Deadlock on climate change
In December, thousands of people will converge on Copenhagen for a crucial climate conference. Representatives from 192 countries face a deadline to reach agreement on a global treaty to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. But as Copenhagen draws nearer, diplomats and negotiators are struggling for consensus on tackling climate change.
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Ethnic strife in Xinjiang
July’s major riots in Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, have renewed questions about China’s policies for managing its ethnic minority populations and border regions. Following similar riots in Tibet in 2008, the unrest in Urumqi shows that the combination of firm security and economic development has not succeeded as much as the government hoped it would.
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New impetus for test ban treaty
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) has moved up the international agenda, since US President Barack Obama’s recent promise to ‘immediately and aggressively pursue US ratification’ of the treaty. Is what former president Bill Clinton called the ‘longest-sought, hardest-fought prize in arms control history’ finally within reach?
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South Africa under Zuma
Four months ago, Jacob Zuma ascended to the South African presidency, after a long and acrimonious battle for power within the ruling African National Congress. Now, fresh tensions are building in the ANC, while a wave of labour disputes is testing the government’s resolve as it grapples with the first recession since the end of white rule in 1994.
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Election crisis in Moldova
After two rounds of parliamentary elections in Moldova and high-profile street protests, Europe’s last Communist government has been forced out by a fragile coalition of opposition parties. But without enough seats to elect its own president outright, the coalition faces a daunting task in holding on to power.
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