In The News

Libyan Fallout: Does NATO Divide the Atlantic Partners? Part I

Alistair Burnett May 10, 2011
With differing levels of enthusiasm among members, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mounts military operations to end the Libyan government’s attacks on civilians. This two-part series analyzes the NATO mission and members’ commitment to the alliance’s future. In the first article, Alistair Burnett, of BBC News, describes the alliance’s intervention in Libya as half-hearted. Of 28 NATO...

Pakistan’s Not So Sleight of Hand

Sumit Ganguly May 4, 2011
Osama bin Laden, killed by US Navy SEALs, was not so hidden in Pakistan. The fugitive’s conspicuously large home in Abbottabad, a resort town that’s also home to many retired Pakistani military, is an embarrassment for the US ally, recipient of more than billions in US security-related aid since 2002. Pakistan, a nuclear power, controls a key supply route into Afghanistan, but the security...

Advanced Economies: Minutes to Midnight? Part II

Bruce Stokes May 2, 2011
To encourage growth, governments borrowed to finance infrastructure and current expenditures, and anticipated revenues to eventually cover the costs. Low interest rates led to surging debt, investment bubbles and unrealistic growth projections rather than a sustainable economy with jobs and tax revenues. This two-part series analyzes the impending crisis for advanced economies. Europe had hoped...

In Arab World, Bin Laden’s Confused Legacy

Anthony Shadid, David D. Kirkpatrick May 2, 2011
There’s a vast disconnect between the Middle East’s uprisings – a quest for democracy – and rigid religious controls promised by Al Qaeda. An operation, authorized by US President Barack Obama, tracked Osama bin Laden to a compound in Pakistan, killing the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington. For youthful Arab populations, the events that put bin Laden on a global most-...

Palestinian Unity Raises New Problems as It Solves Others

David E. Miller April 30, 2011
Internal Palestinian politics and their relations with world have been turbulent since the Islamist resistance group Hamas won a majority of parliamentary seats in January 2006. Rival groups Fatah and Hamas reached an agreement to be signed 4 May, calling for an interim government and elections within a year. The agreement does not detail long-held differences on statehood, peace talks with...

An Alliance Without a Strategy

Jörg Himmelreich April 26, 2011
NATO’s attacks on Libya since mid-March, designed to protect citizens, so far deliver neither quick relief from the fighting nor end of the Gaddafi regime. NATO was divided going into Libya and is just as divided a month later. By encouraging Europe to take the lead in Libya, the US exposed European security weaknesses. Alliance members lack a sense of purpose, instead pursuing national or even...

BRICS Turns To Politics

Nayan Chanda April 26, 2011
An economist for a US investment bank developed the acronym BRIC a decade ago, lumping together the solid, fast-growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China and arguing the four would outpace the top six Western economies before 2050. The analysis resonated, fueling confidence among the hot emerging economies, which have since added South Africa to their ranks. The BRICS agenda is...