Strategic Survey 2012: The Annual Review of World Affairs

The year to mid-2012 was dominated by transitions. Changes were under way most obviously in the Arab world after the revolutionary wave of 2011, and in the surrounding region where traditional relationships and balances had been upset. Across the world, conflicting interests were jockeying to secure their objectives in a shifting landscape. This was true in Europe, which struggled to find a path through economic and financial problems, in Russia after the re-election of Vladimir Putin, and in China where a leadership transfer was also under way. The United States remained in transition between an interventionist era and a new role, yet to take full shape.

Strategic Survey 2012: The Annual Review of World Affairs covers all the events and themes of the year region by region, and includes special essays on important policy issues: the implications of the cyber world for intelligence agencies; building cooperation in African defence; and the effectiveness of economic sanctions on Iran. A Strategic Geography section provides vital data in map form on key issues such as the rise of Asia, the civil war in Syria and America’s campaign of drone strikes.