In The News

The Economist: What’s in It for Belt-and-Road Countries?

April 20, 2018
Trade flourished in Central Asia until shipping routes became faster and more affordable than the Silk Road’s land routes: “many Eurasian hubs floundered,” reports the Economist. The leaders of China and many governments expect that infrastructure investments of the Belt and Road Initiative could revive the region as transport routes. But the Economist questions if the flow of trade will be one...

Harper’s: Buddhism Meets the Chinese Economy

Will Ford April 17, 2018
China’s fast-growing economy brings cultural changes and heightens tensions in Tibet. “As in many regions in China’s interior, the government was trying to kick-start development via tourism, promoting Tibetan culture, horse trekking, and hiking,” writes Will Ford for Harper’s. He describes Lhamo, a lopsided community with a main street that straddles two provinces, Gansu and Sichuan. The former...

The New York Times: China’s Ambitious New “Port” in Landlocked Kazakhstan

Andrew Higgins January 15, 2018
The China Ocean Shipping Company, the country’s biggest, state-owned shipping company, invested billions in the Khorgos Gateway, located in the arid terrain of Kazakhstan. “The gamble is not only reshuffling global transport routes, but also shaking up Kazakh and global politics as China inserts itself deeper into a region that Russia considers squarely within its area of influence,” writes...

The Washington Post: In the Middle East, The Dream of Democracy Is Dead

Asli Aydıntaşbaş November 27, 2017
In 2010 a Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest harassment that limited his ability to earn a living. His action triggered region-wide populist uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa that became known as the Arab Spring. Fleeting hopes for radical reconstruction of state and society now seems dead, buried and even forgotten. Asli Aydıntaşbaş observes...

FiveThirtyEight: US Ban on Travel to Cuba Might Actually Help Cuba’s Economy

Andrea Jones-Rooy August 4, 2017
In June, President Donald Trump enacted a series of policies indicating a tougher attitude toward the Communist government in Cuba, including Treasury Department audits of travelers to Cuba. Critics suggest such policies could harm the island nation’s economy. The financial reality is more complicated, argues Andrea Jones-Rooy for FiveThirtyEight. “Because the resorts are often financed by...

WorldPost: These Days, All Roads Lead to Beijing

Peter Frankopan August 1, 2017
China’s President Xi Jinping has made developing good ties in Central Asia and beyond a foreign policy priority. He anticipates the Silk Road Economic Belt to enhance economic ties, communications and trade across three continents, explains Peter Frankopan for WorldPost in an essay that examines old and recent history. China, positioning itself as a leader, pumps billions into the Silk Road Fund...

Paris Innovation Review: New Silk Road as a New Worldview?

Hervé Machenaud June 7, 2017
Representatives of about 100 nations participated in China’s New Silk Road Forum in May. Some in the West express concerns about the Silk Road initiative and the companion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. China has invested in developing its own infrastructure and now hopes to do the same for developing nations while increasing its own expertise spreading good will. The projects have...