Politics and Diplomacy explores how interactions between international state and non-state actors affect current issues and trends in international politics and statecraft. Recent articles have addressed the role of the media in international affairs, the challenges and opportunities presented by strategic and regional alliances such as NATO and the European Union, and the prospects of democracy in Iran. Our authors include both academic experts, as well as political practitioners.

Baluchis, Beijing, and Pakistan's Gwadar Port

By Ziad Haider

On 3 May 2004, three Chinese engineers were killed and eleven others, including nine Chinese and two Pakistanis, were injured when a remote-controlled car bomb hit their van. The engineers had been traveling to the Gwadar port in the southwest Pakistani province of Baluchistan. In response, President Pervez Musharraf and then Prime Minister Zafarallah Jamali immediately sent messages of condolences to their Chinese counterparts, assuring them that a few terrorists could never undermine the Sino-Pakistani friendship. Within the week, the Frontier Corps was deployed to the port and armed escorts were assigned to the Chinese workers. Following the detention of eighteen people, Pakistani officials declared on 9 May that they had arrested the “key suspect” behind the attack. Since then, obscure reports periodically appear in the Pakistani press regarding other culprits who have been apprehended with scant information provided on their background. more...

Troubled Marriage:
The United States and the UN

Interview with Ambassador William H. Luers

The United Nations. No other organization better symbolizes global cooperation and shared values than the sixty-nine year old institution headquartered on the eastern shore of Manhattan. Consequently, as rifts have opened on global questions of peace and security, doubts have arisen about the effectiveness of the United Nations. Many in the United States and specifically the second Bush administration remain unconvinced as to the UN’s ability to successfully address pressing security questions. Circumstances in Iraq, Iran, and Darfur have exacerbated underlying tensions, making the relationship between the United States and the UN a rocky one of late. The Journal spoke with Ambassador William Luers, the head of the United Nations Association of the United States, to discuss the UN’s strengths, weaknesses, and role in the twenty-first century. more...