Regional Analysis - Related

China—Leader or Laggard on the Path to a Secure, Low-Carbon Energy Future?

jdunton — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

There has been a great deal of talk about whether and how China will manage its need to provide enough energy to ensure continued economic growth while avoiding the local and global environmental impacts of its energy production and use. To listen to the political discourse, China is either a global leader on clean energy technologies and transformation or the largest source of emissions with serious, systemic local environmental degradation. How can it at once be a low-carbon leader and a laggard?

Hemisphere Insider: Volume II, Issue 1 - January 2012

Mgraybeal — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

IN BRIEF: Cuba, Honduras, Southern Cone, Foreign Relations

UPDATES: Chile's Former President Ricardo Lagos Discusses New Book; Upcoming Events; Elections 2012

Egypt in Transition: Insights and Options for U.S. Policy

dholodnik — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Egypt’s leadership has dashed expectations for a swift and complete shift from autocracy to democracy. The inherent conservatism of Egypt’s military leadership, combined with the political ineffectiveness of many of the activists who were at the center of public protests a year ago, is widening the gap between public expectations of the post-Mubarak era and its reality.

A New Security Architecture for the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The Arctic will experience extraordinary economic and environmental change over the next several decades. Commercial, human, and state interaction will rise dramatically. More drilling for oil and gas in the region and growing shipping and ecotourism as new shipping routes come into existence are just a few of the examples of increased human activity in the Arctic.

PacNet #3 - Comparative Connections Summary

ellise — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

It's been an Asia-centric four months. The US proclaimed America's "pivot" toward Asia, while North Korea faced a pivotal moment following the death of Kim Jong Il.

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

Iran and the Threat to "Close" the Gulf

sherry — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

There is nothing new about Iran’s threat to close the Gulf, but it does need to be put in context. Iran is reshaping its military forces to steadily increase the threat to Gulf shipping and shipping in the Gulf of Oman, It also is gradually increasing its ability to operate in the Indian Ocean.

Hemisphere Focus: Belize Is Emblematic of Counterdrug Dilemma in Central America

Mgraybeal — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Poor Belize. It reportedly has no air surveillance radar, only one working light airplane in its air wing, 19 patrol boats, and a handful of 4 x 4 vehicles to transport its 2,000-member defense and police forces over an area the size of Vermont.

Managing Brazil's Boom

Mgraybeal — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: Brazil's Global Reach, Argentina's Election

PROGRAM HIGLIGHTS: Central American Security Integration: The Greater Regional Response

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Haiti, Peru, and Trade Updates

Wider Europe, Fall 2011

bbocka — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A Warning for Bosnia
Excerpt "An insightful report just released by the U.S.-based Democratization Policy Council and the Sarajevo-based Atlantic Initiative issues a stern warning about renewed ethnic violence in Bosnia. The authors, who are seasoned Balkan analysts, are not predicting imminent violence, but their warnings need to be heeded by international actors who assume that the current status quo can last indefinitely."

Hemisphere Insider Volume I, Issue 5- September 2011

cwatson — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: Venezuela's Midas Moves, Post 9/11 U.S.-Hemispheric Relations

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Security and Democracy in Central America, Disaster Response in the Dominican Republic

IN BRIEF: Mexico, Colombia, Oil and Trade Updates

PacNet #51 - Taking Stock of Japan Six Months After 3/11

bMizuno — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As Sept. 11 nears, the US prepares to remember the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC. For Japan, the date marks six months since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit. While Japan continues to grapple with a multitude of problems unleashed by the disasters, coverage of Japan’s daily struggles has all but disappeared from global media.

China's New Balkan Strategy

bbocka — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Communist China did not assume a direct role in the volatile Balkan region until the late 1970s. Despite robust cooperation with Albania, mainly built upon a shared opposition to Soviet claims of world communist leadership, it was not until the summer of 1978 that Beijing articulated a coherent policy to deal with Southeastern Europe.

A New Narrative for Mexico

cwatson — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

UP CLOSE: A New Narrative for Mexico

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Returning Government to Colombia's Post-conflict Zones

IN BRIEF: Canada, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Chile updates

Russia Looks East

jdunton — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Russia’s status as the world’s largest producer of hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas) today is principally the result of massive Soviet investments in western Siberian oil and gas fields dating back to the 1950s.

Security Implications of the Changing Energy Landscape

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Even before the onset of the credit crunch and the global economic meltdown, energy markets were already in the midst of signifi cant change. Energy demand growth earlier in the decade had eroded existing spare capacity, creating persistently tight markets in which any geopolitical or weather-related supply interruption often resulted in precipitous spikes in commodity prices.

Nuclear Power after Fukushima

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Japan’s tragic March 11 earthquake and tsunami have triggered the most serious nuclear emergency in 25 years and have raised questions about the future viability of nuclear power in the energy system around the world.

Hemisphere Insider Volume I, Issue 2 - April/May 2011

cwatson — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In Brief:

Understanding Saudi Stability and Instability: A Very Different Nation

mentman — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Saudi Arabia is scarcely immune to protest and dissent, and has long struggled with the challenges of reform. What is most striking about the Kingdom over the past weeks of crisis, however, has been the lack of any major challenge to government and the way it functions

Middle East Civil Unrest and Oil Prices

ian — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: How have increased political tensions and antigovernment demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa affected global oil supplies?

Transitional Justice in North Korea: Accountability for Human Rights Atrocities

nanderson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Around the 1990s the international community eventually directed its attention to the atrocities in North Korea (NK: hereinafter) when the realities of these atrocities began to surface, piece by piece, from the live testimony of slave labor workers in Siberia, a former guard and survivors in the concentration camps, and numerous defectors hiding mostly across the Chinese and Russian borders.<

Potential Secure, Low Carbon Growth Pathways for the Chinese Economy

lhyland — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The CSIS Energy and National Security Program commissioned this paper as part of its ongoing work focused on the implications of secure, low carbon pathways. The following paper, prepared by Jiang Kejun of the Energy Research institute, part of the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines the possible pathways that China could follow to reach its energy and climate goals

South Asia Monitor: Beyond Kashmir's Summer of Violence

udukkipati — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Nearly six months of regular violence in Kashmir have brought to the fore a new generation of protesters, unimpressed by the traditional separatist leadership and armed with stones—and the Internet. India’s appointment of three non-politicians as “interlocutors” with the Kashmiris has raised some hopes.

Hemisphere Highlights Volume IX Issue 9 - December 2010

cwatson — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

HEADLINES

Managing the Challenge of Russian Energy Policies

jdunton — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, the leaders of Russia, including then-President Boris Yeltsin, searched for new methods of continuing to exert influence over the former Soviet-controlled region. The Kremlin at first used an energy blockade to the Baltic States in 1990 in an attempt to prevent their breakaway from the Soviet Union.

Green Dragons

jdunton — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The negotiations held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009 fell well short of global expectations. The UNFCCC process is intended to reach an agreement in which near-term national interests are set aside in the interest of future generations of the world as a whole.

Central Asia's Pipelines

lhyland — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

"Central Asia's Pipelines" is an essay from the NBR 2010 Energy Security Conference report: Pipeline Politics in Asia: The Intersection of Demand, Energy Markets, and Supply Routes, which presents key conference findings and explores the strategic, market, and geopolitical ties that have emerged from the rise in pipeline development in Asia.

Bulding the City: India's Urban Future

udukkipati — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The shadows of the Beijing Olympics and World Cup loom large over India’s upcoming Commonwealth Games. Disguised as global sporting events, these nationalistic displays are designed to showcase the strength of a country’s culture, economy, and people.

Geopolitics and Energy in Iraq

jdunton — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Geopolitics and Energy in Iraq addresses issues related to the March 7, 2010, Iraqi national election; the selection of a prime minister; and whether the promise of that election will be fulfilled. If a functioning government is not seated, will the country return to the sectarian conflicts that characterized its past? Senior Iraqi officials fear that the U.S.

Asia's Response to Climate Change and Natural Disasters

jdunton — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This new report by energy, regional, and humanitarian disaster specialists at CSIS examines the politics of climate change in Asia, the region’s response to natural disasters, and the implications for the future geometry of Asia’s institutions and U.S. policy in the region. The assessment looks broadly at two areas of nontraditional security cooperation in Asia: (1) climate change, including the domestic political factors in Asia and the regional strategies for securing low-carbon pathways; and (2) regional approaches to disaster management. The volume draws on case studies to assess the utility of existing and emerging institutions—the promises as well as the problems—as the United States and the region seek greater cooperation on both traditional and nontraditional security challenges. The authors discuss the problems related to lack of coordination at different levels, the uncertain role of the military, and continuing gaps in resources and expertise in key organizations.

Lack of Transparency in Russian Energy Trade

jdunton — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A major challenge to the new democracies of Central Europe is the corruption and lack of transparency in the importing of oil and natural gas from Russia and other energy producing states once part of the Soviet Union. This situation also undermines good governance and ethical business practices in the large and wealthier countries of Europe.

Impact of Iran Sanctions Legislation: An Energy Perspective

mentman — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q: Last week, the House and Senate both overwhelmingly approved legislation (HR 2194) authorizing the president to sanction businesses that supply Iran with refined petroleum products or help Iran to produce them. How does this legislation target the energy sector, and how effective is it likely to be?

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill

sherry — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This is the second installment of Critical Questions related to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drill rig and the subsequent oil spill that has resulted from the failure of the well to be capped and shut down. Readers are referred to our earlier (April 23) feature entitled Gulf Oil Rig Explosion for additional details and commentary.

CSIS-EKEM Policy Report Number Two

bbocka — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The fall of communism and the ensuing Yugoslav wars of the 1990s rendered the region especially vulnerable to organized crime, human trafficking, smuggling, and corruption. Officially tolerated or politically sponsored criminality was commonplace due to the enduring legacy of communism and international sanctions during the wars of Yugoslav succession.

U.S. Strategic Interests in the Arctic

jdunton — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

During the height of the Cold War, the Arctic region was considered a geostrategic and geopolitical playground for the United States and the Soviet Union, as strategic bombers and nuclear submarines crossed over and raced below the polar cap. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the region diminished in strategic importance to the United States. Now, 20 years later, senior U.S.

Gulf Oil Rig Explosion

sherry — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q: This week an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and caught fire. At this time, 11 crewmen on that rig are still missing. Does of this tragic accident have any implications for U.S. energy supply?

The Ides of November - How November Defines US Engagement in ASEAN

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Put yourself in Kurt Campbell’s shoes – Jeff Bader’s moccasins would work too – and think about this November. It’s not quite a horror movie – more like Gallipoli.

Bringing Energy Security to East Central Europe

jdunton — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The energy security challenges that for the past two decades have confronted the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe (CSEE) continued into 2010. The European Union still lacks an effective common energy policy or even a common energy market. The divisions between the interests of the older and newer EU members persist.

Unequal Partners

ian — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Sidney Weintraub examines the current relationship of Mexico and the United States as one of sustained dependence and dominance. The chapters examine the consequences of this imbalance in six major policy areas: trade; investment and finance; narcotics; energy; migration; and the border.

Geopolitics of the Iranian Nuclear Energy Program

jdunton — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Relations between the United States and Iran in recent months have been defined by Iranian intransigence and U.S. stubbornness, all because Iran has continued to insist its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes whereas the United States and allied countries remain convinced the real purpose is to produce a nuclear weapon.

Russia-Europe Energy Relations

jdunton — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In this report, the author argues that the national security risks posed by Russian energy policies are only tangentially related to Europe’s dependency on Russian energy imports. The primary energy risk to Europe, and especially to the newer EU members, stems from the corrosive effect this dependency has on governance and on transatlantic cooperation.

The Day after Copenhagen

ian — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

As the international negotiations on climate change in Copenhagen draw nearer, negotiators and political leaders are struggling to combat the growing public perception that the talks are destined for failure.

Kazakhstan's OSCE Chairmanship

jdunton — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) designated Kazakhstan as its chairman-in-office (CiO) for the year 2010. The selection of Kazakhstan to chair a major European organization is a precedent: it is the first post-Soviet country, the first predominantly Muslim country, and the first Central Asian country to be entrusted with such a responsibility.

Energy and Geopolitics in China

jdunton — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The world was surprised when China emerged in 2004 as a major importer and consumer of oil. Today, that surprise has been replaced by growing concern that the China of tomorrow may be in a position to challenge the United States not only for economic leadership but for political leadership as well.

Africa at the UN General Assembly

pfrank — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The 64th UN General Assembly meeting is under way in New York, with its centerpiece event, the ministerial session, due to begin on Wednesday, September 23. African leaders are filing into Washington, D.C., and New York City over the coming days in preparation for the annual flurry of diplomatic activity and their chance to address world leaders at UN headquarters.

The Geopolitics of Russian Energy

jdunton — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Russia is a major player in both oil and gas exports, and much of the country's current and likely future economic growth is based on the income these exports will generate, particularly when high market prices prevail. When prices and demand decline drastically as they have recently, dependence on export income becomes a burden.

Russian Energy Dependency and the Conflicting Interests of Old and New Europe

pfrank — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

When the new democracies of East Central Europe (ECE) were accepted as members of the European Union (EU), there was a widespread expectation among the new democracies that being part of the EU would provide crucial “soft security” in the event that Moscow reverted to more aggressive policies in the region.

Transatlantic Cooperation for Sustainable Energy Security

shassaine — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0400

We are in a decisive interval for the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic community and the 32 member states that belong to either the European Union and/or NATO.

A U.S.-Canada Clean Energy Dialogue

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

A central topic of the meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada on February 19 was how to approach the climate change challenge and, in particular, how to

The European Gas Crisis

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Russia and Ukraine are locked in a bitter dispute over natural gas prices, payments, and transit fees.