More than half a century has passed since Japan occupied China or Korea. Mistrust and bitterness linger, with intense nationalism and territorial disputes flaring over two sets of small islands in the East China Sea – Senkakus/Diaoyu and Takeshima/Dokdo. The value of the islands extends beyond land...
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is leading a large delegation to the summit meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran this week. A foreign policy of nonalignment – friends to all – is tempting for any state, but particularly for a populous democracy like India. Under Jawaharlal Nehru,...
More than a decade of war in Afghanistan has devastated Pakistan economically and politically. Yet Pakistan is key to Afghan security, capable of acting as a regional enforcer or spoiler as the US and NATO plan to withdraw forces from Afghanistan before the end 2014. Contrary to what’s widely...
Concerns emerged after the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Morsi, prevailed in Egypt’s presidential election – about rigid Islamist ways, rejection of the peace treaty with Israel, distancing with the US and inadequate leadership in general. In less than two months, he has surprised many with...
The US, with great potential for economic growth, still could rescue the dragging global economy – the country’s energy development, agricultural output, steady labor force, and education programs all offer promise. But the US has immediate challenges, argues economist David Dapice, including...
China displays keen indifference to improving relations with South Korea. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has set up a chat-room to solicit public input on improving ties, but Scott W. Harold, China specialist for the RAND Corporation, is pessimistic about new foreign-policy...
本月庆祝三周年生日的中国微博，为一般民众提供了全国性的平台来监督当权者。挥指之间，市民已经可以通过发布照片、录像、评论和信息，来发动一场公共辩论，或让政府官员和企业管理层无地自容。驻北京记者马洁涛（Mary Kay Magistad）指出，微博有三亿五千万用户，中国领导人面临两难选择，一方面他们喜欢微博感知民意的能力，另一方面他们又拒绝公共监督。微博这一工具在中国当局、互联网公司和民众之间开辟了新战场，在批评、审查和自我审查的问题上，大家都在相互探测底线。微博成为了千万中国人的喉舌，让民众站出来，为他们的社会所面临的挑战提出突发其想或有条有据的建议。政府官员正发现，对有效批评的迅速、理性回应...
Weibo, China’s microblog that’s celebrating its third anniversary this month, offers a national platform for ordinary citizens to hold the powerful to account. In an instant, an ordinary citizen can launch a public debate or shame government and corporate officials by posting photos, videos,...
The US may be a service economy, but it’s still the world’s largest manufacturer. There are many reasons to remain bullish on US manufacturing and the American worker, suggests Farok Contractor, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. US firms invest in high-tech...
A worrisome tussle is underway over the South China Sea. China is preparing to auction off two sections that are widely recognized to fall within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, 200 nautical miles offshore, even after Hanoi turned the exploration rights over to India. The discord between China...
在南海（South China Sea），一场令人担忧的纷争正在酝酿。中国拟将两块海域进行拍卖，而外界广泛认为这两块海域位于离岸200海里的越南专属经济区之内，并且越南已经将勘探权转移给了印度。国王学院的哈希•潘特（Harsh V. Pant）认为，中国与印度之间的矛盾不仅仅是海上边界和勘探权的矛盾，而是反映了“两个崛起中的大国在亚洲版图的战略对峙”。潘特认为，中国正在将印度逼入困境，迫使其维护自由通航权和国际法，加强与其他东亚国家的关系，并且保护本国作为崛起大国的信誉。中国在声称对南海拥有主权的同时直捣印度洋深处，这样的激进行动扩散了与邻国之间的不确定性和不信任，可能将与其长期利益产生冲突...
The roots of Syria’s intractable civil war rest in sectarian differences and a legacy of colonialism that divided a region’s people, favoring a few elites and suppressing dissenters. Today, the violence continues unabated. The bitter feud that divides Syria’s minority Alawites and Christians and...
North Korea, among the world’s most secretive, isolated and impoverished countries, is led by the world’s youngest head of state. Analysts are uncertain about many details of Kim Jong Un’s life, including his age or the extent of his education with a stint in Switzerland. Since taking power in...
The series of protests in 2011 that overturned governments in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have ushered in activism and new debate in the Arab world. Analyzing the reasons behind the surge of discontent requires an understanding of each nation’s history, regional relationships, demographics and...
