(TOPICS - The Global Eye) Urban world: The global consumers to watch (McKinsey)

Dramatic demographic shifts are transforming the world’s consumer landscape. Our new research finds just three groups of consumers are set to generate half of global urban consumption growth from 2015 to 2030.

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US and UK swap high-enriched uranium to support cancer treatment (World Nuclear News)

Some 700 kg of British high-enriched uranium (HEU) will be transported to America in return for a form of the fuel that can be used in research reactors that create isotopes for life-saving diagnosis and treatment.

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CGN boosts cooperation with Czech firms (World Nuclear News)

China General Nuclear (CGN) announced today that it has signed memoranda of understanding with Czech engineering companies to cooperate in nuclear energy.

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GoviEx Uranium and Denison Mines join forces in Africa (World Nuclear News)

GoviEx Uranium Inc and Denison Mines Corp have announced the execution of a definitive share purchase agreement to combine their respective African uranium mineral interests and create "the leading Africa-focused uranium development company".

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Tepco begins ice wall activation (World Nuclear News)

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) announced that it has today started up the equipment to create a wall of frozen soil at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to prevent groundwater entering the reactor buildings. Regulatory approval to partially activate the ice wall was received yesterday.

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Nuclear helps offset dip in UK coal generation, 2015 data show (World Nuclear News)

Figures released today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) show that electricity generation in the UK fell by half a percent last year to 337.7 TWh, from 338.9 TWh a year earlier. The change reflected a large fall in generation from coal that was offset by increases from renewables and nuclear, according to DECC's Energy Trends report for March 2016.

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Fourth Ningde unit connected to grid (World Nuclear News)

Unit 4 at the Ningde nuclear power plant in China's Fujian province has been connected to the electricity grid, China General Nuclear (CGN) announced yesterday.

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Russia plans start-up of first Gen-III+ unit this summer (World Nuclear News)

ASE Group has announced plans for Russia to connect its first Generation-III+ nuclear power unit to the grid this summer. The first fuel assembly was loaded at unit 2 of the Novovoronezh II nuclear power plant in western Russia on 24 March at 3.28am, while the "active phase" of the loading process began the following day.

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(TOPICS - The Global Eye) Smart Homes and the Internet of Things (Atlantic Council)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next step in the evolution of wireless networks. Analysts predict the IoT will double in size to nearly 50 billion devices by 2020, comprising a $1.7 trillion market. One of the greatest opportunities still lies ahead in the form of the “smart home.”

http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/smart-homes-and-the-internet-of-things

Top News: UN, foreign, and rival governments react to GNA’s arrival (Atlantic Council)

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Top News: March 31, 2016 (Atlantic Council)

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TTIP & Trade in Action - March 31, 2016 (Atlantic Council)

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EconSource: Libya Requests UN Sanctions Exemption for Sovereign Wealth Fund (Atlantic Council)

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Before Tallinn Burns (Atlantic Council)

The Third Offset must address NATO’s local numerical inferiorities.

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James Hasík is a senior fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.

Georgia’s President Wants Security Guarantees for Eastern Partnership Countries (Atlantic Council)

Paris, Brussels terrorist attacks add to urgency, says Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili

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Ashish Kumar Sen is a staff writer at the Atlantic Council.

Poland’s President Seeks Stronger NATO Presence in Europe’s East (Atlantic Council)

‘Real deterrence means real presence,’ says Polish President Andrzej Duda

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Ashish Kumar Sen is a staff writer at the Atlantic Council.

Dismantling the geopolitical Bretton Woods (Neelam Deo, Aditya Phatak, Gateway House)

Statements by Donald Trump, the business magnate turned serious contender for the Oval Office, assert that he wants “good” political and economic deals for the U.S. - even if it means dismantling alliances, i.e. the geopolitical equivalents of Bretton Woods that underwrote the U.S .domination in Europe, Asia and Middle East for more than six decades. A new era could dawn.

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Neelam Deo is Co-founder and Director, Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations; She has been the Indian Ambassador to Denmark and Ivory Coast; and former Consul General in New York.

Aditya Phatak is a senior researcher at Gateway House.

Africa: diplomatic flavour of 2016? (Rajiv Bhatia, Gateway House)

India has hosted a plethora of India-Africa conferences, expressing commitment to deepen mutual cooperation. It is further expected that the president, vice president, and prime minister may visit Africa this year, to follow up actively. Indeed, a senior official predicts Africa will even become “the diplomatic flavour in 2016”. An analysis.

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Rajiv Bhatia is Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies Programme at Gateway House, former ambassador to Myanmar, and author of ‘India-Myanmar Relations: Changing contours’ (Routledge).

(TOPICS - The Global Eye) OSCE Agrees to New Confidence Building Measures. Pop the Champagne? (Alex Grigsby, CFR)

Three weeks ago, the members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe agreed to a second series of cyber-related confidence building measures (CBMs). The OSCE includes rivals like Russia, the United States, Ukraine, Georgia, Turkey, and Greece, so reducing the risk of escalatory cyber activity between them is positive. However, a critical look at the new CBMs reveals that only one of them is actually going to work towards that goal.

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ISIS' offline propaganda strategy (Charlie Winter, Brookings)

In the last few years, the Islamic State has expended a staggering amount of energy in pursuit of a position at the top of the global jihadist food chain. Given its sustained control over of huge tracts of land in Iraq and Syria, declaration of a transnational caliphate, and wide-ranging assaults against civilians from Paris to Jakarta, some would say it has achieved this with remarkable efficiency. However, being at the top of the food chain comes with consequences and, in recent months at least, things have not been going the Islamic State’s way: its leaders are being killed, injured or captured at a rate of knots, its financial infrastructure is being decoded and undermined, and foreign fighters are facing more obstacles than ever before.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/03/31-isis-propaganda-strategy-winter

Why the U.S. needs its own Get Online Week (Stuart N. Brotman, Brookings)

This month saw the U.S. celebrate two annual events—Crochet Week and National Bubble Week. Over in Europe, the focus was digital and much more impactful. From March 14-20, the seventh annual Get Online Week took place with a wealth of activities aimed at reducing the digital skills gap and promoting jobs that utilize information and communication technologies (ICT).

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Officials: First return of refugees under EU-Turkey deal set for Monday (EurActiv)

A first batch of migrants are set to return from Greece to Turkey on Monday under the terms of an EU readmission deal reached this month, European Commission sources said.

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What leaving the EU would really mean for British trade deals (EurActiv)

The impact of staying in or leaving the EU for the UK’s global trade has become one of the most talked about questions of the referendum so far, writes Paul James Cardwell.

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Study: Legalising prostitution tackles illegal trafficking (EurActiv)

Legalising and regulating prostitution can contribute to the fight against people trafficking, but more measures are needed, according to a new study. EurActiv Germany reports.

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World, not just Europe, is failing child refugees (EurActiv)

As the EU struggles to deal with the refugee crisis on its doorstep and a record number of unaccompanied minors apply for asylum in Europe, a new report by Human Rights Watch shows that the problem of child refugees remains a global one. EurActiv’s partner El País – Planeta Futuro reports.

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Germany cuts public debt to €2.15 trillion in 2015 (EurActiv)

Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, shaved €24 billion off its overall public debt burden to€2.153 trillion in 2015, the Bundesbank said on Thursday (31 March).

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France pushes transparency rules for meat, dairy companies (EurActiv)

France unveiled plans yesterday (30 March) to increase fines for food firms that do not publish annual results, part of government efforts to bring transparency to price talks blamed for hurting farmers.

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How Europe can help Iraq’s economic development (EurActiv)

The European Union can play a role in the stabilisation of Iraq that could contribute to economic growth and peace while helping stem migration flows from the region, writes Dr. Theodore Karasik.

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Gunmen storm Libya TV station as UN-backed government told to leave (EurActiv)

Gunmen stormed the headquarters of a Libyan television station late yesterday (30 March), as the authorities in control of Tripoli demanded the departure of the newly-arrived prime minister-designate in a blow to hopes for a peaceful power handover.

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Turkey, Greece scramble to start EU deal as refugee arrivals rise (EurActiv)

Five days before Turkey is due to begin taking back illegal asylum seekers from Greece under a deal with the European Union, neither side is fully ready, with officials scrambling to be able to make at least a symbolic start as new arrivals rise.

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India, EU vow to boost anti-terror ties (EurActiv)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a summit with EU leaders yesterday (30 March) to strengthen ties with bloc, vowing to boost counter-terrorism cooperation as he paid tribute to the victims of the Brussels attacks.

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Decision on new plant breeding techniques further delayed (EurActiv)

The European Commission has again delayed a much-awaited legal analysis of whether new plant breeding techniques should be considered GMOs, EurActiv.com has learned.

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Austrians perplexed after being stood up by Iranian president (EurActiv)

Austrian authorities were left scratching their heads after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani cancelled a trip to Vienna at the last minute. EurActiv Germany reports.

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Senior Obama official: Nord Stream 2 and Brexit may weaken EU energy security (EurActiv)

The controversial Russian-German pipeline project Nord Stream 2 will weaken the European Union’s energy security, and Brexit would set back the shared interests of the USA, UK and EU, a senior official in the Obama administration has warned.

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Austria moves to block asylum seekers with tough new rules (EurActiv)

Austria on Wednesday (30 March) moved to further tighten refugees’ access to the country by placing tough new restrictions on asylum eligibility and making it easier to reject asylum seekers at the border.

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Why Isn't Iran at the Nuclear Security Summit? (Navid Hassibi, The National Interest)

As the final Nuclear Security Summit begins in Washington this week, a country whose nuclear program has come in from the cold—Iran—is missing from the guest list, raising questions as to whether it should have been invited. What the United States and others once perceived as a sophisticated, controversial and illegitimate nuclear program has now been brought in line with international norms through last year’s historic deal, which turned the one-time nuclear outlier into a legitimate player whose presence at the summit could have strengthen international nuclear security.

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Does China Need Allies? (Lyle J. Goldstein, The National Interest)

At a conference in China recently, a Chinese scholar seated next to me made the following ominous comment: “The United States is building up its alliances to surround and contain China. But China can also build up alliances to counter the United States.” Many Western strategists are, of course, dismissive of such warnings, on account of Beijing’s long-touted conviction that alliances are outdated and irrelevant. To boot, those states closest to Beijing, such as Pakistan, Laos and North Korea, are not particularly powerful and may form more of a burden than a benefit to Chinese foreign policy. But as a recent article on this forum illustrates, some major Chinese academic strategists continue to advocate for a change in China’s approach.

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NATO and Russia Return to the Nuclear Precipice (Nick Ritchie, Peter Rutland, The National Interest)

In one year’s time, it is possible that Donald Trump will be sitting in the White House. Across Europe, too, nationalist leaders are on the rise.

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Donald Trump and the Politics of Fantasy (Robert A. Manning, The National Interest)

Amid all the “gotcha” journalism fueling this reality TV show masquerading as the Republican primary, Donald Trump’s fact-starved pronouncements on the U.S. economy and military remain insufficiently challenged.

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The Trump Doctrine: Peace Through Strength (Peter Navarro, The National Interest)

Those who insist Donald Trump has no foreign policy are simply not listening. The “Trump Doctrine” is a page right out of Ronald Reagan’s playbook: peace through economic and military strength.

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How the NSC Hijacked U.S. Foreign Policy (Michael Goldfien, The National Interest)

In the last year, the Obama administration began a little-noticed process that should be embraced by the next president: the downsizing of the National Security Council (NSC). On the White House blog, the National Security Council Chief of Staff Suzy George wrote: “[t]o ensure the NSC staff is a lean, nimble, and policy-oriented organization, we are reversing the trend of growth across successive Administrations…” However, while the paring back of the NSC is unlikely to feature in presidential debates or stump speeches, it is a consequential initiative that, if supported by the incoming administration, will help the next commander-in-chief more effectively deploy America’s diplomatic resources.

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Saving the South China Sea Without Starting World War III (Van Jackson, The National Interest)

Greater operational transparency in the South China Sea has become a strategic imperative, and the United States needs to treat it as such by investing greater resources and political capital toward increasing the shared maritime awareness of Southeast Asian states. It simply will not happen without U.S. leadership.

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Xi’s army: Reform and loyalty in the PLA (Jérôme Doyon, Mathieu Duchâtel, ECFR)

The Chinese military is under reform and the transformations are designed to give China greater capacity to project power overseas and to strengthen political control over the military. But the reforms run the risk of encountering major resistance.

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Indecisive Storm: One year of Saudi-led intervention in Yemen's civil war (Adam Baron, ECFR)

It has been a year since the launch of Operation Decisive Storm, a Saudi-led military operation aimed at restoring Yemen’s internationally recognised government to power. Yet still, the conflict in Yemen - the Arab world’s most impoverished country - remains an almost unknown war.

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Letter from Madrid: A chance for resolve on refugees (Irene Lozano, ECFR)

The refugee crisis has, in my view, reflected the present gulf between the current Spanish government of the PP, the Conservative party, and its citizens.

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Europe’s Energy Union: Foreign Policy Implications for Energy Security, Climate and Competitiveness (Thomas Raines, Shane Tomlinson, Chatham House)

By addressing structural divisions between member states, the Energy Union could have a beneficial effect on the EU’s capacity to conduct a unified and effective foreign policy, write Thomas Raines and Shane Tomlinson.

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Headache for Hillary's higher education plan (Jason Delisle, Brookings)

Outstanding student debt grew rapidly in the years following the great recession, as greater numbers of students enrolled in college and borrowed more. Rising college prices surely contributed to that trend, too. Because the bulk of that debt is issued through the federal student loan program, policymakers often respond with proposals to cut the interest rate the government charges. Unfortunately, those proposals hardly change the college access equation—the benefits borrowers receive are trickled out one month at time over decades-long repayment terms after they’ve left school. That point is lost on many lawmakers and presidential candidates, even those who have otherwise put in the time and effort to develop a higher education platform, such as Hillary Clinton.

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A Union for stormy weather (Marta Dassù, Aspenia online)

Jihadist terrorism crosses Europe's borders with seeming ease; old walls and new walls. From Madrid to London, from Paris to Brussels, and from 2004 to 2016, the threat has been continent-wide and long-term. If our response remains a purely national response, we will be fighting a purely defensive and rearguard battle for European security in the 21st century. That is not going to be enough. We need a different kind of effort, we need to fight an offensive and preventive battle.

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Facing climate change: awareness, priorities and instruments (Ted H. Chu, Aspenia online)

On the scientific front, it has become clear that warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and that human activities have played a role in the warming, as the World Bank’s 2013 report Turn Down the Heat and the WEF’s 2016 Global Risks Report show. On the public-policy front, the most significant development is the collective voluntary commitment to climate-change mitigation that came out of last year’s 21st annual conference of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris. Some may call this a milestone of global awareness and cooperation - perhaps not as dramatic as the first satellite picture of Earth that created an instant awareness of how closely our fate is tied together, but certainly more concrete. We now have 196 countries and regions in agreement on climate change. With 2015 the final deadline for creating a new accord, COP21 produced the first-ever, universal, legally binding, global climate deal.

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La lunga marcia "green" della Cina (Emanuele Scimia, Aspenia online)

La ricorrente immagine di una Pechino soffocata quasi perennemente da una spessa coltre di polveri inquinanti non rende giustizia agli sforzi che la leadership cinese sta compiendo per contrastare il degrado ambientale del Paese. La Cina sta facendo la propria parte nella lotta ai cambiamenti climatici. Un impegno, quello dell’ex Impero di mezzo, che ha preso forma ben prima della COP21, la Conferenza delle Nazioni Unite (Onu) sui cambiamenti climatici, tenutasi lo scorso dicembre a Parigi.

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Translating Europe's COP-21 commitment into reality (Simone Tagliapietra, Aspenia online)

The COP-21 climate conference that was held in Paris in December represented a historical step in the global fight against climate change. For the first time ever developed and developing countries agreed to establish a multilateral agreement (known as the Paris Agreement) aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2°C.

http://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspenia-online/article/translating-europes-cop-21-commitment-reality

Migranti, spiragli nella rotta balcanica (Enza Roberta Petrillo, AffarInternazionali)

Ora che il controverso accordo Ue-Turchia per contenere la crisi umanitaria è passato, ci si chiede cosa accadrà sul campo, lì al confine greco dove più di 30.000 migranti forzati premono alla frontiera macedone al ritmo del countdown disperato per entrare in Europa. Dal 21 marzo, l’entrata in vigore del piano ha cambiato di fatto le carte in tavola sovvertendo potenzialmente l’approccio adottato fino ad ora.

http://www.affarinternazionali.it/articolo.asp?ID=3388

Salve e pallettoni nel bazooka di Super Mario (Simone Romano, AffarInternazionali)

Il 10 marzo 2015 iniziava ufficialmente il quantitative easing europeo, il massiccio programma di acquisto di titoli da parte della Banca centrale europea, Bce, per un totale di 60 miliardi di euro al mese fino a settembre 2016.

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The scourge of rural Madagascar: Child labour in domestic work (ILO)

Ravaka is 14. Since the age of 12, she’s walked to work instead of school.

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Migration Policy Practice (Vol. VI, Number 1, February-March 2016) (IOM)

This edition of Migration Policy Practice focuses on a range of themes, namely, migration and IT connectivity, the labour immigration system of Sweden, new migration and development strategies, and migration trends in the Arab region.

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Few new pledges at U.N. talks to resettle Syrian refugees (IOM, Reuters)

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on countries on Wednesday to re-settle nearly half a million Syrian refugees in the next three years, but only Italy, Sweden and the United States immediately announced plans to play a part.

http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-refugees-idINKCN0WW0L3

Put the refugee 'crisis' in context — UNHCR (Melissa Fleming, IOM, devex)

As the war in Syria enters its sixth year, blocked borders and folded arms now greet people trying to escape bombs and bullets.

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Migrant Arrivals in Italy Spike in Early 2016 (IOM, The Maritime Executive)

The number of refugees reaching Italy by sea is rising this year, with about 60 percent more arrivals through March than during the same period in 2015, says Italy's interior ministry.

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Uncertainty among migrant crowds as EU readmissions to Turkey loom (IOM, dpa international)

Greece is planning to employ translators and print leaflets in Arabic to persuade at least 5,700 migrants crowding waiting areas in Athens' Piraeus port to move to regulated camps, Radio Athina 984 reported.

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'The crisis in South Sudan can’t be solved with more money. We need peace' (IOM, The Guardian)

Humanitarian funding for South Sudan has collapsed, according to Unicef. NGOs and aid agencies share their outlooks for the country

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Haiti migrants no longer stranded on desolate border (IOM, AP)

Forced out of the Dominican Republic, Anise Germain and her family pitched a flimsy tent of blankets and cardboard on a patch of rocky ground just across the border in Haiti. She feared they might never leave the camp.

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How the AP busted an international seafood slavery racket (IOM, Poynter)

Journalists at The Associated Press knew that labor abuses in Thailand's seafood business were an awful but open secret. They wanted to tell the story of an industry rife with human trafficking, abuse, slavery and murder. And they wanted to make the world pay attention.

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Asia-Pacific Agencies Call for Investing in Youth (IOM, IISD Reporting Services)

A thematic working group including 12 UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a joint report on the region's youth. The report emphasizes that investing in youth, who make up 60% of the global population of 15- to 24-year olds, will be crucial for successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Young people around the region contributed to the report, which was released in December 2015.

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Amnesty report alleges labor abuse at Qatar World Cup venue (IOM, AP)

Migrant laborers faced abuse that in some cases amounted to forced labor while working on a stadium that will host soccer matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a new report released by Amnesty International alleged Thursday.

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(TOPICS - The Global Eye) Two Iranian Cities Join UNESCO Creative Cities Network (Iran Review)

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Behavioral Patterns in Iran’s Northwestern Geopolitics (Fatemeh Safavi, Iran Review)

Behavioral patterns are those methods and approaches, which various political actors adopt toward one another on the basis of multiple principles of geography, politics, power, and interests. These patterns are adopted by various actors, including states, political leaders, civil institutions, nongovernmental organizations, as well as economic, social and media institutions and institutes, religious leaders and institutions, and the likes of them toward one another, regardless of whether the other party is a friend, or enemy, or rival or ally.

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Obama came to Havana to bury the last remnants of the Cold War (Yossi Mekelberg, Al Arabiya)

President Obama’s visit to Havana last week belongs to the grand spectacles of history. Though it should have happened a long time ago, for irrational reasons it remained elusive, resisting the change of times. The animosity and venom directed towards Cuba from the United States, since its revolution in 1959, deserves to be examined through psychological analysis rather than foreign policy theories.

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Why Nowruz face-off poses a new challenge for Rowhani (Camelia Entekhabi-Fard, Al Arabiya)

Nowruz day (the vernal equinox and the first day of the year in the Iranian calendar) is considered the most festive and celebratory day in the country. Family and friends who may have fallen out with one another set their differences aside and reconcile on this occasion. Keeping this custom in mind, the messages of New Year’s greeting delivered by politicians are usually conciliatory while also elaborating a general policy that the supreme leader and the president like to pursue.

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Why refugees shouldn't suffer because of terror ‎attacks (Brooklyn Middleton, Al Arabiya)

The barbarity inflicted on innocent civilians during the ISIS-executed attacks in Brussels last week should not be capitalized on as a chance to abandon the Syrian refugees fleeing similar horror.

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Inside the village of mercy for Myanmar's landless poor (Laura Villadiego, Al Jazeera)

Aye Aye Thin, 44, is worried about her retirement. In six years' time, her husband will stop receiving the salary he makes today as a civil servant. Then, Aye, her husband and their five children will have to leave the government house they currently live in.

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Fallujah crisis: 'We are being left to slow death' (Salam Khoder, Al Jazeera)

Thousands of Iraqi civilians in Fallujah city are "dying of hunger", according to residents and local officials.

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Palestine Land Day: Here we shall stay (Lamis Andoni, Al Jazeera)

On March 30, 1976, Palestinians marched against an Israeli decision to expropriate 2,000 hectares of land around the Arab villages of Araba and Sakhnin as a part of a plan to "Judaise the Galilee".

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When is the next Libya intervention? (Richard Seymour, Al Jazeera)

The British press brings news that SAS fighters have been operating in Libya for several months, alongside Jordanian forces.

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An honorable past, imponderable future (Neil Berry, Arab News)

On March 26 the Independent newspaper appeared on newsstands for the last time. The title survives in online form but its demise as a hard copy publication signals the end of a noble venture in British journalism.

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Needless political drama (Muhammad Waqas, Arab News)

We are indeed witnessing interesting times in the politics of Pakistan again. The surprise return of Mustafa Kamal, ex-mayor of Karachi, has created a storm in the country’s political circles as he lashed out at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), his former party, leadership and made startling “revelations” in a series of press conferences. Since then, he has also announced the creation of a new political party, which will strive to uphold national interests, empower the common man and promote accountability.

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Beware of deception (Sabria S. Jahwar, Arab News)

A translated text of a speech purportedly made by US President Barack Obama is making the rounds on social media in Saudi Arabia that has the potential to widen the growing gap between the West and Muslims.

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Losing perception battle (Rajeev Sharma, Arab News)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is exposing itself to an unnecessary and avoidable risk of losing the perception management battle.

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(TOPICS - The Global Eye) Reforming the Arab Security State (Yezid Sayigh, Project-Syndicate)

Experience across the Arab world demonstrates that when it comes to security-sector reform, technocratic approaches are inadequate. Simply put, a technocratic focus on upgrading skills and operational capability, in the absence of improved governance of the security services, can be easily subverted by anti-reform coalitions, resulting in the continuation of regressive patterns of behavior.

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Plan B for the Global Economy (Andrew Sheng, Xiao Geng, Project-Syndicate)

In March, meetings of the G-20, the Chinese National People’s Congress, and multiple think tanks all reflected a growing awareness of the risks to the global economy posed by deflation and intensifying financial instability. In mitigating these risks, the path that China takes will be particularly important. But avoiding a hard landing in China is a necessary but insufficient condition for global recovery.

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Expecting the Unexpected in America (Christopher R. Hill, Project-Syndicate)

When the United States’ new president gets down to work in January 2017, some obvious foreign-policy issues will already be waiting – some more patiently than others. Some of these will be perennial problems in need of no introduction: North Korea and its nuclear ambitions, China and its global ambitions, Russia and its spiteful ambitions, and of course, the Middle East and its dysfunctional ambitions.

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Europe Versus the Islamic State (Dominique Moisi, Project-Syndicate)

After the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris that left 130 dead, I wrote a commentary entitled “We Are At War” – and faced considerable criticism from readers, Europeans and non-Europeans alike. How dare I use the word “war” to describe the attacks! Words are weapons, and misusing them is irresponsible, even dangerous. Had I not learned anything from George W. Bush’s jingoism?

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National security wrap (Ashleigh Sharp, Annaliese FitzGerald, Lachlan Wilson, Dione Hodgson, ASPI The Strategist)

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The ‘Dawn of Justice’ in Northeast Asia: China, the US and the DPRK (Ashleigh Sharp, ASPI The Strategist)

While watching the new Batman v Superman movie, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the plot and current dynamics between the US, China and North Korea. No really, hear me out. The gist of the movie (without spoilers) is that while Batman and Superman wrestle for power between themselves, a third actor creates ‘Doomsday’ which will destroy the world unless the two superheroes put their differences aside and work together to defeat it. What happens in the end? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

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Peak Japan and its implications for regional security (Brad Glosserman, ASPI)

This paper examines Japanese security policy under Abe, identifies the constants and constraints that frame that policy, and attempts to project where Japan will go in the near-term future. Its conclusion may unnerve many: structural constraints in the Japanese economy, self-imposed limits deriving from Japanese national identity and an increasingly beleaguered polity will narrow Japanese options. The chief task of friends and allies of Japan, including Australia, will be to engage Tokyo and ensure that there’s a place for Japan in regional security policy.

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Growth engines and development traps (James Riedel, Pham Thi Thu Tra, East Asia Forum)

There is nothing more compelling than a catchy metaphor to attract attention and garner support for policy prescriptions. ‘Engines’ and ‘traps’ are two of the most popular metaphors in the development literature. Both have been used repeatedly to advance various policy agendas in East Asia. But do these metaphors provide a reliable basis for growth policy?

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Flare-up Threatens Saharan Ceasefire (Tyler Falish, John Campbell, CFR)

On March 22, at the request of the Moroccan government, the United Nations (UN) closed its military liaison office in Dakhla, a city in Western Sahara, the disputed stretch of sand in northwest Africa claimed by the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front. Two days earlier—also prompted by Rabat—seventy-three UN personnel were “temporarily reassigned” away from the headquarters of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). These steps—along with the threat from Rabat to call home the 2,300 soldiers and police it contributes to UN peacekeeping missions—are the kingdom’s reaction to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s use of the term “occupation” to describe the Moroccan presence in the territory on his recent visit to refugee camps in southern Algeria, home to an estimated 150,000 ethnic Sahrawis.

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How Will the Philippines Presidential Election Transform the Country? (Joshua Kurlantzick, CFR)

On May 9, the Philippines will hold its presidential election. Philippine presidents are limited to one, six-year term, which makes them powerful and weak at the same time. They enjoy a long term in office, removing them from the regular grind of campaigning that is common in many other democracies. But, as soon as they are inaugurated, they become a kind of lame duck.

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U.S. concentrated poverty in the wake of the Great Recession (Elizabeth Kneebone, Natalie Holmes, Brookings)

The Great Recession may have ended in 2009, but despite the subsequent jobs rebound and declining unemployment rate, the number of people living below the federal poverty line in the United States remains stuck at recession-era record levels.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2016/03/31-concentrated-poverty-recession-kneebone-holmes

There is more to Sunni militancy than language and culture (Philippe Le Corre, Brookings)

When I read a recent post by two of my colleagues suggesting that “French political culture” may be to blame for Sunni militancy around the world, Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s paraphrase of Voltaire came to mind: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” But that doesn’t prevent me from disagreeing with some of the premises of the piece by Will McCants and Chris Meserole, which confuses correlation with causation.

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Aung San Suu Kyi’s new government: What to look for in Myanmar (Lex Rieffel, Brookings)

A new and hopeful chapter in Myanmar/Burma’s sorrowful history will open on April 1 when the country’s first non-military government in 54 years takes office. The leader of this government is the world’s best-known living “icon of democracy,” Aung San Suu Kyi.

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(TOPICS - The Global Eye) Idea to retire: Cybersecurity kills innovation (Dan Lohrmann, Brookings)

The “security disables” paradigm plays out in a multitude of ways. Government project leaders leave security requirements off the list within top innovative priority projects and keep cyber professionals off mission-critical teams, thinking that innovation will be slowed. On other occasions, innovation projects may not get priority treatment because of security concerns.

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Moldova’s Chief of General Staff Dismissed After Long Feud With Defense Minister (The Jamestown Foundation)

On March 18, the Moldovan government initiated the dismissal of the commander of the National Army, Brigadier General Igor Gorgan, after a months-long feud with Defense Minister Anatol Șalaru (Deschide.md, March 18). Once approved by the president, this would be the fourth reshuffle of the army’s leadership since the pro-European three-party coalition came to power in 2009. The Ministry of Defense has also been affected by high turnover at the top, with four ministers being nominated in the last six years. Soon after incumbent Minister Anatol Șalaru’s (Liberal Party) appointment on July 30, 2015, he found himself at loggerheads with the chief of the General Staff, Igor Gorgan, a Liberal Democratic Party appointee. In fact, Șalaru tried to dismiss Gorgan earlier, but the latter was shielded by his fellow party member, then–prime minister, Valeriu Strelet (Deschide.md, February 19). A Prosecutor General’s report citing a 40 percent increase in crime within the Armed Forces served as a formal reason for the dismissal (Realitatea.md, February 18). However, the animosity between the two has been as political as it has been personal.

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Circassians Propose New Independent Cross-Regional Group in the North Caucasus (The Jamestown Foundation)

On March 17, Circassian organizations in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkessia unveiled plans to establish a new independent cross-regional organization. The move by Circassian activists followed an announcement by the government of Karachaevo-Cherkessia that it would shut down the republic’s Circassian organization, the Adyge Khase–Circassian Parliament. “The Circassians from different regions perceived the government attempt to shut down the organization with extreme pain,” said Timur Zhuzhuev, the head of the Adyge Khase youth group. “Many people wanted to come to Karachaevo-Cherkessia from Adygea and Kabardino-Balkaria, but the reasonable decision of the court has reduced the degree of tension, so only the delegation from Kabardino-Balkaria arrived.” Previously, the Adyge Khase–Circassian Parliament received an extension period to allow it to correct the alleged violations of the law. Karachaevo-Cherkessia’s justice ministry asked the organization to present, before April 7, documents proving the organization had corrected the infractions (Kavkazsky Uzel, March 19).

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US Diplomacy Feeds Putin’s Sense of Self-Righteousness (The Jamestown Foundation)

President Vladimir Putin may have every reason to be satisfied with the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Moscow last Thursday (March 24). Their meeting lasted no less than four hours, and prior to it, Kerry had a long and remarkably cheerful face-to-face conversation with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to observant journalists, the Kerry-Lavrov meeting produced a cozy atmosphere for the later talks in the Kremlin (Kommersant, March 24). Lavrov was positively jubilant about the fiasco of Western efforts to keep Russia in international isolation (Moskovsky Komsomolets, March 25). Indeed, just hours before Kerry’s arrival, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier held talks with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev; and on Friday, March 25, it was the turn of Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to come to Moscow (Kommersant, March 25). The question remains, however, whether this friendly engagement and proto-cooperation encourages Putin to stay on his best behavior—or whether the Russian leader simply concludes that the West will come begging for his help and self-restraint no matter what?

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In Another Central Asian Security Crisis, Moscow Again Stands Aside (EurasiaNet)

A security crisis in Central Asia has yet again raised questions about the efficacy of Russia's post-Soviet security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, to maintain peace in the region.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/78006

Kyrgyzstan: The Phantom Militants of Central Asia (EurasiaNet)

Security services in Kyrgyzstan say they have neutralized another international terrorist cell, although little to no firm information has been provided.

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Turkmenistan Starts Massive, Unprecedented Military Exercises (EurasiaNet)

Turkmenistan's armed forces are conducting unprecedented large-scale, unannounced exercises, an indication of the growing importance the country's government is placing on its defense.

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Armenia’s Monkey Business (EurasiaNet)

Sixty-one Armenia-bound monkeys were seized in Tanzania last week in the latest manifestation of the South Caucasus country’s role in the exotic-animals trade.

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Kazakhstan: More Arrests in Media Graft Case (EurasiaNet)

Six more arrests have been made in a high-profile corruption case involving prominent media figures that has sparked fresh claims that freedom of speech is under attack in Kazakhstan.

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Kyrgyzstan: President Savors Win in South, but Opposition Headaches Remain (EurasiaNet)

Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev has had two big wins to celebrate in recent times in a part of the country where his popularity is debatable.

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How to Be the Next Central Asian Leader (EurasiaNet)

When 2016 started there were no national elections scheduled in any of the five Central Asian countries. By the end of January, Kazakhstan had called snap parliamentary elections and Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were planning referendums to change their constitutions and allow the current leaders to remain in power indefinitely.

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Molenbeek urges Belgium to share information on returning fighters (EurActiv)

Sarah Turine is at the forefront in the fight against radicalisation in Molenbeek. Although she detects that fewer people from her commune have left to join ISIS than suggested in the press, she asked for more resources and access to information to prevent terrorism.

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The future of French development aid in doubt (EurActiv)

Last summer, Paris planned to merge the French Development Agency with the public financing group Caisse des Dépôts. But the French executive has changed its mind. EurActiv France reports.

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Juncker raps Erdogan for jumping the gun over German satirical song (EurActiv)

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker believes Turkey’s summoning of Berlin’s ambassador over a song on German TV lampooning President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is out of line with EU democratic values, his spokeswoman said today (30 March).

http://www.euractiv.com/section/enlargement/news/juncker-raps-erdogan-for-jumping-the-gun-over-german-satirical-song/

Brexit could create renewable energy ‘paradox’ (EurActiv)

The renewable energy industry faces a “huge paradox” in the event of Brexit, according to legal experts from a UK-based international law firm. EurActiv’s partner edie.net reports.

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Idomeni refugee camp: Europe’s ‘catastrophe’ (EurActiv)

12,000 refugees remain in limbo in the Greek border town of Idomeni. Karl Kopp, of German immigration organisation Pro Asyl, told EurActiv’s partner Tagesspiegel that they need a political and humanitarian situation.

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The challenges of the Brussels bombings (EurActiv)

Last week’s attacks on Brussels exacerbate already existing tensions over freedom of movement and deepening integration. Thanos Dimadis contends that we should think twice before giving into our fears.

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EFSA confirms cause of Italian olive crop destruction (EurActiv)

A study published yesterday (29 March) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed that the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium is responsible for the large-scale destruction of Italy’s olive crop.

http://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/efsa-confirms-cause-of-italian-olive-crop-destruction/

Romanian president lauds intelligence services, says country ‘is safe’ (EurActiv)

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis yesterday (29 March) praised the country’s intelligence services and insisted that Romania is a safe country. EurActiv Romania reports.

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Tymoshenko dampens hopes for quick end to Ukraine leadership crisis (EurActiv)

Ukraine’s prospects of forming a new coalition – vital to get IMF loan talks back on track – were thrown into fresh doubt on Tuesday (29 March), after Yulia Tymoshenko demanded the inclusion of her Fatherland Party in the new government.

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Minister: Greece will process asylum claims in two weeks (EurActiv)

Greece will be able to process asylum claims within two weeks, including appeals, once a migration deal between the EU and Turkey takes full effect, a senior Greek official said on Tuesday (29 March).

http://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/greece-will-process-asylum-claims-in-two-weeks-including-the-appeal/

In CBO's projections, a growing reason to worry about the federal debt (David Wessel, Brookings)

Convincing Americans that they should worry about the federal deficit and debt is tough, despite all those warnings about the inevitable crisis.

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A new deal or a new global partnership for conflict-affected states? (Oscar Fernandez Taranco, Brookings)

Created within a year of each other, the World Bank and the United Nations were born out of a shared response to the Second World War. The war created a constituency willing to invest resources and ideals in a system of multilateral cooperation. In the words of one of their architects, these institutions were to create a “New Deal for a new world.”

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Donald Trump? Meet Barry Goldwater (Elaine Kamarck, Brookings)

Donald Trump can’t actually meet Barry Goldwater, who has been dead now for 18 years. But he should take a minute to learn a little bit about Barry Goldwater’s (R-AZ) 1964 campaign for the Republican nomination.

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Common Core’s major political challenges for the remainder of 2016 (Tom Loveless, Brookings)

The 2016 Brown Center Report (BCR), which was published last week, presented a study of Common Core State Standards (CCSS). In this post, I’d like to elaborate on a topic touched upon but deserving further attention: what to expect in Common Core’s immediate political future. I discuss four key challenges that CCSS will face between now and the end of the year.

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How the NLD is reshaping Myanmar’s government (Trevor Wilson, ANU, East Asia Forum)

The character and composition of Myanmar’s new National League for Democracy (NLD) government is gradually taking shape after the party’s sweeping victory in the November 2015 elections. A peaceful and orderly transfer of power from the former military-dominated government of reformist president Thein Sein culminated in the swearing in of the new government on 30 March.

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Into the bazaar of EU-Turkey relations (Rem Korteweg, Centre for European Reform)

Few of the European Union’s foreign relationships are as complex as that with Turkey. It has become the EU’s indispensable neighbour, but also a difficult one. Ankara has a role in most of the urgent issues that Europe faces today: the migration crisis, energy security, the Syrian conflict, and relations with Russia. If the EU is to achieve its goals in any of these areas, it needs to find a way to co-operate with Turkey that respects European interests without compromising its values.

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Cameron's deal is more than it seems (Charles Grant, Centre for European Reform)

The deal on EU reform won by David Cameron on February 19th will not change the fundamentals of how the EU works. So it is not surprising that it has failed to shift British public opinion in favour of EU membership. But this ‘decision of the heads of state or government’ is far from irrelevant and shows that the EU is changing in at least three ways.

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Doomed: five reasons why the EU-Turkish refugee deal will not work (Camino Mortera-Martinez, Centre for European Reform)

The EU continues to muddle through the refugee crisis, improvising new solutions as it goes along. The latest may prove to be the most controversial, and the least workable, of all the measures tried so far.

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Why the EU's market matters to Britain (John Springford, Centre for European Reform)

Brexit would free Britain to sign bilateral free trade agreements with the ‘BRICS’ emerging economies, the Anglosphere and Japan without having to reach a consensus with 27 other EU member-states. The rest of the world is growing faster than the EU, and it offers opportunities that would make up for any forgone trade with Europe. This means that Brexit would boost the economy in the long term, especially if you throw in some deregulation to boot.

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Population Policy: Abortion and Modern Contraception Are Substitutes - Working Paper 426 (Grant Miller, Christine Valente, CGD)

There is longstanding debate in population policy about the relationship between modern contraception and abortion. Although theory predicts that they should be substitutes, the existing body of empirical evidence is difficult to interpret. In this paper, we study Nepal’s 2004 legalization of abortion provision and subsequent expansion of abortion services. Using four waves of rich individual-level data representative of fertile-age Nepalese women, we find robust evidence of substitution between modern contraception and abortion. This finding suggests that an effective strategy for reducing expensive and potentially unsafe abortions may be to expand the supply of modern contraceptives.

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TPP Risks and TTIP Opportunities: Rules of Origin, Trade Diversion, and Developing Countries (Kimberly Ann Elliott, CGD)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, if completed and implemented, will cover a large portion of global trade and investment, but they will exclude the majority of developing countries. American and European negotiators also want these deals to be “gold standard” agreements that establish the new rules of trade for a new century. The biggest concern arising from these mega-regional agreements is that they will undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system. More immediately, preferential trade arrangements divert trade from outsiders and the new or expanded rules that US and EU negotiators want to establish as precedents for the global system will not always be optimal for poorer countries.

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The White House and the World: Practical Proposals on Global Development for the Next US President (CGD)

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Better Regulation Can Improve Financial Inclusion (Maryam Akmal, CGD)

Poor regulation is a key obstacle to financial inclusion. An enabling regulatory environment is critical for creating incentives for businesses to offer innovative financial services to the poor, and for underserved customers to take up formal financial services.

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Trade Is Not "Us against Them" (Kimberly Ann Elliott, CGD)

There has been an unfortunate tendency in this year’s US presidential campaign to make trade policy an “us against them” story. It is true that the US government does not do enough to compensate those who lose from trade, or to help individuals and industries adjust to the changes that more open markets bring. But rhetoric pitting poor people in the United States against even poorer people elsewhere helps neither.

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How Could the Global Fund Get More Health for Its Money? Lessons from the Economics of Contract Theory (Mead Over, CGD)

Our recent report on next generation financing models looks at how global health donors, specifically the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, can enhance the health impact of grants for health service delivery by tying grant payments to achieved and verified results. Yet there are several ways to condition payments on performance and, as my colleagues and I have previously pointed out, (here, here, here and here), some ways would likely work better than others in any given setting. Can economic theory suggest specific features of contract designs which would generate more health for the money?

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No Trade-Off Between Financial Inclusion and Stability: What the G20 Need to Know – Podcast with Liliana Rojas-Suarez (Rajesh Mirchandani, CDG)

Enabling millions more people around the world to control their financial futures is good for development and will be high on the agenda when G20 leaders meet in China later this year.

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Sexualised violence: in Germany, ‘Nein’ does not mean ‘Nein’ (Kristina Lunz, Blavatnik School of Government)

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Belgium Seeks More Action on Intelligence Shared Among European Nations (Atlantic Council)

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Climate Change and US National Security: Past, Present, Future (Atlantic Council)

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What “Inclusivity” Means in Iraq (Atlantic Council)

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South Sudan: ‘A Problem Child’ (Atlantic Council)

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The Need for Local Support to Defeat ISIS (Atlantic Council)

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Case No. 173: The State of Egypt’s NGOs (Atlantic Council)

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Trump’s ‘Sopranos’ Worldview Would Undo Asian Alliances (Atlantic Council)

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Yemenis Express Resolve and Pride in Anti-Saudi Demonstrations (Atlantic Council)

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Shokin’s Revenge: Ukraine’s Odious Prosecutor General Fires Honest Deputy Before Parliament Sacks Him (Atlantic Council)

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Senior-Level US Visit Highlights Dilemma for Belarus (Keir Giles, Chatham House)

The unannounced visit by a senior US defence official to Minsk is a further step towards normalization of relations between the US and Belarus. But this process will need to be handled with caution if it is not to provoke a dangerous reaction from Russia.

https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/senior-level-us-visit-highlights-dilemma-belarus

International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh: Delivering justice and keeping radicalism at bay (Rupak Bhattacharjee, South Asia Monitor)

The ongoing trial of Bangladesh’s alleged war criminals initiated by Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League (AL) in 2010 has pushed the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, which violently resisted the country’s independence from Pakistan more than four decades back, to the corner. The party’s almost entire top leaders are either convicted or languishing in jails facing execution. In a landmark judgement on March 8, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld death sentence against front-line Jamaat leader and a business tycoon Mir Quasem Ali for committing heinous crimes during the 1971 Liberation War.

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India bristles as China woos Nepal (Shastri Ramchandran, South Asia Monitor)

Yet another South Asian country, Nepal, is falling for the charms of China. The language of this new dalliance, regardless of where it may lead, is causing unease in India. Arriving in Beijing on March 20 for a week-long visit, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that his country’s relationship with China was “as high as the Himalayas”, which he said symbolised friendship.

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A wave of political defections spells new trouble for Afghanistan (Sayed Salahuddin, Mohammad Sharif, South Asia Monitor)

Afghanistan’s embattled government is facing a new challenge to its rule: former supporters, disillusioned by what they think is its incompetence, who now want fresh elections to remove the president from power.

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Pakistan. A nation under siege (Zahid Hussain, South Asia Monitor)

Yet another bloodbath, yet another day of mourning. It is the Pakistan story so regularly repeated that we have forgotten the count. From the Peshawar school massacre, to the Lahore park explosion, it is children who are bearing the brunt of the unending cycle of militant violence. One thought the Peshawar tragedy would be the final turning point uniting the nation, but that public outrage proved to be fleeting.

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Selfess politics in Nepal is wanting (Shobhakar Parajuli, South Asia Monitor)

A democracy is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the name of people and exercised directly by them or by their elected representatives. People are always in the center in any forms of democracy. Most political parties are exercising the slogan of democracy. These political parties are groups of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programms for the society with a view to promote the collective goodness of the people.

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Bicameralism in Bangladesh? (Esam Sohail, South Asia Monitor)

It is quite legitimate to wonder why, during its multiple previous terms in office, the BNP ignored making the constitutional changes to state governance that it unveiled in its concluded sixth National Council.

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The politics of greed in Sri Lanka (Ilica Malkanti Karunaratne, South Asia Monitor)

Greed, which has been obvious in all sections of society in the past few decades has been responsible for the ruin of our nation. Greed for power is even more dangerous, and I fail to comprehend how those who were at the helm of the ship of state for two terms, cushioned by the grandeur, perks and privileges of their position, and should never have contested for a third where they met with rejection which they cannot accept are still clamouring for a return.

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India's case on its solar policy (South Asia Monitor)

The Centre is without doubt justified in saying it will contest the ruling in the World Trade Organisation against India’s policy of local sourcing of components as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. The U.S. had taken to the WTO its case against India’s policy of favouring domestic inputs in solar cells and solar modules, arguing that it amounted to a discriminatory trade practice and distorted the game. The verdict, which came last month, is a setback for India’s Solar Mission, seen as the bedrock of efforts aimed at ensuring energy security and meeting the country’s commitment to the collective global plan to limit global warming. In fact, over the last year India has scaled up its solar power ambitions, with the Narendra Modi government increasing fivefold the target set in 2009 to 100,000 MW. The WTO ruling obviously threatens the financial viability of the plan. India did offer to modify its stand on the issue, and agreed to apply the domestic content requirement only for buying solar panels used for government sector consumption. It even assured Washington that power generated from such subsidised panels would not be sold for commercial use. The U.S., however, did not agree. The challenge before the government is to sort out trade practice concerns in a manner that keeps the Solar Mission firmly on track. How it resolves the issue — and it would be well-advised to avoid standing on ego — will have repercussions not only on the country’s green energy aspirations, but also on its capacity to negotiate sectoral roadblocks to its global-level “Make in India” lobbying.

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Malawi's fearsome chief, terminator of child marriages (Hannah McNeish, Al Jazeera)

The mild-mannered woman who zips around a farmhouse packed with knick-knacks and insists her guests eat a meal before any introductions, presents a character at odds with her fearsome reputation of being Malawi's top marriage terminator.

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Is Europe under attack? (Harry Hagopian, Al Jazeera)

Much as it is an understatement to say that I was shaken by the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, so it is the case with the terrorist assaults on Brussels earlier this month. This is indeed a trying chapter for Europe that is being jolted by a host of numbing internal and external challenges. So much so that our politicians have increased their high-decibel statements as they try - not always successfully - to reassure our troubled psyches and counter our growing suspicion of strangers in our midst.

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Displaced by continued fighting in Myanmar's Shan state (Brennan O'Connor, Al Jazeera)

As Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party prepares to take power on April 1, and Htin Kyaw, Myanmar's first civilan president is sworn in after more than five decades of military rule, fighting in Myanmar's northern Shan State continues, despite a nationwide ceasefire agreement signed by the previous government last October.

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Bidoon fleeing Kuwait, stuck in the Calais 'jungle' (Shafik Mandhai, Al Jazeera)

Saad al-Kowaili was born in Kuwait, one of the richest countries in the world, but he now lives just outside the French city of Calais at a refugee camp known as "the jungle".

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Somalia's Sufi revival (Hamza Mohamed, Al Jazeera)

As the last rays of the afternoon sun bounced off the coloured tin roofs of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, a group of Sufis came out of a gated house, singing hymns while holding hands, black prayer beads dangling from their hands and necks.

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Surveying the post-ISIL damage in Palmyra (Samya Kullab, Al Jazeera)

Last September, Maamoun Abdel-Karim was a broken man.

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The story of one Ukrainian teenager's escape from war (Ioana Moldovan, Al Jazeera)

Dmitry* remembers the Sunday, in the spring of 2014, when his mother disappeared. The exact date is a blur to him, but the war in Donbass had already started. The fighting had not spared his home town, Horlivka, north of Donetsk city. His mother had to go out to find some food because they had nothing left to eat at home, and never came back.

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The Brexit Muddle (Mohamed A. El-Erian, Project-Syndicate)

During a recent visit to the United Kingdom, I was struck by the extent to which the question of whether the country should remain in the European Union is dominating the media, boardroom discussions, and dinner conversations. While slogans and sound bites capture most of the attention, deeper issues in play leave the outcome of the June 23 referendum subject to a high degree of uncertainty – so much so that a single event could end up hijacking the decision.

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Why Trump? (Elizabeth Drew, Project-Syndicate)

Whatever becomes of his candidacy – whether he wins the Republican Party’s nomination or is even elected President of the United States – Americans and the rest of the world will be wondering for a long time how the phenomenon of  Donald Trump happened. They are already doing so.

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Learning Without Theory (Ricardo Hausmann, Project-Syndicate)

How can we improve the state of the world? How can we make countries more competitive, growth more sustainable and inclusive, and genders more equal?

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Palmyra is not a war trophy (Chris Doyle, Al Arabiya)

The Bride of the Desert has been fought over multiple times in her remarkable historical journey. Queen Zenobia held off the Romans until the latter sacked the city in 273. The remains of Diocletian’s Roman camp can still be seen on the edge of Palmyra.

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US and Iran: Time to walk away from an abusive relationship (Baria Alamuddin, Al Arabiya)

We are only a few months into the new “reset” relationship between the US and Iran and the Obama Administration is already seeming like the battered wife who refuses to recognize the bitter reality of her situation.

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EgyptAir hijacking a wakeup call for aviation security awareness (Theodore Karasik, Al Arabiya)

Although the hijacking of an Egypt Air Flight MS 181 turned out to be a lover’s quarrel, the fact remains that there is a high degree of nervousness regarding commercial aviation after a number of terrorism incidents involving aircraft and airports. Social media was flooded with angst and disbelief over today’s incident only to be followed by nervous joking. But this incident is not a laughing matter in today’s hyper sensitive environment.

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Australia's China gamble (J Berkshire Miller, Al Jazeera)

Over the past several years, Australia has been trying to get the mix right with its foreign policy calculus. On one hand, Canberra understandably has a strong desire to capitalise on the tantalising economic opportunities borne out of China's rise.

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Palmyra is a major turning point in Syria's Civil War (Ibrahim Al-Marashi, Al Jazeera)

Bashar al-Assad had said for years to both Syrians and the international community that only his regime could prevent the spectre of ISIL taking over Syria.

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Why doesn't Britain want to take refugee children? (Rachel Shabi, Al Jazeera)

So this one's partly about a welcome flash of humanity, but mostly it's about hitting a new low.

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Brexit, budget cuts and the future of David Cameron (Alastair Sloan, Al Jazeera)

The British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing the biggest political crisis of his career, with questions about his leadership and that of his key lieutenant and long-term ally George Osborne, accusations of his role in the deaths of hundreds of disabled Britons, a blow to his campaign to keep Britain in the European Union, and - worst of all - the resurgent possibility that Scotland could split from the United Kingdom. Where did it all go wrong?

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Riyadh conference and the turning point (Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, Arab News)

Major events spark controversy and speculation even before they happen. The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is a most important project that gained considerable attention and raised many questions.

http://www.arabnews.com/columns/news/902896

From intervention to isolation (Bill Schneider, Arab News)

Thanks to Donald Trump, Americans now know what a populist foreign policy looks like: “Not isolationist, but America First.” That’s how the Republican presidential front-runner defined his views to an interviewer last week. “I like the expression,” Trump said, implying that he had never encountered the term “America First” before.

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Terrorism: Globalization of extremism (Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, Arab News)

It is naïve to accuse writers and commentators of spreading local narratives about extremism beyond borders and of inciting people against their own religion.

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Preventing another Brussels (Osama Al Sharif, Arab News)

Europe is in shock following last week’s double suicide attacks in Brussels; the capital of the European Union and NATO’s headquarters. Daesh has claimed responsibility but the attackers were all second- generation Belgians, most with criminal records and some on terror watch list. The attacks were linked to last November’s Paris carnage, which also emanated from Belgium and in particular the notorious Molenbeek suburb of Brussels.

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The Comparative Metrics of ISIS and "Failed State Wars" in Syria and Iraq (Anthony H. Cordesman, CSIS)

The fighting against ISIS/ISIL/Daesh has become at least three different and interrelated conflicts: a fight against Daesh, a low-level sectarian and ethnic civil conflict in Iraq, and an intense civil war in Syria. It is also, however, part of a far broader regional and global conflict against terrorism and extremism; part of the competition between the United States and Russia; part of the competition between the majority of the Arab world and Iran; and part of an emerging struggle for Kurdish identity, and some form of “federalism” and/or independence that involves a range of separate Kurdish identities, Turkey, and the Arab world.

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Global Infrastructure Development (Daniel F. Runde, Conor M. Savoy, Charles F. Rice, CSIS)

China’s recent global infrastructure development initiatives serve to place it at the center of Asian regional and worldwide economic activity, while also meeting a critical need in the developing world. In marked contrast, the United States lacks a strategic approach to supporting global infrastructure investment. While the U.S. government does have the instruments in place to increase support for infrastructure investment, there is little coordination among relevant agencies, including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the Trade and Development Agency, and the Export-Import Bank. This report examines how the United States has approached infrastructure development in the past and how it is approaching it today with an eye toward practical recommendations to improve the United States’ ability to support infrastructure investment.

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Report Roll out: China's "Belt and Road" Initiative and Implications for Global Infrastructure Development (CSIS)

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In El Niño's Wake: Examining Africa's Latest Food Crisis (CSIS)

The 2015-2016 El Niño weather pattern, among the strongest on record, has caused intense drought in Eastern and Southern Africa and has left up to 60 million people in the two regions in need of emergency food assistance. Ethiopia has called the current drought its worst in 30 years, South Africa its worst in over a century. As the resulting food and health emergency grows, experts on food security, resilience, and climate change in Africa will join us to discuss the scale and impact of the current crisis and evaluate the response to date, with an eye toward what the U.S. and broader international community can do to support resilience to mounting climate variability challenges.

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Naval shipbuilding: how continuous is ‘continuous’? (Graeme Dunk, ASPI The Strategist)

In a joint statement on 4 August 2015, Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews (then respectively Prime Minister and Defence Minister) committed to a continuous build of warships in Australia, stating: ‘It’s the first time that any Australian government has committed to a permanent naval shipbuilding industry.’

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How should Indonesia manage the China challenge? (Lachlan Wilson, ASPI The Strategist)

Indonesian president Joko Widodo’s strategy for reinforcing state sovereignty and strengthening maritime integrity is being tested with the latest incursion by Chinese fishing boats into Indonesian waters off the Natuna islands. Indonesian Minister for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Susi Pudjiastuti’s public criticism of China’s activities is the first step in what’s likely to become a series of reluctantly enacted but necessary responses from Jokowi’s administration—unlike in the past, Indonesia can’t afford to do otherwise.

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Cyber wrap (Liam Nevill, ASPI The Strategist)

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) continues to dominate headlines this week, as theApple v FBI case ends, a Chinese national admits to stealing US military secrets and seven Iranian hackers are indicted. As foreshadowed last week, the DoJ announced on Tuesday that it had found a way to unlock San Bernadino gunman Sayed Farook’s iPhone without Apple’s assistance, and subsequently dropped its case against Apple. We don’t know anything about the company that assisted the FBI to unlock the iPhone or how they did it, and government officials won’t be drawn on whether they will share the information with Apple. Over at the Council on Foreign Relations, Robert Knake points out that since such vulnerabilities are worth big money, it’s possible the third party that unlocked the phone may not even tell the FBI how they did it, let alone Apple—unless some cash is coughed up.

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ASEAN’s destructive elites (Yuriko Koike, ASPI The Strategist)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long been envisioned as a foundation stone for stability, security, and increased prosperity in Asia. But with uncertainty plaguing the political systems of Burma, Malaysia, and Thailand, ASEAN may be entering a period of policy and diplomatic inertia. At a time when China’s economic downturn and unilateral territorial claims are posing serious challenges to the region, ASEAN’s weakness could prove highly dangerous.

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The Intel On Intelligence Gathering In Times Of Terror (John Coyne, ASPI)

In the wake of the terror attacks in Paris, Jakarta and Belgium, intelligence collectors and police everywhere are under immense pressure to collect the necessary intelligence to protect us from future violence. In this pressure-cooker environment the intelligence and police agency red lines for acceptable covert intelligence collection are at risk of being blurred writes John Coyne.

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Malaysia’s government silencing dissent (Ross Tapsell, ANU, East Asia Forum)

The current scandal embroiling Prime Minister Najib Razak has led the Malaysian government to crack down on press freedoms. But a restricted mainstream Malaysian media has not stopped the publishing online of information on the ongoing corruption scandal surrounding the Prime Minister and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). It remains to be seen whether Najib’s crackdown will secure his position or whether the media will help unseat him.

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Podcast: Presidents and Foreign Policy: A Conversation with Elizabeth Saunders (Micah Zenko, CFR)

Can high-level diplomatic visits, like President Obama’s recent trip to Cuba, fundamentally transform bilateral relations? Why do two presidents facing the same foreign conflict diagnose the nature of the underlying threat differently, and thus pursue different intervention strategies? Do American voters really care about foreign policy? I discuss these questions—plus her current research and career advice for young scholars—with Elizabeth N. Saunders, assistant professor of political science and international affairs at the George Washington University, and currently a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at CFR.

Prof. Saunders is the author of “Leaders at War: How Presidents Shape Military Interventions” (Cornell University Press, 2011), and most recently co-authored with James H. Lebovic, “The Diplomatic Core: How the United States Employs High-Level Visits as a Scarce Resource,” a fascinating article in International Studies Quarterly, which was summarized at Monkey Cage. Follow her research on Twitter @ProfSaunders.

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Fire Destroys Market in Nigeria’s Second Largest City (John Campbell, CFR)

Over the weekend—near the end of the Christian observance of Holy Week—a fire broke out in Kano’s Sabon Gari market. It eventually destroyed 3,800 shops, according to the Nigeria Emergency Management Administration (NEMA), obliterated at least two trillion naira (approximately ten billion dollars) worth of goods, and affected at least 18,000 traders. The NEMA director general said, “This is the biggest market fire outbreak Nigeria has ever witnessed. This is a serious calamity.” (Despite the magnitude of the disaster it has not been reported in the mainstream Western media.)

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Colombia and FARC: Prospects for Peace (CFR)

Experts discuss Colombia’s peace negotiations with the FARC, prospects for completing and implementing a final deal, and implications for U.S.-Colombian relations.

http://www.cfr.org/colombia/colombia-farc-prospects-peace/p37685

The Rise of Violent Extremism in Europe (CFR)

Ed Husain, senior advisor and director of strategy at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, discusses the political, economic, and ideological drivers of radicalization in light of recent terrorist attacks in Europe, as part of CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Conference Call series.

http://www.cfr.org/radicalization-and-extremism/rise-violent-extremism-europe/p37697

Saudi Arabia turns up the heat on Hezbollah (Bruce Riedel, Brookings)

The Saudis have initiated a major campaign to undermine Iran's ally Hezbollah, which they believe is vulnerable today. Riyadh is likely to have considerable but not complete success. It's a characteristically risky strategy.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/03/29-saudi-arabia-hezbollah-riedel

Idea to retire: Information security is IT security (Atif Ahmad, Piya Shedden, Brookings)

Government cannot survive without consuming, digesting, and generating masses of information on a routine basis. Much of this information is sensitive and must be actively protected from an increasingly sophisticated security threat landscape.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2016/03/28-information-security-is-it-security-ahmad-shedden

Q&A with John Turnbull: What Pike Place teaches us about place governance (Jessica A. Lee, Brookings)

Pike Place Market in Seattle is a leading example of how intentional governance can help vibrant urban spaces reach their potential as platforms for innovation. John Turnbull, director of asset management at the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority, sat down for an interview to tell us more about the market and the role of the Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) in its operation.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/metropolitan-revolution/posts/2016/03/29-pike-place-seattle-lee

The shifting domestic landscape behind the White House’s Cuba policy (Arturo Sarukhan, Brookings)

In the United States, the design and execution of foreign policy sits overwhelmingly in the executive branch, a point that hasn’t been lost on observers who are increasingly nervous about the prospect of a Donald Trump administration. Not only is foreign policy concentrated in a lateral sense between the branches of government, but it’s concentrated vertically in the sense that domestic constituencies tend to be less influential on foreign policy than they can be on other policy areas.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2016/03/29-demographics-us-cuba-policy-sarukhan

‘Building a wall’ may keep Republicans from the White House (William A. Galston, Brookings)

You’d never guess it from the headlines during this year’s presidential campaign, but strong majorities of Americans—Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike—favor immigration reforms that would allow immigrants living in the United States illegally to qualify for citizenship if they meet certain requirements. That’s the finding of a massive rolling survey of more than 42,000 Americans conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and released today.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2016/03/29-immigration-reform-support-republican-democrat-galston

How the world's largest companies can help Africa's farmers (Dickson Mbando, WEF)

Year after year, Sam Koole and other farmers in Uganda watched their mangoes go to waste. “There was never a market for them, so we would just let them fall down on their own. The children would eat a few, and the rest were left to rot,” he said. For Sam and the others, it was a wasted opportunity to earn much-needed income.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/03/how-the-worlds-largest-companies-can-help-africas-farmers

Why Africa's first private satellite has been built by schoolgirls (Judi Sandrock, Carla de Klerk, WEF)

Africa is about to launch its first private satellite.

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Shikoku decides against restarting Ikata 1 (World Nuclear News)

Unit 1 of Shikoku Electric Power Company's Ikata nuclear power plant in Japan's Ehime prefecture will be decommissioned, the company has announced. Meanwhile, the utility has requested pre-operational inspections at Ikata 3 ahead of its planned restart.

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Is Japan caught in an upper income trap? (Naohiro Yashiro, Showa Women’s University, East Asia Forum)

Japan’s economy is stagnant and has been so for quite some time now. It looks as if Japan is now in the ‘upper income trap’. In comparison with its 10 per cent real GDP growth rate between 1950 and 1960 and 4 per cent growth rate between 1970 and 1980, Japan has only managed an average growth rate of 1 per cent since the early 1990s. This declining trend has been driven by Japan’s considerable demographic challenges.

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“How Happy Is the One Who Says, I Am a Turk!” (Steven A. Cook , CFR)

The war between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is back, and it seems more ferocious than ever. Over the past six months, an estimated 500 civilians have been killed in fighting between Turkish security forces and the Kurdish insurgent group. In February and March, PKK suicide bombers struck at the heart of Turkey’s capital, killing a total of 67 people within steps of the prime ministry and in Ankara’s bustling Kizilay neighborhood. All the while, the Turkish military has laid siege to the towns of Cizre and Nusaybin, PKK strongholds in the southeast, razing apartment blocks and sending desperate civilians fleeing.

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FBI to Apple: We Would Probably Disclose the iPhone Flaw if We Knew What It Was (Robert Knake, CFR)

With yesterday’s announcement that the FBI had gained access to the phone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, the San Bernardino gunman, the tech community is clamoring to find out how they did it. Many commenters believe that any vulnerability used to access the data must be subject to the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP), the process by which the U.S. government decides whether to disclose a computer vulnerability (partially declassified here).

http://blogs.cfr.org/cyber/2016/03/29/fbi-to-apple-we-would-probably-disclose-the-iphone-flaw-if-we-knew-what-it-was/

Iraq Situation Report, Part II: Political and economic developments (Brookings)

As has too often been the case in Iraq, progress in the military sphere is not being matched by equivalent (or even commensurate) political progress. I continue to see Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as a decent, intelligent man who wants to take Iraq in what I consider to be the right direction: toward ethno-sectarian reconciliation, more efficient government, and a more balanced foreign policy (or at least reduced foreign influence in Iraq). He continues to make smart moves in the military sphere, he has taken some important steps to decentralize power to the provinces, and his desire for a more technocratic and less political (or cronyist) government is laudable. However, his government continues to have little to show for all its good intentions, and that is costing the prime minister support in a variety of quarters.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2016/03/29-iraq-situation-report-politics-economics-pollack

Common Core has points on the board but the game is not over (Beth Stone, Brookings)

Yesterday, the Brown Center on Education Policy hosted a live webcast, Reading and Math in the Common Core Era, to discuss Tom Loveless’ 15th annual Brown Center Report on American Education(BCR). The online event was moderated by the Urban Institute’s Matthew Chingos, who joined Loveless to dive into findings from the recently released report. 

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/brown-center-chalkboard/posts/2016/03/29-common-core-spreecast-stone

The importance of investing in built-to-last infrastructure (Zia Qureshi, Brookings)

The Global Infrastructure Forum being organized bymultilateral development banks (MDBs) next month in Washington, D.C. comes at an opportune time. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate action have generated valuable political momentum to set the world on a path toward better and more sustainable development outcomes. Infrastructure is at the core of this agenda. It is a major driver of economic growth and inclusive development. It is also key to tackling climate change. Done badly, it is a major part of the problem; infrastructure currently accounts for around 60 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Done right, it is a major part of the solution; sustainable infrastructure mitigates GHG emissions and builds resilience to climate change.

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/future-development/posts/2016/03/29-investment-in-sustainable-infrastructure-qureshi