In The News

Rising Sino-Japanese Competition in Africa

Yun Sun September 8, 2016
Japan is showing increased interest in Africa, most recently with a visit from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his $30 billion pledge. Analysts view such diplomacy as part of long history of rivalry between Japan’s and China – from the legacy of World War II and the subsequent shaping of the United Nations to regional conflicts such as the South China Sea and Taiwan. The rivalry finds new...

Meant to Promote Cooperation, G20 Meeting Shows Discord

Chris Miller September 6, 2016
Fear is growing that globalization has spun out of control, with too many decisions at the local level left by the wayside. Contending with home-front discontent, leaders of the world’s major economies gathered for the G20 summit, encountering many reminders that nations are part of a global community and struggle is sure for any that try to withdraw and resolve big challenges on their own. Even...

Yemen: The War Canada Can’t Afford to Ignore

Elizabeth Renzetti August 29, 2016
Yemen, a country of 25 million, has become a focal point for a proxy war between rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. Elizabeth Renzetti, in her Globe and Mail column, urges countries to reconsider supplying arms used in a brutal conflict resulting in thousands of civilian casualties. The median age in Yemen is under 19. A ceasefire ended in August, and Médecins Sans Frontières and many journalists are...

Modi Throws Down Gauntlet to Pakistan and China

Harsh V. Pant August 25, 2016
India and Pakistan have battled over territory since winning independence in 1947. Efforts by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ease tensions over the past two years have hit a wall as terrorism backed by Pakistan continues in Kashmir. Meanwhile, Pakistan tightens relations with China. Efforts for peace came to a standstill after Pakistan hailed Burhan Wani – a rebel commander who fought...

Japan, China, South Korea Urge North Korea to Stop Provocation

Kiyoshi Takenaka and Xiao Yu August 25, 2016
Soon after North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile, foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea united in urging North Korea to stop its provocations. “A North Korean submarine fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday that flew about 500 km (300 miles) towards Japan, a show of improving technological capability for the isolated country that has conducted a nuclear test and as series of...

Scramble in the Horn

James Jeffrey August 24, 2016
Landlocked Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country with more than 96 million people. Conflict lingers between Ethiopia and Eritrea since the latter obtained independence in 1993. “The fighting that broke out at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border on 12 June, reportedly involving artillery and tanks, resulting in hundreds killed and wounded, has highlighted how old-fashioned power politics has...

Syria Jarablus: Turkish Tanks Roll Into Northern Syria

Pinar Sevinclidir August 24, 2016
A dozen Turkish tanks and other vehicles have entered the Syrian town of Jarablus, a few kilometers from the border. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the operation was aimed against both IS and Kurdish fighters,” reports BBC News. “Turkey shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in the region this week, determined not to let them fill the vacuum if [the Islamic State] leaves.” The five-year war is...