Diplomatic shifts in the warming Arcticdoi: 10.1080/13567888.2010.549778pmid: N/A
The summer of 2010 saw the third-lowest amount and extent of Arctic sea ice ever recorded. For the third year in a row both the Northwest Passage between Greenland and Alaska and the Northern Sea Route between Norway and Kamchatka were ice-free – something that had not happened before 2008 in recorded history. As the physical state of the High North is changing, so too is the diplomatic environment.
AU's regional force still on standbydoi: 10.1080/13567888.2010.549775pmid: N/A
This has been an important year for the African Standby Force (ASF), which was established by the African Union (AU) to enable quick reaction in moments of regional crisis. Envisaged as a means of supplying rapid regional responses to regional problems, a fully operational ASF would have the potential to supplement the United Nations as a guarantor of African security. But although all five of its regional brigades were to be ready to implement the full range of scenarios envisaged for their use by 2010, it is still some way from reaching this target.
India and China eye each other warilydoi: 10.1080/13567888.2010.549774pmid: N/A
When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits New Delhi on 15–17 December he will find the political mood quite different from when he was last there nearly five years ago. While it is often claimed that Asia is large enough to accommodate the simultaneous emergence of both China and India as rising powers, India is visibly concerned over Beijing's growing attention to South Asia, and especially over China's more assertive approach to a longstanding border dispute. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in September that ‘China would like to have a foothold in South Asia and we have to reflect on this reality… It's important to be prepared.’
German armed forces face big changesdoi: 10.1080/13567888.2010.549772pmid: N/A
The path for wide-ranging reform of Germany's armed forces (Bundeswehr) has been cleared. Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has been given the green light by the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) to suspend conscription and model the ‘new Bundeswehr’ with a view to future operational requirements, while streamlining the command structure and procurement process.
Saudi Arabia: testing times aheaddoi: 10.1080/13567888.2010.549776pmid: N/A
A series of recent events has drawn international attention to the prospects for Saudi stability and security. On 22 November, King Abdullah departed for medical treatment in New York. A few days later, the government announced that that there had been 149 al-Qaeda-related detentions over the previous eight months. Separately, an al-Qaeda plot originating in Yemen to bomb aircraft was exposed. Finally, American diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks revealed the king's intense private concern over Iran. These events have served as a reminder of the range of domestic and international challenges Saudi Arabia faces over the next few years. However, past experience suggests it is a mistake to underestimate the strength and adaptability of the Saudi political and social system.