In The News

The US and Iran in a Tantalizing Dance

Abbas Amanat September 26, 2013
There was no handshake between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and US President Barack Obama during the United Nations General Assembly, but the tone of their rhetoric promises a sea change in relations after more than three decades. The Iranian public supports Rouhani's moderate proposals as a means to securing respect, stability and an end to debilitating sanctions imposed by the West....

Egypt Court Bans Muslim Brotherhood Activities

Laura King, Ingy Hassieb September 25, 2013
In one short year, the Muslim Brotherhood went from winning Egypt’s first democratic election to being cast as a pariah: An Egyptian court has “banned all of its activities and ordered the confiscation of its financial assets,” report Laura King and Ingy Hassieb for the Los Angeles Times, and they question whether such rapid reversal “by an increasingly authoritarian interim government will...

Currency Conundrum

Nayan Chanda September 17, 2013
India’s dysfunctional political system has exacerbated the currency crisis, argues Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor, in his column for Businessworld. Officials blame Indian investors’ keen interest in gold, over-exposure to global markets and over-reaction to reports of a strengthening US economy. Chanda suggests that Indian officials – whose country has benefited so much from globalization –...

Dignity Deficit Fuels Uprisings in the Middle East

Nayef Al-Rodhan September 10, 2013
The Arab Spring has pummeled a region with waves of hope for recovering lost dignity, short-lived success and then despair and more despair. Unending conflict has killed many and left millions more refugees. The international community has long empowered brutal dictators, in pursuit of oil or short-term stability, and then pointedly ignored dire conditions, overlooking blatant violations of human...

People Will Pay if Army Fails Challenge of Political Islam

Amin Saikal September 9, 2013
Political Islam in Egypt – with the democratic election of Mohamed Morsi and one chaotic year in office – took an ideological approach to government, failing to compromise with other forces in society that led the revolution against Mubarak’s dictatorship. After deposing Morsi, the Egyptian military has cracked down on his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other supporters. Conservative...

Why Is Prosperous China So Anxious?

Orville Schell September 5, 2013
China, like other countries, seeks economic success and global respect. The country has accomplished so much in a few short decades – massively expanding the economy, reducing poverty and developing impressive infrastructure. Yet Chinese leaders exude anxiety, suggests author and long-time China observer Orville Schell. Fearing public discontent and unrest, the Chinese Communist Party resists...

China-US Vie for World Approval

Bruce Stokes August 22, 2013
Results of a Pew Research Center survey suggest global citizens anticipate shifting balance of power resulting from China’s economic rise. Most respondents in the nations surveyed expect China to eventually overtake the US, reports Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center. Yet inevitability may not coincide with preference. “As its influence grows, China is...