In The News

Global Economy: Is Anybody in Control?

David Dapice August 9, 2011
Around the globe, national leaders show no clue, no confidence, about how to re-engineer job creation or global economic security, contends economist David Dapice. The US has many resources for resolving its large debt, but bickering and stubborn quests for power prevent speedy resolution. Europe’s resistance to enact long-term policies on unequal accrual of debt among its member states and...

The Kremlin's Short-Term Gains Are Russia's Long-Term Losses

Yuri Mamchur August 5, 2011
Stability throughout the Middle East should matter more to Russia than the United States, argues writer Yuri Mamchur. But while the US cheered democratic aspirations and greater freedoms promised by the Arab Spring, Russia remained mute. “The dearth of official Russian involvement in the Arab Spring demonstrates the country’s fading influence in the world, at least the type of influence needed to...

A Stalled Arab Spring

Dilip Hiro August 4, 2011
Revolutions are rarely smooth affairs. So the Arab Spring extends into the scorching heat of summer. Securing lasting change takes longer than many analysts in the West and young protesters on the streets of Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Tunisia might have anticipated, explains author Dilip Hiro. Quick exits by presidents of Tunisia and Egypt spread hope throughout the Middle East and North...

A Global Laughingstock, US Politicking Threatens Economy

Philip Bowring August 2, 2011
US Congress went to the wire, lifting a debt ceiling to allow payment of its bills, salaries and benefits. The world wasn’t impressed by a last-minute show of unity, after weeks of unseemly squabbling that put the global economy at risk. Financial journalist Philip Bowring contends the spectacle that raised the long-term costs of government borrowing also exposed an undercurrent of troubles: US...

Hezbollah on Edge in Face of Syria Revolt

Rana Moussaoui July 29, 2011
Protests underway in Syria since March have forced Hezbollah in Lebanon to moderate its stance. Like Syrian leaders, Hezbollah, a powerful party in Lebanon which enjoys strong Syrian military backing, blames the unrest on a few extremists, which infuriates the protesters. Syria, 74 percent Sunni, is run by an Alawi family with connections to Shiite Iran and Hezbollah. A new, more democratic Sunni...

China’s North Korean Foreign Policy Decoded

Sunny Seong-hyon Lee July 28, 2011
The US and North Korea today meet in New York to determine if six-nation talks, aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, can resume. Media and diplomatic attention focuses on China, too: The West expects China to scold its unruly neighbor to the north and make it behave. Yet China’s influence is an unknown, explains China-based journalist Sunny Lee. Strong pressure from Beijing could...

Sorry, Pakistan: China Is No Sugar Daddy

Urmila Venugopalan July 22, 2011
China may be in no hurry to replace $800 million in suspended US aid to the Pakistani military. After the decision from the US president, Pakistani generals anticipated that China, an ally and the country’s largest defense supplier, would be willing to counter US influence and step in with funding. In exchange, Pakistani generals could help combat Islamic militant activity along China’s border...