In The News

Barak Mendelsohn June 19, 2014
A string of quick military successes for ISIS in Iraq has legitimized the group as a new leader of the jihadi movement. The group controls Tikrit, Mosul and many other smaller towns in Iraq and Syria – and nears Baghdad. The success “could be a harbinger of a tectonic shift within the jihadi movement,” suggests Barak Mendelsohn in Foreign Affairs. By comparison, Al Qaeda’s influence is diminished...
Dilip Hiro June 18, 2014
ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, began as an Al Qaeda offshoot in Iraq and is described as more fanatical than the parent group. With up to 5000 troops, ISIS controls an area of Syria and now storms through northern Iraq exploiting power vacuums and frustrations over minority rights. The group imposes a rigid Sunni interpretation...
Fareed Zakaria June 13, 2014
US opposition parties often blast the president for “weakness” in foreign policy. No understanding of faraway places, complex history or intricate relationships is required. In a stable period, diplomacy is more essential than a fast finger on the trigger. “In this context, what is needed from Washington is not a heroic exertion of American military power but rather a sustained effort to engage...
Nga Pham June 13, 2014
Vietnam news media shocked readers by covering the anniversary of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and deploring the harsh crackdown on protesters. In the past, Vietnamese news media avoided such topics. Like China, Vietnam is a communist government. This year’s coverage reflected recent tense relations between China and Vietnam. The two nations are engaged in bitter quarrel over islands...
David R. Cameron May 29, 2014
Less than half of registered voters turned out for election of members in the European Parliament, but those who did boosted representation of parties that oppose the continent-wide governance. David R. Cameron, director of the Yale Program in European Union Studies, analyzes election results for the EU’s only directly-elected body. Moderate majority parties lost seats and more extreme parties,...
Jean-Pierre Lehmann May 27, 2014
The United States is not alone in its pivot toward Asia. The Asia Pacific region is a center of bustling potential and security pitfalls. And China is the center of that region, notes Jean-Pierre Lehmann, international political economist. The United States claims its pivot is not intended to contain China, but other Asian nations seek such security. China is a lead trading partner for Japan and...
Gabriele Parussini May 26, 2014
Far-right parties gained power in European parliamentary elections with wins in Denmark, Austria and France and calls for dismantling the EU. Europeans are distraught over high unemployment, the struggling eurozone, high debt, immigration and competition from foreign trade. In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front and a member of the European Parliament for 10 years, appealed with a...