In The News

Egypt Can’t Blame Everyone Else

H.A. Hellyer November 9, 2015
Egypt initially resisted theories that a bomb brought down Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224. Evidence suggests that extremists may have planted a board onboard the plane, and other countries are reacting, including the United Kingdom, which suspended flights to the region, and Russia, which eventually suspended flights to the nation. Egyptian authorities waited a...

Rise of Muslim Population Poses Challenge for India

Riaz Hassan October 8, 2015
If current demographic trends continue, the ranks of religious believers in the world could rise through 2050, reports a Pew Research Report. Islam would show the fastest rate of growth, and the unaffiliated would decline in proportion to other religious categories. Riaz Hassan, director of the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding at the University of South Australia,...

Myanmar Ousts Rising Political Star

Bertil Lintner August 18, 2015
The West celebrated the promise of democratic reforms for Myanmar after a new government was installed in 2011. The military signaled its desire to restore relations with the West, ending crippling sanctions while reducing excessive reliance on neighboring China. Observers in the West had pointed to the speaker of the Lower House of Myanmar’s bicameral parliament as a “bridge” linking Myanmar’s...

Is Uber a Threat to Democracy?

Kemal Derviş July 27, 2015
The nature of work is changing, not simply due to technology, but also a labor force willing to provide services and skills at low prices as well as consumers who demand low costs and fast service. Economists often point to Uber – a driving service that relies on the internet to match willing drivers with clients in need of car service – as a disruptive business, undermining official taxi...

Greece's Referendum: The Price of Five Years of Cowardice

Christian Rickens July 1, 2015
Europe’s rescue measures for Greece have failed. The nation is on the brink of bankruptcy, threatening default on International Monetary Fund loans that would trigger an end to additional bailout funds. Greek leaders stunned the rest of Europe by refusing to decide on a proposed deal and instead putting the matter before voters. Europe missed three windows of opportunity to curtail the ongoing...

Why the World Is Becoming the Un-Sweden

John Feffer June 15, 2015
Fifty years ago, academics predicted that that the two ideological systems of the Cold War would converge to include the best features of capitalism and collectivism, or a Swedish type of social democracy. They expected modernization to force governments to evolve. Today, many countries demonstrated a convergence, but with versions that incorporate the worst of both – ruthless forms of capitalism...

New Birth for Social Democracy

Kemal Derviş June 12, 2015
Structural changes in the global economy are driving inequality. Technology has not only replaced many workers in manufacturing and services, but is also transforming the traditional business model. Decentralized organizations hire low paid, temporary workers instead of long-term employees. Uber, which has threatened traditional taxi services, is an example of a decentralized business model. This...