Algeria must prioritize economic change amidst COVID-19 and political crisis In the midst of widespread popular discontent with the regime led by the Hirak movement, resource-wealthy Algeria continues to struggle with the same socioeconomic challenges it has faced for a decade. Only now, the country’s economic standing has been further complicated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the recent drop in oil prices. The former…
Wed, 02 Dec 2020 21:56:38 +0000 Iran will lose the battle, but win the war The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, the architect behind Iran's nuclear program, has raised the spectre of a major conflict in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in January. Iran is under unprecedented pressure at home (facing economic reverberations of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign) and in the region (as Tehran struggles to protect…
Tue, 01 Dec 2020 21:58:51 +0000 Reviving nuclear arms control under Biden The Biden presidency that begins in January will adopt some very different directions from its predecessor in foreign policy. One such area is arms control, particularly nuclear arms control with Russia — the one country capable of physically destroying America. President-elect Biden understands that arms control can contribute to U.S. security, something that President Donald…
Tue, 01 Dec 2020 13:51:14 +0000 The impact of COVID-19 on the Italian far right: The rise of Brothers of Italy As the Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, received international and domestic support for its efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in spring 2020, some argued that populism and nationalism had receded and that there was now a greater role for experts in politics and an overall sentiment of national cohesion during tough times. Yet a lot…
Mon, 30 Nov 2020 19:31:06 +0000 A case for optimism on US-Taiwan relations President-elect Biden and his team soon will confront a raging pandemic, a severe economic crisis, demands for progress in addressing racial injustices, intensifying climate-induced crises, and strained relations with allies and partners in many parts of the world. They will be oriented to view China as America’s greatest geostrategic challenge, but not the most immediate…
