Hillary Clinton is often seen as a near certainty to win the Democratic nomination, if not the Presidency in 2016. Jon Kofas explains why you would be foolish however to write off the Republicans or even other Democrats in 2016.
Swagata Saha discusses what the potential membership of India and Pakistan would mean for the future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
According to European, American and Ukrainian sources, Russia has invaded Ukraine. The conflict has finally evolved into a conventional war, and yet policymakers in the Ukraine remain reluctant to actually declare war. After all, it has become customary for states to fight wars without declarations and if Ukraine is to declare war it will only legitimize more Russian attacks and allow Russia to play the role of the injured. The Ukrainian dilemma over the word “war” is an apt illustration of how words matter in international politics.
One month ago, Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 was shot down in Ukraine in an event described as a game changer for the insurgency. Many pundits felt that “Russia” or “Putin” would have to de-escalate the crisis and back away from supporting the insurgency. A month later we can say that the game changer was clearly nothing of the sort and it isn’t hard to see why.
Conventional wisdom suggests that economic interdependence between the great powers reduces conflict. Whilst the general argument makes sense, recent Russian actions in Ukraine highlight how genuine economic interdependence is, much like nuclear weapons, hard to apply in a deterrent strategy. Dr. Simon Leitch, Alochonaa’s Editor in Chief for Foreign Policy and International Affairs, argues that, the rise of the economic interdependence between strategic rivals like Russia and NATO, or China and some of its neighbors, will complicate deterrent strategies, perhaps even to the advantage of the aggressor.
In this analysis, Dr. Simon Leitch downplays the risk of Russia’s further extension beyond Crimea.In Leitch’s words: “If I were in Putin’s shoes right now I would be happy with things the way they are. Crimea in the pocket, NATO humiliated and Ukraine politically divided – it’s a good week’s work for the Kremlin.”
Alochonaa (Dialogue) 