In The News

Brazil Child Sex Trade Raises Alarm as World Cup Nears

Super User June 5, 2014
Global sporting events attract tourists, prostitution and the child sex trade. The challenges are compounded for the World cup in Brazil. Brazil has enjoyed high economic growth in the past years, but its law enforcement system and social policy are less equipped to address child prostitution. “Brazilian society is often accused of sexualising children,” writes Wyre Davies for the BBC News. “The...

China’s Cyberespionage Presents a 21st-Century Challenge

Fareed Zakaria May 23, 2014
China, with budget surpluses and plenty of cash, balances old and new strategies in foreign relations. Trade, energy deals, assertive territorial claims, aid, spying are all part of the mix, suggests Fareed Zakaria in an opinion essay for the Washington Post. The United States has charged five Chinese military personnel for economic cyberespionage conducted against US companies. Analysts suggest...

Timor-Leste: Lessons of a Failing State?

Loro Horta May 22, 2014
Timor-Leste shares the island of Timor and a bloody history with Indonesia. The former Portuguese colony was part of Indonesia from 1976 until 2002, when it was declared an independent state. The country’s small population is less than half of 1 percent of that in neighboring Indonesia, and one quarter died in fighting for independence. Despite great natural resources, the country has since...

Up to 21 Dead, Doctor Says, As Anti-China Riots Spread in Vietnam

May 15, 2014
China tugged a massive drilling rig to the disputed waters in the South China Sea, which led to confrontations between Chinese and Vietnamese coast guard vessels. Peaceful protests deteriorated into riots and violence in Vietnam with thousands setting fire to foreign factories believing them to be Chinese-owned.More than 450 companies reported damage, despite Vietnam’s strict controls. Taiwanese...

Why There Is No Stopping Boko Haram

Gayatri Chandrasekaran May 12, 2014
Law-abiding citizens are frustrated about extremism and acts of terrorism – including Boko Haram’s kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria as well as their violent attacks on towns and markets. The group’s aim is to establish a religious state in Nigeria and impose archaic rules. “A world that had become accustomed to news of the usual manifestations of terror from groups...

When Flimsy States Don't Fail

Lawrence P. Markowitz April 30, 2014
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan rank among the most corrupt nations in the world with imminent collapse long anticipated. But regimes hang on: “the state’s ability to manage and manipulate competition over local resources to the benefit of the government and its security apparatus has been key,” writes Lawrence P. Markowitz for Foreign Affairs. Markowitz compares how the leaders of the two Central...

Media Under Attack From Hackers: Google Researchers

Jeremy Wagstaff March 28, 2014
Some countries block the internet for news they don’t like; others actively try to disrupt the computers of news gatherers. Journalists and news organizations are a frequent target of state-sponsored hacking attacks, suggests research by two Google security engineers, presented at the Black Hat conference in Singapore. “Both researchers declined to go into detail about how Google monitors such...