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A New Realism for American Foreign Policy?
February 24, 2009 3 min. read

Given the rise of new powers in the world and America’s relative decline, do the neo-cons in the Republican Party and the liberal institutionalists in the Democratic Party both have it wrong on foreign policy?  Do we need a new realism in American foreign policy?  John Hulsman, a scholar at the German Council on Foreign […]

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What do the Experts Think?
February 24, 2009 1 min. read

The most recent edition of Foreign Policy reveals the findings of a survey of international relations professors in the United States. Inside the Ivory Tower highlights the professors’ views on US foreign policy priorities and rising powers. When asked which country they would fear surpassing the US as the world’s hegemon, Russia topped the list […]

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Great Powers – how do the Rising Powers rank?
February 23, 2009 1 min. read

Our friend Patrick Frost from the Afghanistan FPA blog has done a very interesting post on Great Power Politics, ranking the world’s “Great Powers” in terms of their power, economy, resources, ideology and state strength.  According to the top 10 rankings, the US comes out ahead, but China appears to be giving Washington quite a […]

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SCO and Iran
February 23, 2009 2 min. read

The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) has grown in prominence during the past several years as a regional counterweight to NATO.  Comprised of China, Russia, and 4 of the “Stans” (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan), the SCO was formed in 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions.  The organization […]

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Is China the only one still shopping?
February 20, 2009 1 min. read

At the Foreign Policy Association’s Rising Powers blog, we have highlighted news stories about China’s buying and lending spree across the globe, including in Russia and Latin America.  Today’s New York Times published an article detailing strategic deals China has made with natural resource companies worldwide, exploiting today’s low equity prices and dearth of capital […]

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Nobody is immune: Brazil’s Embraer hit by global recession
February 20, 2009 3 min. read

The recession this year may not in fact be global.  Planet Earth could possibly squeak by with slightly positive growth in 2009.  This is thanks to growth, albeit slower, in the major Emerging Market economies, notably the BRICs, and in spite of contraction in the advanced industrialized world.  Certainly, forecasting growth this year will be as accurate […]

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China Promotes Trade in Latin America
February 19, 2009 3 min. read

China’s rise has been export-driven, like Japan’s and Korea’s before it.  China took note during the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s that foreign exchange reserves are king.  By keeping its currency undervalued, China has encouraged exports (the latter helped as well by tax rebates) and amassed foreign exchange.  With the drivers of demand […]

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Russia and China in massive energy deal
February 18, 2009 1 min. read
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On Tuesday, Russian and Chinese leaders signed a massive $25 billion energy deal.  The agreement sees Russia providing energy-hungry China with secure oil supplies (300,000 barrels per day) for the next 20 years.  In return, China will provide Russia with advantageous loans with $15 billion to Rosneft (the state-owned oil company) and $10 billion to […]

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Russia's Resurgence in Latin America
February 17, 2009 2 min. read

Russia’s recent increased ties with Latin American countries can hardly go unnoticed.  In late 2008, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev paid visits to Venezuela and Cuba, Peru and Brazil, securing a host of bilateral deals.  Medvedev concluded his visit by stating: “Russia has already returned to Latin America, including Cuba”.  Read more about his visit here.  […]

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India's Rising Green Revolution?
February 16, 2009 1 min. read

Tom Friedman wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times today casting some light on various green enterprises in India, focusing on the specific example of a solar-powered car made by India’s Reva Electric Car Company and driven by 2 American women across the Subcontinent.  Other than referencing the Indian Youth Climate Network, Friedman’s piece […]

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Islamist Militancy – A Rising Power
February 16, 2009 3 min. read

Al-Qaeda. Taliban. Hezbollah. Hamas. Jamaah Islamiyah. Islamic Courts Union. al-Shabaab. Fatah al-Islam. The Muslim Brotherhood. Abu Sayyaf. Lakhshar-e-Taiba… the list goes on. These are just a few of the many organizations that can be described as “Islamist Groups”. Though Wikipedia is not a proven reliable source for facts, it does have a list of many […]

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Clinton to visit China after President Hu makes the rounds
February 14, 2009 3 min. read

American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is headed to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China this week for a series of talks aimed at strengthening ties across the Pacific Ocean.  Clinton has outlined that her priorities for her trip include: A more “rigorous and persistent commitment and engagement” with allies in Asia Working with Asian […]

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