In The News

Arab Nations Strike in Libya, Surprising US

David D. Kirkpatrick and Eric Schmittaug August 26, 2014
Without asking or waiting for US approval, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates targeted airstrikes against Islamist militias in Libya, reports the New York Times. During the 2011 Arab Spring protests, powerful autocrats, tending to regard any political opposition to their rule as extreme, had warned that extremists could hijack the democracy movements. Elections in Libya have since led to bitter...

Will Erdoğan’s Victory Mark Rise of Illiberal Democracy?

Hakan Altinay August 7, 2014
An easy victory projected for Recep Tayip Erdoğan as first president of Turkey elected by popular vote baffles critics in the West. Steady improvements in the Turkish economy throughout his 11 years as prime minister trump ongoing complaints about an authoritarian style, explains Hakan Altinay, director of the European School of Politics in Istanbul. “While Erdoğan's sympathizers would say...

Illegal Immigration Illogic

Joseph Chamie July 22, 2014
Countries are torn over tough enforcement for immigrants who enter without authorization: employers welcome flexible, low-cost labor while workers and taxpayers resent competition over limited jobs and community resources. The influx of children crossing into the United States from Central American states with high poverty, unemployment and fertility rates underscores the problem for nations with...

Hong Kong Votes, Beijing Fumes: Analysis

Dylan Loh Ming Hui July 3, 2014
A global finance capital is in turmoil over how to organize an election set for 2017. Beijing plans for universal suffrage in Hong Kong with a slate of candidates approved by a 1,200-member pro-China committee, explains Dylan Loh Ming Hui, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, in Eurasian Review. Occupy Central wants the nominating process to be open. China blasted an unofficial...

Colombia Polls Give President Santos “Mandate for Peace”

June 16, 2014
Reelected for a second term Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos claims to have a mandate for wrapping up a peace process with FARC after five deades of war. Santos’ opponent Oscar Ivan Zuluaga criticized methods of peace negotiations and failure to levy sanctions against rebel groups. The opponent promised stricter conditions on the peace talks, threatening to break them off unless the rebels...

Yingluck’s Out. Now What, Thailand?

May 7, 2014
Polarization and a rural-urban divide are paralyzing Thai politics. A court removed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, opening “a new and dangerous chapter in the implacable eight-year struggle between an amalgam of royalists, businessmen and the Bangkok elite, on one side, and the political empire headed by Yingluck’s brother, fugitive tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, on the other,” reports Asia...

Asia’s Big Democracies Head to the Polls

Pallavi Aiyar April 17, 2014
Unity in Diversity is a motto for both India and Indonesia, and ongoing elections demonstrate that Asia’s two largest democracies have much in common, explains journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar. Election operations are complex and impressive, considering that India has more than 800 million registered voters and Indonesia has nearly 200 million. “Noisy political rallies, outspoken trade...