Receding prospects for Middle East peace
Efforts to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian issue stalled in 2009, with both sides preoccupied with tackling domestic imperatives and restricted in their bargaining power by hardliners in their leadership. Attempts by the Obama administration to persuade the parties to make short-term sacrifices for the good of the long-term peace process have produced few results, save to demonstrate the limits of Washington’s influence in the region.
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United States struggles to craft Pakistan policy
United States President Barack Obama is keenly aware that the problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan are closely related. But while his plans in Afghanistan are relatively clear, he has struggled to craft a successful policy towards Pakistan. Rather than being viewed as a reliable partner promoting Pakistan’s security and prosperity, the US is viewed by Pakistanis with mistrust and suspicion. If Obama fails to strike the right balance, the risk is that both anti-American sentiment and the dangers emanating from Pakistan will grow further.
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China's successful anti-missile test
On 11 January 2010, China conducted a successful missile-interception test, marking its entry into the small group of nations with anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capabilities. Apart from China, only the United States and Russia have systems designed for missile interceptions outside the earth’s atmosphere. The low-key nature of Beijing’s announcement was a sign of both its cautious optimism about further ABM developments, and its understanding that it still has a vast amount of work to do before it can establish even a moderate regional-level ballistic-missile defence (BMD) infrastructure.
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UAE leads Gulf nuclear-power plans
The United Arab Emirates’ plan to become the first Arab country to operate a nuclear power plant came a step closer to fruition with the announcement in December 2009 that it had selected a Korean consortium to build four nuclear-power reactors. Though other Gulf states have in recent years declared their intention to explore nuclear power, the majority of their plans appear to be on hold. Fears that their nuclear-energy aspirations might be a preliminary step towards acquiring a nuclear deterrent against Iran have so far proved unfounded. The UAE’s programme poses little risk of proliferation and could establish a positive example for other Middle Eastern states considering nuclear power.
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