In The News

Asia as Global Leader – Not So Fast

Ho Kwon Ping May 14, 2012
Some Asians boast that their continent has found the formula for success and will inevitably provide leadership to the world. But a Singapore business leader and thinker cautions about the hubris. A study of the history of Western civilization offers insights on a formula for such global dominance. The rise of Europe and the United States as influential cultures was not simply due to economic...

Scandal Erodes China’s Soft Power

Frank Ching May 4, 2012
China invests billions on Confucius Institutes and CCTV broadcasts to spread Chinese language, culture and perspectives on world news. But China’s harsh authoritarian rule, exposed by a few incidents or individuals attracting global attention, can undermine efforts to build soft power through a stream of crafted messages, reports journalist Frank Ching. Recent events highlight internal struggles...

A Plague on All Houses

Pranab Bardhan May 2, 2012
In China, India and the United States – political leadership is trapped in systems of governance that reinforce power, encouraging short-term gain with grave long-term costs. Complex policies mask dysfunction, curtail innovation that threatens the status quo, and ease corruption for those in the know. Dysfunctional government is unleashing inequality and dangerous populism in all three nations,...

US, Japan Tweak Marine Exit Plan

Masami Ito May 2, 2012
The US military presence in Japan is a reminder of a complicated history of bitter opponents during World War II who eventually became the strongest of allies. History bears heavily on any US military plans in Japan, including a recent US decision to relocate 9,000 Marines from Okinawa, with some going to Guam in Hawaii, but others scheduled to relocate to a more remote area in north Okinawa....

Power Shift in China – Part III

Susan Shirk April 20, 2012
The selection process of China’s top leaders is kept secret, preventing citizens or ambitious subordinates from taking advantage of divisions. A faux united front may seem cautious and uninspiring as special interests grow, taking entrenched positions. This YaleGlobal series assesses the challenges confronting China as it prepares for leadership transition in October. In the third and final...

Power Shift in China – Part I

Cheng Li April 16, 2012
Leadership transition in China is an opaque process. New appointments to the powerful standing committee of the Politburo are anticipated in October, as President Hu Jintao relinquishes his post as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and hands control to Vice President Xi Jinping. The firing of an ambitious Chongqing party secretary and investigation of his wife for a murder of a...

Will Bo’s Fall Presage Rise of China’s Reformers?

Frank Ching April 9, 2012
The processes behind the selection of the Chinese Communist Party’s top leaders – the nine-member standing committee of the Politburo – are long, deliberative and secretive. The veil of secrecy was lifted briefly when Bo Xilai, who had seemed destined to make the standing committee team, was unceremoniously removed for excessive ambition. The ousted Chongqing party secretary’s campaign for...