Geopolitical Monitor - Situation Reports: foreign policy analysis and the latest world news headlines

Since the dramatic release of a US military film of a US airborne shooting of unarmed journalists in Iraq, Wiki-Leaks has gained global notoreity and credibility as a daring website that releases sensitive material to the public from whistleblowers within various governments. Their latest “coup” involved alleged leak of thousands of pages of supposedly sensitive documents regarding US informers within the Taliban in Afghanistan and their ties to senior people linked to Pakistan’s ISI military intelligence. The evidence suggests however that far from an honest leak, it is a calculated disinformation to the gain of the US and perhaps Israeli and Indian intelligence and a coverup of the US and Western role in drug trafficking out of Afghanistan.

Arizona's tough anti-immigrant legislation, though watered-down, could still feed into recruiting efforts for Mexican organized crime.

In early 2010, conflicts between China and the US came thick and fast, leading to the most serious political disturbance between the two countries since the plane collision in 2001. At the beginning of April, as the heads of both countries talked over the telephone and Chinese President Hu Jintao attended a nuclear security summit in Washington, Sino-US relations became less tense. Tensions were further eased by the Second China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue held in Beijing in May.

The results of the bank stress test in Europe have been greeted with widespread skepticism; even though financial markets seem calmer, the system is not yet out of the woods.

As the threat of climate change increases, nuclear power is once again in fashion. But given high costs, long construction periods and lack of tangible incentives to build nuclear capacity, can the technology help cap emissions and avert climate disaster?

Some US officials are backing away from the idea that the July 2011 deadline set by President Obama will mark a major drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan. But leading Democrats, aware of growing opposition to the war among supporters, are singing a different tune.

Hard-liners In Iran are increasingly looking to the Web.

As Washington prepares to unveil a strategy aimed at neutralising the Lord’s Resistance Army, LRA, many in northern Uganda are mindful of how past attempts to deal a knock-out blow to the rebel movement have succeeded only in increasing instability in the region.

The reported success of the Obama - Netanyahu summit by the mainstream U.S. media overshadowed some recent important developments in the Middle East and the fears that the region is sinking into chaos. In reality, although this tactical meeting with warmed up relations image was very much needed both by Obama and Netanyahu for strategic and political reasons, it does not have any favorable effect on the realities on the ground.

Political friction over economic issues between the US and China has faded for the time being, but its sources remain and may reappear at any time.