RealClearWorld Articles

On September 19, U.S. President Joe Biden made history as he met with the leaders of the five Central Asian states. No U.S. president had previously met with the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, and what transpired was an attempt to strengthen ties between the United States and this region. Known as the C5+1 Diplomatic Platform, the leaders of these six states met in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly this week. “This is a historic moment. We’re building on years of close cooperation between Central Asia and the...

Iraq’s Anbar Province is an incredible story of resilience and rebuilding and amazingly has now become one of the best opportunities for investment in the Middle East. As governor of Anbar in 2017-18, and a native of the region, I am proud to be a part of its resurgence, which was led by the will and can-do spirit of our people. Instead of being beaten down by conflict, the people of Anbar showed themselves more determined than ever to reclaim its peace and promise. In addition to the remarkable resilience and self-determination of its people, Anbar boasts abundant natural resources, an...

Back in the 70s and 80s, people from various countries flocked to the United States to chase the so-called ‘American Dream’ of economic opportunity and social mobility. Long seen as the land of opportunity, the U.S. was an attractive destination especially for those fleeing economic difficulties and political instability in their home countries.Today, however, the tables have turned. Westerners are building their startups and chasing the digital nomad life in continents like Asia and Africa. People from countries considered to be emerging economies are actively looking for new...

Not so long ago, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s Beijing visit, many in the U.S. reacted to his expressed desire to avoid confrontation with China with indignation, labeling the leader a fool and a puppet. Evidently, the backlash didn’t phase Macron. He doubled-down, saying that “being an ally does not mean being a vassal… [or] mean that we don't have the right to think for ourselves.” When it comes to responding to fluctuating China-U.S. tensions, Macron believes that for Europe no response is the best response. And as much...

Doubtlessly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to significant ramifications within Russia and without. With an estimated Russian death toll of some 120,000, Vladimir Putin and his people have found themselves bogged down in a grinding attritional war that has invoked comparisons to the trenches of World War I. With a major conflict raging and nuclear threats being hurled from the Kremlin with reckless abandon, Europe faces a much more dangerous world than at any point since the end of the Cold War. Interestingly, though, the most seismic transformations...

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Russian President Vladimir Putin was determined to take over the country. For years, the Russian president published false information, stating that Russians and Ukrainians were “one people,” that Ukraine was not a real country, and that Ukraine should be part of Russia. In the initial stages of the war, the Russians gained much territory. The invaders entered Ukraine through the north, east, and south. The Russians also believed they would conquer the country in a matter of days. But the Ukrainians held their ground. They defended...

The Biden administration is seeking authority to support $21 billion in loans through a new International Monetary Fund trust to support climate change, health care, and other development activities outside of its remit. This mission creep is unwise, unnecessary, and not so coincidentally would create a path to circumvent statutory restrictions on the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to support abortion oversees.  The IMF has a challenging, but straightforward, purpose: to promote international monetary cooperation, global trade, exchange stability, and support an international system...

As Senegal stands on the cusp of an energy boom with its recent discovery of substantial oil and natural gas reserves, the nation faces a pivotal crossroads between economic prosperity and the risk of descending into autocracy. The energy boom's significance extends beyond Africa toward Europe’s ongoing struggle with Russian aggression, holding promise to help European nations reduce Russian oil and natural gas influence with a new supplier. This juncture also comes at a time when governments with strong Western ties across Africa are falling following a series of coups, amplifying...

It’s time to admit that the United Nations and the United States no longer share common values. While the U.S. remains committed to the promotion of representative government, decentralized power, and the defense of individual freedoms, the U.N. is dedicated to centralizing control and the promotion of tyrants. In March, the United Nations released a proposal for creating an “emergency platform” response protocol for future “complex global shocks.” Such an emergency response could be triggered and extended unilaterally by the ​​U.N. Secretary-General. These...

As the United State’s economic turmoil has subsided in recent months, President Joe Biden has seen some good press about his allegedly strong economic policy. A quick look at the oil and gas industry over the past three years, however, would show how squishy those claims really are. A more likely explanation for the relief our economy is experiencing would be the recently established flow of oil from Venezuela into the U.S. energy market—and given the broken state of Venezuela’s oil industry, these improvements won’t last long.  President Biden has always...

Recently, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the progress of Afghanistan’s Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, $670 million, 285-kilometer canal to irrigate 550,000 hectares of land by diverting 25% of the flow of the Amu Darya River.    Irrigating northern Afghanistan has been a priority for Kabul since Afghanistan’s first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, planned the canal in the 1970s. The Amu Darya, which is Afghanistan’s border with Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, originates in the Hindu Kush and Wakhan in the Pamir Highlands of Afghanistan, and...

The recently released film ‘Oppenheimer’ has drawn public attention to the real and present danger of nuclear weapons. This is long overdue, as the nuclear threat has often been overshadowed in public discourse, despite these weapons presenting as much of an existential risk as the climate crisis. The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic measure of humanity's vulnerability to global catastrophes, was recently adjusted from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds. There are multiple reasons for this. Over the past twenty-five years, the global nuclear security architecture has come under...

Today marks Ukraine’s Independence Day, its second since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and the first celebrated during Ukraine’s touted summer counteroffensive. Much has been said about the anticipated success and realized failures of this military operation, though it must be cautioned that real-time tactical and operational analysis often overlooks long-term strategic implications.   More importantly, the focus on blood spilled on the battlefield has been a distraction from the more critical lifeblood spilling forth from Ukraine’s...

The news that China is tipping into deflation poses many challenges. But it could contain at least one unappreciated benefit for the world. The travails besetting China’s economy may well derail what a growing number of observers see as an “inevitable” path to a U.S.-China war. Scholars and pundits have highlighted a potentially catastrophic dynamic known variously as a “power transition,” “commitment problem” or more recently as “the Thucydides Trap.” This theory predicts war between countries as they transition in relative...

On August 15, when Santiago Peña becomes president of Paraguay, few observers outside this South American nation of seven million will think twice.   In contrast to recent swings of power in Brazil and Colombia and the tumultuous elections now unfolding in Ecuador and Guatemala, Paraguay appears an island of stability. Peña’s conservative Colorado Party will remain in office as it has for all but five of the past 75 years—a durable political machine that in April’s election broke the anti-incumbent tide sweeping Latin...

As Chinese presence expands into Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States remains comparatively unimaginative, if not inactive. Three years ago, Foreign Policy authors Andrés Malamud and Luis Schenoni confidently assured the world that “with a dwarfing economy and squarely under U.S. hegemony, [Latin America] may be less relevant globally than at any point in the past few centuries.” Yet to anyone looking today, the region has clearly become a crucial pawn for regimes ranging from China to Iran. While the U.S.’s opponents strengthen ties with our...

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that automakers are worried that the Inflation Reduction Act’s renewable energy incentives, which often require materials sourced in the U.S., are going to make the “green transition” more expensive. But the Biden administration’s all-out push for electric vehicles, solar panels, and other mineral-intensive green technologies fails to recognize the dangers of U.S. dependence on a hostile China. Before the U.S. can undergo any semblance of a “green transition,” it needs to wean itself off of...

Russian forces began attacking Ukrainian port cities and threatened cargo ships entering Ukrainian waters within days of its exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The deal brokered by Turkey allowed Ukraine to continue grain shipments abroad as the war raged on. Despite the global impact of Russia’s recent escalations, United States policymakers should remain cautious, and focus on reducing tensions with Russia. Turkey has had success negotiating with Russia previously, and the United States should encourage Turkey to find diplomatic means of easing the burden of...

China has become America’s greatest competitor and will most likely remain so for the next few decades — and if recent headlines are to be believed, the U.S. is headed to its downfall. Apparently, the U.S. is losing in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, the Middle East — the entire Global South. This month, Brookings called the U.S. a “losing superpower.” Such alarmism shouldn’t cloud our judgment. The U.S. has done well pushing for its own interests and advancing its values around the globe. Where it could improve is in using public...