In The News

10 Years On, SCO Decides to Induct India as Full Member

Anil Sasi July 14, 2015
India and Pakistan will be full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, joining China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Membership will allow both two members to access more energy from Central Asia, reports Anil Sasi for the Indian Express. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded with an offer to work with the six-member grouping to enhance connectivity,...

Globalization With Chinese Characteristics – What Are the Prospects?

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 13, 2015
The international community has long recognized that the choices made by China weigh large on any global issue or industry. “In the incredibly fast-paced transformations in the dozen years since the publication China has become a global power in virtually every domain,” writes Jean-Pierre Lehmann for Forbes. China’s outbound foreign direct investment now exceeds inbound FDI. Likewise, China sends...

Greece’s Russian Fantasy; Russia’s European Delusion

Pavel K. Baev July 10, 2015
Greeks, well informed about their status as borrowers in advance with bank closures and limits on withdrawals, rejected foreign creditors’ conditions for aid in a referendum. “Many Greeks see Russia as a state that upholds its sovereignty and defies the EU diktat,” writes Pavel K. Baev for Brookings. Russia, sanctioned for its military interventions in Ukraine, has its own economic struggles with...

Ashraf Ghani's Bold Move for Taliban Peace

David Loyn July 10, 2015
The Afghan government and Taliban, accompanied by representatives of the Haqqani network, met for peace talks. The Taliban demand closure of all foreign bases, a prisoner exchange and end to a United Nations blacklist on travel for individuals. The government expects the insurgents to respect women’s rights; all members of the Afghan delegation were male. “The presence of US and Chinese diplomats...

When Violence Undermines Legitimacy

Rami G. Khouri July 7, 2015
The Middle East and Africa offer a full palette of methods for thwarting national interests, undermining international legitimacy and spreading extremism. Rami G. Khouri, writing for the Daily Star in Lebanon, offers a brief outline: US missile strikes in Libya and Yemen target militants; the South African government allowed visiting president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, to flee after courts...

Greece – A Mess With Consequences

David Dapice July 7, 2015
Greek voters have soundly rejected a set of reforms from the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund. The “no” vote may mark the beginning of Greece’s exit from the eurozone, and the uncertainty of what happens next comes at a bad time for the global economy, warns economist David Dapice. Economists can only speculate about the possible political and...

Angela's Ashes: How Merkel Failed Greece and Europe

Peter Müller and René Pfister July 6, 2015
The Greek debt crisis, has put Europe into turmoil, and leaders could have set limits on Greece long ago. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras heightened uncertainty by scheduling a referendum on whether Greece should accept conditions for a bailout. “Tsipras' radicalism lies in his faith in the power of the decision,” write Peter Müller and René Pfister for Spiegel Online. If he doesn't...