Abstracts

Abstract: The decade after the outbreak of the global financial crisis has witnessed the West in great difficulties, which is rare in the post-war history. The difficulties facing the West (normally referring to the United States and European countries) include declining economic performance, crippled political institutions and development models, as well as increasing security threats brought by numerous terrorist attacks. A beleaguered West, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of new economies, is now defining the trend of international order. We already see the trend: the shrinking West contrasting the rising East; Western value diplomacy replaced by protectionism; the unfolding of a new round of reshuffle. By scrutinizing and aptly grasping the change of the West, China would be more confident in its own development model and more prepared for its role in global governance, thus making bigger contribution to the world’s stability and development.

Difficulties Facing the West, impact, response

Abstract: The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election reveals the current major challenges to both parties. With the public concern shifting from “culture-ethnicity” to “economy-class”, the two parties face the adjustment and choice in terms of policy idea, voter structure, organizational echelon and mobilization mode. Because of the different changes in the two parties, Trump’s “Nationalism” and “Anti-Establishment”agenda win back the blue-collar working class for the GOP, which means that the Democrats need to find a new idea to recapture the blue-collar and the Republicans need to strive to maintain the “Trump Coalition”. The integration within the GOP prompts Trump to follow a mixed path in foreign policy, creating the implementation space for the “Nationalism” agenda to “Make America Great Again”, with acceptance of the GOP traditional foreign policy tendencies.

Keywords: party politics, blue-collar working class, Donald Trump, nationalism, anti-establishment, foreign policy

Abstract: From the year 2015 on, the political situation in Latin America has undergone dramatic changes.The “pink tide” ebbed, while the right came to power in important regional countries. This trend resulted from a series of factors, such as the plight of the left regimes, the flexible political strategies and pragmatic policies of the right political parties, the expansion of the middle class, the US support to the right, etc.. Since the historical and realistic conditions that promoted the revival of the right still play important roles,the right-turn trend in Latin America will continue in the short term. However, the new right regimes have to address pressing challenges, namely revitalizing the economy, improving the wellbeing of the poor, combating the corruption, bridging the difference and division inside the right camp, etc.. On the other hand, the left has not diminished, and a new round of left resurgence is still possible in the future.

Keywords: The Left, The Right, Latin American politics

Abstract: After the ISIS was destroyed, there will be a tremendous power vacuum in vast Northern areas of the Middle East. The Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq was the starting point of the geopolitical restructure of the Middle East in the post-Islamic State era. The United States has developed a close partnership with Kurdish forces in the war against the Islamic State. However, the U.S. opposed the independence referendum held on September 25th by the Iraq Kurdish regional government because of different reasons. But the Kurds, controlling vast valuable lands in the area, as one of the friendliest forces to the United States,will play an irreplaceable role in terms of the Middle East strategy of the United States in the future. With the development of the political situations in Iraq, Syria and other relative countries, the United States will possibly adjust its policy towards Kurdish independence, which is bound to dramatically change the international political order of the Middle East.

KeyWords: Kurdish independence, American diplomacy, American Middle East Policy, Middle East international relations

Abstract: Economic diverge among Euro Zone members has been existing since the launch of Euro, become one of the root causes igniting European Debt Crisis. It also brings European Union many huge challenges. EU has profoundly recognize the issue and begin to launch out a series of Euro Zone mechanism reforms including financial system, common budget and other reforms，expecting that those measures can solve diverge challenges at root. Due to the uncertainty of EU’s economic, political and social, situation, it is difficult that EU smoothly push its Euro Zone Reform plan and get expected progress.

Keywords：European Union, European Debt Crisis, Regional integration