In the Issue

• The Next World
• Conflict and Context: Reporting From the Caucasus
• South Korea and the Changing Global Order
• Military Role in Humanitarian Aid
• Good News in Africa?

Features

The Next World. The United States' dominance of the world stage has been unrivaled since the Cold War, but this dynamic is rapidly changing. As China, India, Russia, the European Union, Japan, and others are gaining strength and influence economically, diplomatically, culturally, and militarily, how should the United States respond? How should the United States navigate this new world landscape? Does the rise of these powers represent an ideological challenge or an economic boon? Will global warming convince us we are all in the same boat? The Stanley Foundation, in cooperation with the New America Foundation and the Center for American Progress, recently held a conference to explore these questions and others, with an eye toward how foreign policy could best be prioritized under a new administration. Video of the conference is now available.

Conflict and Context: Reporting From the Caucasus. The war between Russia and Georgia caught most of the world by surprise, but it is a conflict that has long been brewing, and one that is part of a larger drama. The bigger context is Russia's move to regain the influence it enjoyed during the Cold War years and American efforts to build energy and security alliances in Russia's backyard. Reports of the events by Russian media and the Western press differ greatly. What is really happening in the Caucasus, and what does it all mean? Veteran journalist and Pulitzer Center Director Jon Sawyer, a friend of the Stanley Foundation, tried to answer that question for the World Affairs Council of Houston.

South Korea and the Changing Global Order. Across politics, economics, culture, military strength, and more, a new group of countries have growing influence over the future of the world. South Korea is one of nine countries the Stanley Foundation sees shaping the global scene. Learn more about South Korea's influential role in international affairs and the challenges it faces as a rising power. This article is part of a series related to the Stanley Foundation effort "Rising Powers: The New Global Reality."

Beyond the Headlines

Military Role in Humanitarian Aid. The USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship that has supported US Marines in combat in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq, has a new and quite different mission. In August, the ship left port at Norfolk, Virginia, for a four-month tour of Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana where it will provide humanitarian relief. Instead of its usual 2,000 Marines, the USS Kearsarge is carrying hundreds of medical and construction specialists. The US Navy announcement says, "Kearsarge's mission is to conduct civil-military operations including humanitarian and civic assistance, as well as veterinary, medical, dental, and civil engineering support, to six partner nations and to send a strong message of United States compassion, support and commitment to Central and South America and the Caribbean." Is this a role the military should be playing? The Stanley Foundation effort "Beyond Fear" wrestled with this issue last year when it covered US military operations in Djibouti. About the USS Kearsarge mission, one commentator wrote, "This is war by radically different means. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Quite the contrary. But it is something we should be conscious of."

Good News in Africa? When taking the long view, is life on the African continent improving, and if it was, would the mainstream media report it? Perhaps, argues International Herald Tribune columnist Roger Cohen in a recent op-ed, but it's hard to bury old assumptions so it’s easier to bury good news from Africa. "...the Africa debate is stuck with Darfur, AIDS, hunger, disease, violence. An alternative view would be that Africa is going to be the big success story of the next half century. Just watch its agriculture, which is about to boom," Cohen writes. Indeed, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said a new push to create a green revolution in Africa will help the continent feed itself. There are other promising trends being reported. With more than 40 percent of Africa's population under the age of 15, its young people are poised to change politics and drive economic growth. And in Kenya, light tech innovation is taking place for the first time.