This Week at ISN

5 - 9 March 2012 Having concluded Part One of the Editorial Plan we are now playing a little "jazz" to catch our breath and gather our thoughts before we continue, on 2 April, with Part Two of the plan entitled "Shifting Power Dynamics". This week, we are taking a look at recent and upcoming elections around the world.

Electoral Spring
Putin Redux
09 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Despite protests over alleged vote-rigging, Vladimir Putin is firmly on track to reclaim the Russian presidency in May. Simon Saradzhyan and Nabi Abdullaev write that the political awakening of Russia's urban middle class might continue, but that an Arab Spring-like violent regime change in Russia still remains unlikely. More Iran's Domestic Struggle Continues After Parliamentary Elections
09 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Iran held its parliamentary elections 2 March. Neither of the dominant conservative camps the populists, led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, nor the pro-clerical elites, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei secured a clear victory, but Ahmadinejad's political ambitions did suffer. If the president's faction is to stand any chance in 2013 and beyond, he will have to establish a viable minority presence in the upcoming parliament. More Timor-Leste: Crucial Year Ahead
07 Mar 2012 / ISN Special Feature

In this podcast, the International Crisis Group's Cillian Nolan discusses the upcoming elections in Timor-Leste and what the future might hold for this fledgling democracy. More Guinea-Bissau: Presidential Election amidst Political Turmoil
05 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

As if the instability and unrest of 2011 had not been enough for Guinea-Bissau, President Malam Bacai Sanh's death on 9 January 2012 after a prolonged illness triggered a race for power and brought the country's fate into question. In this article Pedro Seabra discusses the presidential election scheduled for 18 March in the context of this political turmoil. More Cautious Optimism on Burma
06 Mar 2012 / ISN Podcasts

In this podcast, Dr. David Steinberg, Georgetown University's Distinguished Professor of Asian Studies, discusses political change in Burma/Myanmar. He offers a closer look at the economic and political forces that shape dynamics there, and explains the importance of the 2010 election and why the 2012 election will also be significant. More Egyptian Youth: Cautious but Hopeful
08 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Egypt's presidential race has begun, with millions of Egyptians ready to take part in May 2012's historic elections. Deena Adel, an Egyptian journalist, writes about the hopes and fears of the youth regarding their first presidential elections. More Mexico's Presidential Contest: Caldern's "Hail Mary" Pass?
06 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Enrique Pea Nieto, the candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is likely to become Mexico's next president following the July election. George W Grayson writes however that the capture of Joaqun 'El Chapo' Guzmn Loera, chief of the Sinaloa drug cartel, could provide a significant impetus for Felipe Caldern's center-right National Action Party. More

Other Topics
Afghan Clerics' Conservative Blueprint for Women
08 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

As Afghanistan prepares to mark International Women's Day, rights groups have expressed concern at a set of restrictive measures proposed by the country's Council of Religious Scholars. Other commentators suspect the Islamic clerics of trying to win over insurgent groups like the Taleban by publicly espousing conservative views, writes Mina Habib. More Atoll Islands and Climate Change: Disappearing States?
05 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

While the possibility of "disappearing states" has been recognized since the late 1980s, the international community is making slow progress on issues regarding preservation of statehood and the future status of inhabitants of such states. Lilian Yamamoto and Miguel Esteban argue that the concept of disappearing lands is perhaps not being given the full consideration it deserves. More Syed Mansoob Murshed: The Economic Modeling of Huntington?
05 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

What role does identity play in sectarian, and cultural or civilizational conflicts? Despite the opacity of Syed Mansoob Murshed's economic models, it's worth taking a moment to understand and to engage with the ideas he introduced at a colloquium in Zurich, writes Andras Horvath. More The Elephant in the Brotherhood's Living Room
06 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

Having originally operated in the shadows of Hosni Mubarak's corrupt regime, the Muslim Brotherhood's grass roots approach has now borne fruit in the form of votes at the ballot. The ever-evolving movement seems to be standing at the crossroads once again, having to compromise between pragmatism and ideology, a choice that is likely to determine Egypt's future, writes Chantal Chastonay. More Economic and Political Indicators: Do We Still Need Them?
07 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

With his presentation on governance in developing countries Matthias Busse triggered a heated debate on the necessity and validity of indicators, such as those developed by the World Bank. According to Andras Horvath, Busse's attempt to include qualitative findings in econometric models is a significant step forward. But since it's not clear how to include them it might be premature to abandon the sometimes misleading economic and political indicators. More Vietnam: New Thinking, New Risks, New Opportunities
08 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

The Vietnam "story" has changed over time. First, it was a war story; then Vietnam became "a country" in the run-up to the normalization of US-Vietnam relations in 1995. Now the country is moving forward with a new narrative, a strategy of active and proactive international integration, which, according to Le Dinh Tinh, shows that Vietnam is well on its way, looking for opportunities and ready to take risks. More Meet Israel's New West Bank
09 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

With global newspaper headlines focused on potential conflict between Iran and Israel, the plight of Israel's Bedouin Arabs has received little attention, according to Rene Fisher. She disccusses the effects of the Israeli government's 'Prawer Plan' and further upcoming legislation which would lead to many of the Negev Desert's Bedouin residents being relocated, with much of the land being confiscated by the Israeli government. More

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