Recent YaleGlobal Articles

Will Hickey
August 13, 2015
China is pushing for the renminbi to join the ranks of reserve currencies as designated by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF may delay such designation and gave a nod to China’s abrupt devaluation of the yuan, letting the unit respond to market forces. Reserve status for the yuan would be...
Itziar Aguirre
August 11, 2015
Burundi, landlocked, poor and one of Africa’s smallest nations, battles corruption and ethnic tensions. The re-election of President Pierre Nkurunziza, in defiance of the nation’s constitutional limit of two terms, may compound the challenges. “Ethnic violence could spread, threatening foreign aid...
Gregory Poling
August 6, 2015
China announced on July 20 plans to conduct military exercises in areas of the South China Sea, including those under dispute with Vietnam. “The exercises overlapped with a high-level gathering of senior officials from China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN,...
Michael C. Davis
August 4, 2015
A one-country, two-systems model describes China’s relationship with Hong Kong. Observers naturally can’t help but weigh the pros and cons of each system, regarding one better than the other. China is tightening controls on the mainland for human-rights advocates, educators and internet users...
Jonathan Gil Harris
July 30, 2015
A narrative common in the West often pits Christianity and Judaism against Islam. It was not so in an earlier era. Christianity was a militant force during the 16th century. By 1550, Portugal ruled India’s best western ports, and India became a refuge for Iberian Jewish families, also known as New...
John Githongo
July 28, 2015
Kenyans were ecstatic welcoming Barack Obama during his first visit as US president to his father’s homeland. Obama attended the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a gathering of entrepreneurs at all levels designed to encourage economic growth and innovation. “In general, US foreign policy vis-...
Patricia Alejandro
July 23, 2015
The United States and Cuba are reopening their respective embassies and preparing for more exchanges in diplomacy and trade. “Cubans and Americans are equally curious about exploring the other side since December when President Barack Obama and Raúl Castro made the surprise announcement on...
Dilip Hiro
July 21, 2015
Ties between China and Pakistan run strong and often aim at containing India. In recent decades, China helped Pakistan with its nuclear-weapons program and after 1991 became the country’s chief arms supplier. The relationship could signal that China’s One Belt, One Road project is as much about...
Richard Weitz
July 16, 2015
The leading impact of the July 14 Iran nuclear deal may be how it affects the overall pace and extent of nuclear-weapons proliferation. To succeed in resolving the Iranian nuclear deal and strengthening barriers against the further spread of nuclear weapons, China, Russia and the United States must...
Mary Evelyn Tucker
July 14, 2015
The world’s major religions urge both respect for nature’s power and gratitude for Earth’s bounty. No one should have been surprised by the encyclical of Pope Francis, rallying believers and non-believers in a global call: “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring...
Joseph Chamie
July 9, 2015
Conflict in the Middle East is driving millions of people from their homes: Estimates from the UN Refugee Agency suggest that more than 4 million Syrians are refugees, 50,000 more have sought asylum and at least 7 million more are internally displaced. In Iraq, near 2 million are displaced....
David Dapice
July 7, 2015
Greek voters have soundly rejected a set of reforms from the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. The “no” vote may mark the beginning of Greece’s exit from the eurozone, and the uncertainty of what happens next comes at a bad time for the global...
Bruce Riedel
July 2, 2015
Saudi Arabia has long valued continuity, reducing uncertainty by planning leadership transitions years in advance, preparing individuals for their future roles. But King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, crowned this year, has made many changes, including removing his predecessor’s choice for crown prince and...
Will Hickey
June 30, 2015
Countries are waging currency wars in competition over export markets, jobs and foreign investment – printing money, taking on more debt, rather than pursuing serious and needed domestic structural reforms. “Without deeper structural reforms that encourage consumption, innovation and a secure...
Alexander Evans
June 25, 2015
Governments can get caught up in sweeping generalizations about the brutal extremists rampaging through Iraq, Syria and Libya based on the most recent news. ISIL, ISIS, the Islamic State – analysts in and out of governments quarrel over the terrorist group’s name and translation – have slaughtered...
Matthew Rojansky and Mykhailo Minakov
June 23, 2015
Ukraine struggles to survive as an independent nation against external and internal forces – Russia, the powerful neighbor next door, and Russian sympathizers throughout eastern Ukraine. “Russian-backed aggression, relentless propaganda and meddling in Ukraine’s domestic politics have pushed many...
Chris Miller
June 18, 2015
Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party, or AK, won the most votes in the June 7 election, but not enough to dodge the need for building a coalition in parliament. The coalition AK builds could swing right or left with implications for foreign policy, explains Chris Miller, a PhD student...
Neelam D Sabharwal
June 16, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have set a new tone for India's relations with China, yet personal rapport and economic interdependence offer little guarantee of settling longstanding strategic issues that divide the world’s two most populous nations, warns Neelam D Sabharwal, a former Indian...
Joergen Oerstroem Moeller
June 11, 2015
The world confronts an immigration challenge as vast numbers flee conflict and religious persecution in the Middle East and South Asia along with stark poverty in Africa and South America. The world has 50 million forcibly displaced people, and millions more leave their homelands in search of...
Stephen S. Roach
June 9, 2015
China is preparing for a broader role in leading Asia on economic development and world affairs. The nation has long been an active member of global organizations including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and others, and now is “engaged in global institution building of its own”...
Subscribe to Featured Articles