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1051. Brazil Alert: Crime and Elections in Brazil

Author:
Arthur Costa
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
In October, Brazil will hold general elections. Voters will choose a new president, governors for Brazil's 27 states, all federal representatives, all state representatives, and two-thirds of the Senate. With the exception of mayors and city counselors, all the public offices of the Brazilian political system will be up for contention. Along with economic issues, such as unemployment, economic growth, and degree of market openness, as in other elections in the region, the issue of law and order will dominate the presidential election campaign in the coming months.
Topic:
Civil Society, Government, and Politics
Political Geography:
South America and Latin America

1052. The ARF Breaks New Ground

Author:
Brad Glosserman
Publication Date:
08-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The recent meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia Pacific's premier track-one security dialogue, has been applauded as a watershed for the institution—and rightly so. The group's pledge to fight international terrorism breathed new life into the forum. But the real significance of this year's meeting is to be found in the substance of those commitments. Implementation of the measures endorsed at this year's get-together would mark a turning point in the ARF, shifting both its focus and its role.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

1053. History 1, Soccer 0

Author:
Allan Song
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
As the World Cup soccer tournament, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, was beginning, Mr. Aidan Foster-Carter raised the issue of whether the two countries could take advantage of the unprecedented occasion to finally overcome their decades of hostility and forge a truly lasting friendship (“South Korea and Japan: High Time These Neighbors Put Future Before Past,” PacNet No. 22A, June 3, 2002). Although it was an interesting essay, I found the ending odd. He concluded by asking whether South Korea and Japan could finally move forward, but he coyly avoided an answer although it seemed that the answer was obvious to him.
Topic:
Security
Political Geography:
Japan, Israel, Asia, and South Korea

1054. U.S.-DPRK: Setting New Ground Rules

Author:
Ralph A. Cossa
Publication Date:
07-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
Will the U.S. and North Korea ever sit down and talk? In all probability, yes! But the odds remain strong that the dialogue, when and if it happens, will largely remain a dialogue of the deaf, especially given the new ground rules recently laid out by Washington.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

1055. From Dawn to Daylight: Future Challenges for Burma

Author:
Bradley O. Babson
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The release of Noble Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest in Rangoon has been greeted with a mixture of relief and apprehension. While skeptics line the gallery, her National League for Democracy (NLD) Party and the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) have embarked on a phase of dialogue that promises to move from confidence building to policy, and importantly, ethnic minority leaders have been assured that they will participate in this next phase of talks.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
United States, Israel, and Asia

1056. Will Hu Really Govern China?

Author:
Jing-dong Yuan and Phillip C. Saunders
Publication Date:
05-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's first visit to the United States this week has put the spotlight on the upcoming Chinese leadership transition. But will the changeover be a true transfer of power?
Topic:
Security, Democratization, and Development
Political Geography:
Israel and Asia

1057. ASEAN Regional Forum Needs the Defense Ministers

Author:
Ron Huisken
Publication Date:
04-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
For most states in the Asia Pacific, multilateralism is the third leg of the stool supporting regional security. For them, the other legs are a dependable U.S. commitment to the region (anchored by its bilateral alliances) and the development of robust bilateral relationships throughout the region.
Topic:
Security and Nuclear Weapons
Political Geography:
United States, Israel, and Asia

1058. Pyongyang Gets a Second Chance

Author:
Brent Won-ki Choi and Ray Yep
Publication Date:
03-2002
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The "Dear Leader" is flirting with Russia these days. For the past few weeks, there have been reports of various engagements between high officials of Pyongyang and Moscow. They range from trifles like Chairman Kim Jong-il's joining Russian officials to celebrate Russia's Maslenitsa festival to seemingly endless dialogue on economic cooperation. In addition to friendly gestures such as inviting a Russian orchestra to the North's prestigious Mansudae Assembly Hall to perform, Konstantin Pulikovski, representative of Russia's Far East, came to discuss a series of economic cooperation projects with the North. Some reports even suggest Chairman Kim is making a habit of visiting Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov once a week. The latest highlight is the North's proposal that Russia establish a joint nuclear reactor, which Moscow said it would "consider."
Topic:
Security, Democratization, and Development
Political Geography:
Israel, Asia, and Moscow

1059. Iraq's Military Capabilities: Fighting A Wounded, But Dangerous, Poisonous Snake

Author:
Anthony H. Cordesman
Publication Date:
12-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
If we go to war with Iraq, we will go to war with forces that are the military equivalent of a wounded poisonous snake. They are weakened, but still dangerous, and they may lash out in ways that are truly dangerous. In broad terms, Iraq's forces have been in steadily decline ever since the beginning of the fighting in the Gulf War. They have been weakened by military defeat, by the impact of UN inspections, by wars of underfunding and by a decade without significant arms imports. At the same time, they are still the most powerful conventional forces in the Gulf, and Iraq may have some very unconventional weapons.
Topic:
Security and Defense Policy
Political Geography:
United States and Middle East

1060. Biological War and the "Buffy Paradigm"

Author:
Anthony H. Cordesman
Publication Date:
09-2001
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
The most important single message that anyone can communicate in regard to biological weapons is that we face a very uncertain mix of existing threats politics, commercial development, and technology will change constantly as far into the future as we can look. The issue is not what we know, but how little we know and how little we can predict.
Topic:
Security, Defense Policy, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Political Geography:
United States