In The News

New Statesman: Putin’s New Cold War

Lawrence Freedman March 14, 2018
The Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok sickened a Russian man, his daughter and a police officer in a small British town. Prime Minister Theresa May gave Russia a deadline for an explanation, and after no serious response, she expelled 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers. Such incidents increase Russia’s isolation and increase wariness about Vladimir Putin’s expected victory in Russia’s...

Quartz: China’s Growing Africa Footprint

Abdi Latif Dahir March 12, 2018
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended a five-nation diplomatic tour of Africa one day early, as African and US officials compare China’s growing trade and investment with the US security role. The US has one permanent base in Djibouti. “But last year, China opened its first overseas naval base there too, provided loans to the country, and built a railway connecting its seas to the Ethiopian...

The Week: Is Trump Walking Into Kim’s Trap?

Peter Weber March 9, 2018
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump surprised the world by quickly agreeing to a meeting before June, this after a year of insults exchanged and missile tests by North Kora. The meeting, let alone lasting peace, may not materialize, though the willingness to talk and a quest for peace by the two leaders seems hopeful. Experienced analysts raise concerns, questioning if Kim is serious about...

Washington Post: Trump Accepts Talks With North Korea’s Kim

Anna Fifield March 8, 2018
North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Un has invited US President Donald Trump for talks, as conveyed by a South Korea delegation that traveled to North Korea. South Korean security and intelligence officials traveled to Washington, and said Trump agreed to a meeting before summer: “an extraordinary scene – a foreign official, unaccompanied by U.S. leaders, briefing the press at the White House about...

Newsweek: NY Bank Regulator Scrutinizes Kushner

Jessica Kwong March 2, 2018
Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to the US president, confronts charges of conflict of interest on numerous fronts. New York’s banking regulator is requesting details on loans to Kushner, his real estate company and family members from three banker including Deutsche Bank, reports Newsweek. This follows a New York Times report that Kushner received loans after meeting with top...

Reuters: China’s Xi and the World

Peter Marino February 28, 2018
China plans to scrap term limits for its president, consolidating Xi Jinping’s power and reducing power for others in the Communist Party. Some in China contend the move promotes stability, but Peter Marino, writing for Reuters, suggests that assessing political events could become more challenging for insiders or outsiders assessing the country: “Xi has fractured what remains of global models...

New Statesman: The New Age of Great Power Politics

John Bew February 14, 2018
Political scientist Samuel Huntington and others have theorized that elites as beneficiaries of globalization demonstrate less loyalty for nations. Many anticipated great power rivalries to subside after the Cold War, but resentment emerged about global endeavors as revealed by Brexit and Donald Trump’s election: “Two of the nations that had evangelised most about the liberal international order...