During his recent tour of Europe, United States President Obama displayed a humbled diplomacy. Is this the end of American exceptionalism? Is this a sign of America’s decline and indication of its weakness? Not necessarily. Some view Obama’s conciliatory tone as a symbol of an overextended superpower without adequate influence to dictate events. In reality, […]
The discussions were imperfect and the actions were inadequate, but it was better that they met than not. Last week, leaders representing nearly 90 percent of the global economy convened to solve the world’s economic ills. There were no absolute remedies offered, but did the Group of 20 summit address the hopes of rising powers? […]
Show throwing is quickly becoming a popular form of protest. Both former United States President George W. Bush and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao previously fell victim. This week, Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram became the latest world leader to enjoy the dubious distinction of having a shoe thrown at him. If it’s a sign […]
0. United States President Barack Obama called for a “world without nuclear weapons” in a speech last weekend in Prague. A peacenik ideal or calculated political move? Both. Hours after North Korea fired a rocket over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, President Obama outlined his vision for a nuclear-free world. Getting to zero may […]
Nicholas Kristof, Moises Naim, Martin Wolf and Fareed Zakaria recently discussed the global economic crisis and American foreign policy on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Mr. Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, commented that we are “seeing a power shift and an emergence” of others, but Mr. Wolf, a columnist for the Financial Times, emphasized that the […]
United States President Barack Obama enjoys the number one ranking in both popularity and influence of the world’s leaders, according to a recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune. The survey measured the views of adults in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States. Leaders of […]
Ukraine – Orange Revolution Myanmar – Saffron Revolution Georgia – Rose Revolution Lebanon – Cedar Revolution (OK – Cedar isn’t really a color, but it’s quite descriptive) Moldova? All these nations had popular revolts between 2004 and 2007. The Bush Administration moved quick to give them cute and happy names to express support for them. […]
When assessing the global balance of power, we typically measure the relative hard and soft power of states. Apparently, Japan is attempting to project an alternative form of influence – cute power. In March, the government announced the appointment of three new envoys of cute. The selections come a year after a cartoon was tapped […]
This was the Turkish proverb quoted by President Obama in his speech yesterday before the Turkish Grand National Assembly to say that the U.S. does not aim to fight extremism through force. The President’s speech was remarkably general, but at the same time, he made some important gestures towards the Muslim world. In case you […]
Political scientists study the power of states, looking at the linkages between a society’s economic and political strengths and its capacity to use or threaten military force. The assessment of a country’s power is made relative to other states in the international system. Yet the use of military force itself is tricky, because it can […]
One of the most vocal rising powers – Russia – shone on the world stage this past week. President Dmitry Medvedev made his way to the G20 Summit in London via Berlin. He met with several world leaders, agreeing on economics with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, forging a stronger bilateral relationship with Chinese President Hu […]
The world’s eyes now turn from London to Strasbourg, France and Baden-Baden and Kehl, Germany, the homes of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s celebratory 60th anniversary summit. The leaders are set to discuss Afghanistan, chart NATO’s future course, welcome France into the integrated military command, add two new members (now 28 countries in total) and […]
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