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On September 2012, a Congolese doctor stood before the world's leaders at the United Nations General Assembly and denounced the mass rapes of women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the impunity enjoyed by those responsible. Dr. Mukwege said he was ashamed of the international community's failure to stop these atrocities. A month later, he was attacked in his residence in Bakavu, DRC, and was forced into exile. Dr. Mukwege, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 and in 2013, returned to the Congo earlier this year in January to resume his work at the Panzi…
Following the breakdown of autocracies in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya in early 2011, the international community turned its attention to China, the largest single-party-rule-state in the world. Analysts and commentators have debated the likelihood of a similar round of popular protests and demonstrations in China.[1] At the 48th Munich Conference on Security Policy, U.S. Senator John McCain warned the Arab Spring would spread to China. “I have said on many occasions and I will say again the Arab Spring is coming to China as well,”said McCain.[2] Will the Arab Spring ignite similar…
A Chinese construction project in Belarus recently gained quite a bit of media traction. The truth is, however, Chinese investment in Belarus has been growing steadily since 1992. As the trend continues, it has become apparent that EU and U.S. economic sanctions on Belarus fail to instigate the change so desired. Moreover, the sanctions have actually become a point of exploit for Chinese companies such that Belarus is now a market where Chinese firms are not only welcome to assert themselves, but can also enjoy such benefits like a tax-free market entryway into Russia.
Over the last decade, rising powers emerged as powerful contestants of U.S. leadership in cyberspace. However, while their joint rise has led to growing institutionalized cooperation among them, their contestation of the U.S.’s role in the cyber arena has varied greatly, hinging heavily on each state’s political system.
Mining represents a great opportunity for economic growth, especially for emerging economies. It is often seen as the path to prosperity. However, the mining industry is a double edged sword. Countries in Latin America are managing to attract significant foreign investment. In Chile, the extractive sector’s participation in the economy has tripled in the last 10 years, reaching 15% of GDP. In Colombia and Peru, it has doubled to 10% of GDP. The Santos administration in Colombia has made mining one of its top policy priorities.
However, there may be significant downsides to mining, as governments…