In The News

The Rise of China and the Future of the West: Can the Liberal System Survive?

G. John Ikenberry January 2, 2008
China’s rise does not present inevitable battle between east and west. Global powers can accommodate a changing order and thrive. “Today's Western order, in short, is hard to overturn and easy to join,” writes G. John Ikenberry, professor of politics and international affairs. After World War II, the US led in establishing institutions that welcomed victors and defeated, established powers...

After Bhutto, Pakistan on Edge

Ahmed Rashid January 1, 2008
Pakistan grieves the sudden, yet foreseen death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a courageous woman who threatened the status quo. Urged by the US, Bhutto agreed to a power-sharing deal with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, if both won election. She vowed to end appeasement of extremists and cooperate with the US in pursuing all sources of terrorism, in and out of Pakistan. She...

Down With Democracy

December 7, 2007
Some leaders are so insecure that they cannot withstand any hint of opposition or dissent at all. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, may have an 80-percent approval rating, and yet his party squashed any questions or debate about his record. Democracy is a complicated process, reminds this article in the Economist. “Everything depends on who is allowed to vote, who selects the candidates or...

The Costs of Containing Iran

Vali Nasr December 5, 2007
A US intelligence report published December 3 concludes that Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003. The report from 16 US intelligence agencies could slow an aggressive policy on Iran from the Bush administration. The US has failed to build a US-Israeli-Sunni alliance against Tehran – and also fails to recognize that, even if possible, such an alliance would further inflame...

Renewing American Leadership

Barack Obama December 1, 2007
Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, argues that US foreign policy must be reformed if America’s international power is to be revitalized. Obama, who has pledged to withdraw US troops from Iraq, laments that the Iraq War damaged some international relationships that secured both US power and global stability in the post-World War II era. Now, he argues, the US must...

The Battle of Beijing

Moisés Naím November 26, 2007
China is intent on using the 2008 Olympics as a stage to display the strength of its culture, organized political system and rising economic power. Activists on a range of issues, particularly human rights, are equally earnest, planning to use the Olympics as a platform for exposing flaws of China’s one-party authoritarian regime. State-of-the-art technology common among tourists – including cell...

Emergency for Pakistan – and the World

Ahmed Rashid November 12, 2007
The United States has long considered Pakistani President-General Pervez Musharraf an essential ally in its war on terror and provides more than $1 billion in annual foreign aid, most of which goes to the military for fighting terrorism. But Pakistan’s constitution prohibits Musharraf, who took office by coup in 1999, from serving another term as president while also serving as army chief. With...