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This Week at ISN

03 07 June 2013

Our Weekly Editorial Roundup

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// South America: A (Whole) Region on the Rise?

It is generally accepted that Brazil is South America's political and economic leader, both regionally and globally. This standing, however, has not prevented other local actors from attempting to influence the region's social, economic and political character. This week, we begin by focusing on this competition and then segueing into similar contests.

Drivers of Strategic Contestation in South America

03 June 2013

When it comes to reacting to Brazil's rise as a regional power, states such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela oscillate between outright competition and genuine cooperation. Daniel Flemes and Leslie Wehner explain why these countries modulate their responses as they do.More

Continental Regionalism: Brazil's Prominent Role in the Americas

04 June 2013

In Brazil's eyes, being a 'regional steward' is not only a worthy goal in its own right, it is also a way to gain prominence on the global stage, or so write Susanne Gratius and Miriam Gomes Saraiva. The way to reach both goals is seemingly to work through MERCOSUR and UNASUR.More

The Media Politics of Latin America's Leftist Governments

05 June 2013

Market reforms in the 1990s provided Latin America's media with opportunities to downplay issues confronting the region's most vulnerable communities, writes Philip Kitzberger. In response, South America's leftist politicians were eventually able to capitalize upon growing anti-neoliberal sentiment to consolidate their power and influence.More

The Latin American Spring: Economic and Social Indicators

06 June 2013

Something akin to the Arab Spring has been shaping the social, economic and political dynamics of South America for some time now, or so argues Mark Weisbrot. In this video presentation, he considers the prospects for further social and economic development across the region.More

Latin America and the Caribbean - Economic Growth and the Environment
07 June 2013

South America's continued rise will depend upon how it responds to a number of challenges. Christine Pendzich considers how climate change, the problems facing small economies and a host of demographic issues may shape the region's future development.More

// Security Watch
The End of the German Euro Hawk Programme The Implications for Germany and NATO
03 June 2013

Germany's decision to cancel its purchase of Euro Hawk UAVs has turned into a major political scandal for the Merkel government. Justyna Gotkowska warns that it may also have serious consequences for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program.More

Obama Talks Counterterrorism

04 June 2013

Why was President Obama's recent speech on counterterrorism so important? Three reasons--it laid out America's future counterterrorism strategy; it provided a three-dimensional history on the 'war' against al Qaeda; and it officially aligned the US' views on counterterrorism with those of Europe.More

Filipino Muslim Rebels Take Tentative Steps Towards Governance

05 June 2013

IRIN reports that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently backed a candidate standing in local elections. This and a host of other confidence-building measures continue to add substance to arguments that the rebels now favor dialogue with Manila over violence.More

Time to Dispel Some Myths about Terrorism

06 June 2013

Should 'high-profile' events like 9/11 and the recent attacks in Woolwich guide counterterrorism policy agendas? Gary LaFree thinks not. In this video presentation, he dispels a number of myths associated with terrorism and argues against counter-terror policies largely defined by 'black swan' events.More

Afghanistan on the Brink of Disaster

07 June 2013

In Nasir Shansab's view, Afghanistan is still the failed state it was prior to the 2001 US-led invasion. It's high time, therefore, for the West to 'come clean' about its previous failings and take specific steps to not leave Afghanistan in its present condition.More

// Blog
America's Blinders
03 June 2013

Kishore Mahbubani believes that many Americans are in denial over their country's gradual decline on the global stage. To make things even worse, he argues, public intellectuals who are often tasked with 'thinking the unthinkable' are also shirking their responsibilities.More

After Ahmadinejad
04 June 2013

Why did Ayatollah Khamenei bar two leading candidates from Iran's upcoming presidential elections? Mehdi Khalaji believes that the Supreme Leader wants to avoid the frictions that came to define his relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. More

A New Deal for Fragile States

05 June 2013

Despite the efforts of international donors, approximately one-fifth of the world's population live in conflict-affected and fragile states. Erik Solheim believes that it is now time for international actors and their local partners to radically rethink their approach to dealing with the challenges posed by state failure.More

The Invisible-Border War

06 June 2013

Jaswant Singh worries that the Chinese military's recent incursion into Indian-held territory points to a new willingness by Beijing to resolve its territorial claims on its own terms. If that's true, then other Asian countries can no longer afford to ignore or downplay their border disputes with China any more than India can.More

The Syria Lessons

07 June 2013

When conflicting parties have no reason to stop fighting, there's not much point in trying to stage a peace conference, or so argues Anne-Marie Slaughter. The international community might want to bear her comments in mind while trying to bring the warring parties in Syria to the negotiating table.More

// Video
Brazil's Perspective on the Global Economy
In this installment of the "CFR Internationalist", Carlos Simonsen, who is the President of the Brazilian Getulio Vargas Foundation, describes Brazil's concerns over global financial patterns and what roles it wants to play as a growing international security actor.More

U.S. Dominance in Drone Technology

In this video, Stratfor Military Analyst Paul Floyd examines drone proliferation around the globe and explains the technology's constraints and potential.More

Christopher Sabatini on Latin America

In this video, Foreign Affairs magazine's Gideon Rose talks to Christopher Sabatini, who is Editor in Chief of Americas Quarterly. They discuss how US policymakers and academics should view Latin America; the history of hemispheric and inter-state relations; and Brazil's rise to a position of influence in global affairs.More

Coming Up
Next week, we profile several issues that are set to shape the political and security dynamics of South America over the coming years.

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This Week at ISN 2013-06-07.html[07.06.2013 15:41:46]