times reported that the US had agreed  “in principle” to have bilateral talks with Iran over its nuclear program.  If true, and the report was immediately denied by the Obama Administration, it would mark a significant breakthrough in US-Iranian relations. Despite the denials, it seems unlikely that the Times would have published such a blockbuster report unless it was absolutely certain of its sources.  We’ll see how this unfolds.

There has been another escalation in the Syrian crisis: the assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, the intelligence chief of Lebanon’s internal security forces.  al Hassan was killed in a massive car bomb blast that killed 7 others.  As of this writing, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Hezbollah, a close ally of Syria has condemned the attack.  But most analysts suspect that Syria had some role in the killing.  The Guardian is posting live updates to this story for those who wish to follow it carefully.

As Greece struggles with its third general strike in a month, and as the deadline for reaching agreement with the IMF, the EU, and the European Central Bank grows closer (mid-November when Greece literally runs out of money), perhaps an even more serious crisis is affecting Greek society: the rise of the neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn.  The party is doing remarkably well in the polls, and its members are taking to the streets attacking those it regards as immigrants with impunity.

The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo contains the remains of 14 Japanese soldiers who were convicted of war crimes after World War II.  As such, it is anathema to citizens of countries which were occupied by Japan; for some Japanese, however, the shrine is a sacred place, honoring those who upheld a distinctive sense of military tradition.  Visits to the burial places of the war criminals are statements, and the recent visit by some prominent Japanese politicians has stirred up the already hostile feelings in China toward Japan.  It is clear that some in Japan see anti-Chinese statements are politically useful.

There are more slaves today than at any other time in human history.  Most people consider slavery to be a thing of the past, but it remains one of the most persistent of all human evils.  Many, however, are working hard to eradicate the institution and the BBC reports on some important developments in the struggle.

The Washington Post ran an interesting article on the different factions in Syria.  It provides a good background on the groups and what their interests seem to be.  As you read the article, remember that no group is monolithic and that stereotyping the groups is a misleading and dangerous thing to do.  But interests do tend to “cluster” and such simplifications are necessary for some degree of analysis.

We’ve had several class discussions about the relation of the nation to the state.  There are, in fact, many more nations than there are states (193 nation-states are members of the United Nations).  The forces that rip apart established nation-states into smaller units more closely identified with specific nations is called, appropriately, nationalism.  Nationalist forces are a constant feature of world politics, and the contemporary period has witnessed the emergence of nationalist movements in a number of nation-states that were once thought of as seamlessly unified: Scotland, from Great Britain; Quebec, from Canada; and the Flemish people in Belgium.

There is a very, very faint glimmer of hope in Syria.  The UN’s (and Arab League’s) special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimki, was in Iran trying to broker a three day cease-fire to coincide with the religious holiday, Eid al-Adha, which begins on 25 October.  A three day cease fire may not sound like much, but it could provide an opportunity for the UN to administer humanitarian aid and to establish some sort of foundation for a more sustained presence.  I would not get my hopes up.  Much depends on the response of the US and Turkey, as well as the Sunni Arab states who would be very suspicious of any plan hatched in Iran.

No one really knows how the process of globalization will unfold.  The first wave of globalization in the 19th century ended in the disaster of World War I and it did not restart until 1945.  In the last twenty years, this second wave of globalization has accelerated beyond belief, and many of our current policies simply assume that it will continue unbroken.  There are, however, some analysts who believe that globalization carries within it the seeds of its own destruction.  This essay is an example of such thinking.

As many of you know, I follow news about income inequality very carefully, since I believe that it is one of the major consequences of globalization.  The Economist ran a great article on income inequality with some hard data that is quite revealing.  The more the process continues, the more I fear the problem of underconsumption.  Somehow the world has to figure out a way to stimulate demand.

Exactly fifty years ago today, the Cuban missile crisis began–an episode that brought the world close to nuclear war.  Foreign Policy has a great blog post that is filled with links for those you who wish to learn more about the crisis.  Much of what we thought we knew about the crisis has turned out to be either wrong or incomplete.  I suspect that there is much more yet to learn.

The IMF has admitted that its historical emphasis on “austerity” programs (once called “structural adjustment programs” or SAPs) was ill-conceived.   This comes as no surprise to some observers, who long argued that the IMF cures were often worse than the diseases.  But the admission does cast a different light on the current ideological debate about whether cutting deficits is more important than stimulating economic growth.  We will wait to see if there are any practical implications to the admission.

The US Federal Reserve Bank has been under attack from many developing countries for a number of months.  These countries believe that the Bank’s policy of “quantitative easing” artificially causes their currencies to increase in value and thereby increases the price of their exports (and reduces the price of imports from the US).  The Bank Chairman, Ben Bernanke, attempted to refute this charge, but it is clear that his argument was not persuasive to many.

Malala Yousafzai has been airlifted to England for medical treatment.  Her attempted assassination has provoked a massive outpouring of support from Pakistan and abroad.  In response, the Pakistan Taliban has threatened journalists who are covering the protests.

The quiz on 17 October will be on the blog entries from 11-15 October and the Wilberforce and  Tharoor readings.  I will not ask any questions about the Universal Declaration, but everyone should read the articles.

Chrystia Freeland published a fascinating essay in The New York Times which addresses the phenomenon of how income inequality affects political power.  This argument is, of course, central to the proposition we have discussed in class: that concentration of wealth leads to concentration of political power which then results in underconsumption and collapse.  Although she uses evidence from contemporary America, I would encourage those in the class who know other societies as well to consider whether her arguments are relevant.  Since it is a long essay, I will not post any other articles for today.

The Times of India ran an editorial that is a true breakthrough in Indian-Chinese relations.  The editorial called for an open discussion of the 1962 war between India and China, a war that has bedeviled relations between the two countries for 50 years.  What is remarkable about the editorial is that The Times of India was a principal cheerleader for the war when it occurred.  The change of heart is long overdue and let’s hope that the leaders of both countries grab this opportunity.

There have been several attacks on computers in the US, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar that appear to be quite serious (30,000 computers in the Saudi Arabian petroleum industry were wiped clean).  The virus is called the Shamoon virus and US officials strongly suspect that Iran is the source of the attacks.  If true, then we are witnessing an escalation of a cyberwar initiated by the US and Israel to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program.  It is not at all clear how a cyberwar ends.

Turkey has made a strong appeal for international action in Syria, essentially reiterating its strong anti-Assad position and maneuvering the world to support its position.  The reference to Bosnia in Erdogan’s statement forces the world to acknowledge its earlier failures when confronted with a humanitarian crisis.  Not coincidentally, the main opponent to effective action in Bosnia was Russia, as is true in Syria today.

An unsteady peace has been broken in Egypt as tensions rise over the writing of the new constitution.  Secularists and Islamists fought in Tharir Square following a court decision on the previous violence in the Square during Mubarak’s rule.  We can expect these tensions to persist for some time; we can only hope that they don’t escalate.

There is an ongoing debate about what is necessary to protect the global environment.  Some of the monetary estimates of what it might cost to protect species from extinction sound prohibitively expensive, but the sums are comparable to what is being spent on what some might regard as less urgent matters.   The BBC has an article on some of these costs.

Growing income inequality across virtually every part of the planet (except for some parts of Latin America) seems to be a product of globalization.  But its political effects are, over time, quite corrosive and destabilizing.  Efforts to address income inequality have been stymied by an excessively ideological framework imposed by both the right and the left.  The Economist has published an essay which asks us to look differently at the problem.