Americas, Asia and Middle East

Introduction and recent updates

Introduction

Tweet

The Americas, Asia and Middle East section offers academic analysis of geopolitical trends, tensions and risks in these three regions.

The 35 contributions to this section seek to answer questions such as:

• How have the relationship between China and the ASEAN recently developed?
• What are the roots of the conflict in Jammu-Kashmir?
• Why are some conflicts in the Middle East so hard to resolve?

Andrea Teti: Egypt in 2012

March 2013

Andrea Teti shares his views on the most significant developments in Egyt:

Andrea Teti: 2012 - The Arab Spring in Egypt: From Uprising to Revolution?

"For a time, it was unclear whether the armed forces intended to protect their interests by intervening in politics directly, or by striking a bargain with part of Egypt’s political elites, but eventually it became clear that a deal had been struck with the Brotherhood in which the army would keep its privileges, the Brotherhood would be allowed to govern, and the ‘deep state’ would remain essentially untouched."

Saul Cohen: US in 2012

January 2013

Saul Cohen shares his views on the most significant geopolitical developments and US foreign policy:

Saul Cohen: 2012 - Events that Impacted US Foreign Policy

[SC] "America will no longer have any need to import oil from the Middle East. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and West Africa have more than ample capacity to fill US needs. This, along with the overthrow of established governments, will hasten America’s shift of interest away from the region in which it has had such strong influence. The implications are especially profound for Israel and for Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States."

Nathalène Reynolds on India

March 2013

Dr Nathalène Reynolds, Visiting Fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute in Islamabad, gives an introduction to the communists in India:

Nathalène Reynolds: Communist Party India, Left Movement, West Bengal, Naxalites

"The weak level of electoral success of India's communists is traditionally explained by a combination of factors: the division of Indian society by caste rather than by class; the respectability attained by those deemed Hindu nationalists; and lastly the rise since the 1990s of regional parties."

Arne Westad on China's foreign policy

February 2013

Arne Westad is Professor of International History at the London School of Economics. He talks about his new book "Restless Empire", stressing the complexity of both Chinese self images and China's history:

Arne Westad: Restless Empire - China and the World since 1750

"The current conflicts all come out of the past. Many Chinese are furious with Japan simply because it is seen as attempting to replace China from its rightful position as Number 1 within the region. This is less about islands in the East China Sea or even about World War II than one should think. It goes deeper than that."

Recommended contributions

Melanie Hanif on India's foreign policy

December 2010

In two interviews, Melanie Hanif (German Institute of Global and Area Studies in Hamburg) focuses on among other topics the IBSA forum, the profile of the European Union in India, regional cooperation and the Indo-Chinese ties:

Melanie Hanif: India's foreign policy, energy security and the nuclear deal

Melanie Hanif: India's regional interests, identities, instability and integration

"In the light of the identity dimension of the India-Pakistan conflict it becomes clear that a technical tit-for-tat approach which focuses exclusively on territorial disputes will hardly solve the underlying conflictive dynamics."

Ian Storey on China, ASEAN and the US

March 2012

Dr. Ian Storey is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore. In this interview, he elaborates on the relationship between China and the ASEAN members and the Sino-American balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region:

Ian Storey: China, ASEAN, bilateral relations, maritime boundary claims, diaspora

Ian Storey: China, Asia-Pacific, US military capabilities, hegemony, balance of power

"To supplement the policy of engagement, some Southeast Asian countries also chose to hedge. Hedging acknowledges that in an uncertain strategic environment, the United States’ military presence underpins regional stability by acting as a counterweight to a rising China."

Think tanks and US foreign policy

October 2010

Donald Abelson is Professor of the Department of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario.

In this interview, he elaborates on his book "A Capitol Idea: Think Tanks and US Foreign Policy". What does he hope to achieve with the book? Why is it so difficult to define the concept 'think tank'? And what explains their relatively strong position in the US?

Think tanks: definition, their influence and US foreign policy - Donald Abelson

"Think tanks, not unlike corporations in the private sector, must compete in a marketplace where ideas, like commodities and other consumer products are aggressively marketed. Think tanks may not be concerned about quarterly gains and losses as corporations are, but they must nonetheless compete among themselves and other idea peddlers to attract the attention of key stakeholders."

Iran's ties with China, India and Russia

July 2010

Mahdi Ahouie (Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue in Geneva) explains what role economic, political and security considerations play in the relationship between Iran and China, India and Russia, and discusses the their mutual interests.

Mahdi Ahouie: Iran's relationship with China, India and Russia

"China has become a major foreign direct investor in Iran’s oil and gas industry, replacing Iran’s former Western partners. China has also developed cooperation with Iran in various economic and technological fields such as the building of Tehran’s metro system, railways, and construction sector. China has supported Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear technology, rejecting any military solution to the current crisis over Iran’s nuclear program."

All Pages in this Section

Summer School - Country Risk Analysis

Scholars A-Z (Americas)

• Donald Abelson: Think tanks - definition, their influence and US foreign policy
• Saul Cohen: 2012 - Events that Impacted US Foreign Policy
• Saul Cohen: 2011 - Global Events and US Foreign Policy
• Julien Mercille: US foreign policy towards Iran

Scholars A-P (Asia)

• Judith Akkerman: New regionalism of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• David Criekemans: North-Korea - Model UN Simulation Exercise (2009)
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Germany, Bundeswehr, Kunduz, Afghanistan, ISAF, NATO, FAZ, SZ
• Melanie Hanif: India's foreign policy, energy security and the nuclear deal
• Melanie Hanif: India's regional interests, identities, instability and integration
• Julien Mercille: Afghanistan's politics, security and drugs

Scholars Q-Z (Asia)

• Claude Rakisits: The Afghanistan–Pakistan vortex 1 – The rise of the Pakistani Taliban
• Claude Rakisits: The Afghanistan–Pakistan vortex 2 – The security situation in Afghanistan
• Claude Rakisits: The Afghanistan–Pakistan vortex 3 – The role of the international community
• Nathalène Reynolds: Communist Party India, Left Movement, West Bengal, Naxalites
• Nathalène Reynolds: Jammu-Kashmir conflict - history, identities and resolution
• Nathalène Reynolds: Pakistan - Women's rights, civic society and Benazir Bhutto
• Ian Storey: China, ASEAN, bilateral relations, maritime boundary claims, diaspora
• Ian Storey: China, Asia-Pacific, US military capabilities, hegemony, balance of power
• Various contributors: 2012 - South Asia: US-Pakistan relations, ISAF, Great Game, Kashmir
• Arne Westad: Restless Empire - China and the World since 1750

Scholars A-B (Middle East)

• Mahdi Ahouie: Iran's foreign policy objectives, security concerns, global position
• Mahdi Ahouie: Iran's nuclear program, Bushehr, Non Proliferation Treaty
• Mahdi Ahouie: Iran's relationship with China, India and Russia
• Mahdi Ahouie: Iran's geographic complexity, defensive capacity, US military invasion
• Gideon Biger: Palestine's history and origin of the borders

Scholars C-Z (Middle East)

• Leonhardt van Efferink: Lebanon's sovereignty 1 - a history of its territory, people and political system
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Lebanon's sovereignty 2 - the military, social and political rise of Hezbollah
• Leonhardt van Efferink: Lebanon's sovereignty 3 - Stephen Krasner's four concepts (conclusion)
• Sherif Elgebeily: Kurdistan - armed conflict or peaceful settlement?
• Sherif Elgebeily: Kurdistan - federalism, sovereignty and independence
• Andrea Teti: 2012 - The Arab Spring in Egypt: From Uprising to Revolution?
• Andrea Teti: 2011 - Egyptian Uprising, Regime Change, Muslim Brotherhood
• Andrea Teti: Middle East - political reforms, regional powers and external actors
• Andrea Teti: Middle East - security, Sunni-Shia divide and the Palestinian question
• Andrea Teti: Middle East - Resource Scarcity, Hydrocarbons and Hydropolitics

More info about pictured books

After clicking with left mouse button on book cover, an Amazon page (or publisher's) with book info appears in a new browser window.