Jihadists were already finding it hard to operate in North Africa before the Arab Spring of 2011. Since then their problems have become almost insurmountable: they thrive only in countries where Islamists are in prison, not where they are in the ascendant or contesting elections. As for Europe, the last attacks instigated by al-Qaida date back to Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Jihadism looks less like a rising phenomenon in the north of Mali than a force in retreat. The French intervention may well give them purpose and greater coherence.
Though the results of Israel's recent election point to the creation of a new and potentially more conciliatory government, Steven A. Cook saystensions between Jerusalem and Ankara run too deeply for a single election to make much difference.
Benn Steil's column in Dow Jones' Financial News, co-authored with Dinah Walker, shows why last March's Greek debt restructuring left Greece in poor shape to avoid financial collapse
British Prime Minister Cameron gave these remarks at Bloomberg in London on January 23, 2013. He discussed his view of the future of the European Union and his plans to hold a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership.
Prime Minister David Cameron, weakened domestically, must try to affirm Britain's future in the EU without being entangled in new moves toward EU integration, says Chatham House's Robin Niblett.
Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Philip Gordon made these remarks during a Media Roundtable at the U.S. Embassy in London, England, on January 9, 2013, and addressed the possibility of Britain leaving the EU.
Somewhat overshadowed by his longtime ally, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul has begun to carve out a more independent, progressive path.
This act grants permanent normal trade relations with Russia and was signed into law on December 14, 2012. See also the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. The U.S. Treasury Department releases sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, which bans specific Russian citizens from entering the United States. The Russian Foreign Ministry recently released a list in response, banning specific U.S. citizens from entering Russia.
Still in its infancy, the international anti-corruption movement has the potential to enhance and augment human-rights rhetoric enormously. Both rely on arguments about justice, fairness, and the rule of law.
"Europe's leaders were right about the pressure. Monetary union without banking union will not work, and a workable banking union requires at least some elements of fiscal and political union. But they were wrong about the irresistible part. There is no inevitability about what comes next."
Authors: Konstantin von Hammerstein and René Pfister
"She currently holds the fate of Europe in her hands. If the euro is rescued, Merkel will get most of the credit, and if it falls apart, she will be forced to shoulder the blame. No other German chancellor has had as much power on the European continent as the current one. And yet, ironically enough, none of Merkel's predecessors were as dispassionate about the European Union as the woman currently governing from the Chancellery."
Elliott Abrams examines recent news of Jews in Denmark being warned against openly wearing religious symbols amid rising anti-Israeli sentiment in Copenhagen.
The passage of a new trade bill that takes aim at Russia's human rights record could complicate the Obama administration's efforts to improve U.S-Russian relations, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.
EU leaders at this week's summit are expected to advance a banking union crucial to restoring confidence in the eurozone, but its full implementation is a long way off, says CFR's Robert Kahn.
Frank G. Klotz observes that the United States and Russia have been at loggerheads lately. Thus, a recent bit of bilateral cooperation in Antarctica comes as welcome news.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
Two experts argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country's economy. More
