In The News

There is Nothing Called the 'Moderate Taliban'

MJ Akbar April 20, 2009
The Obama administration’s new approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan involving talking with “moderate” Taliban has raised a lot of criticism. Indian journalist and author M.J.Akbar argues that to consider any Taliban who is not fighting the US moderate is a mistake. The phrase “moderate Taliban” glosses over the intent of the Taliban’s actions: the oppression of women and the repeal of modernity...

The G-20 and the Future of Capitalism – Part I

Jeffrey E. Garten March 30, 2009
The world’s eye will be on the summit of the Group of 20 meeting in London on April 2. As the member nations – from Argentina to the United States – represent 80 percent of world trade, their decision will have an immediate and direct bearing on the global economic recession roiling the world. Doubts and anger emerge in nations that have long embraced capitalistic principles and free and open...

Pakistan: The Militant Jihadi Challenge

March 30, 2009
As the US and NATO prepare to step up military action to blunt extremism along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the International Crisis Group presents analysis on the extent of the challenge: “that the Pakistani Taliban is an outgrowth of radical Sunni networks in the country’s political heartland is too often neglected.” Extremist networks provide weapons, recruits and financing for attacks on...

World Economy: What Went Wrong

March 23, 2009
The IMF concludes that a lack of regulation – not global imbalances – led to crisis, and “the distinction has important consequences for whether macroeconomic policy or more regulation of financial markets will provide the solutions to the mess,” reports the Economist. Economists examine the root causes, comparing problems to previous crises to develop solutions and prevent repeats. “The IMF...

Firewalls to Freedom

Rebecca MacKinnon March 9, 2009
To block popular dissent over policies, governments no longer simply rely on censorship, particularly the imperfect filters devised for the internet. Instead governments of all stripes master the art of spin – emphasizing certain topics and casting their own frame for any issue. Citizens who support government positions can tout policies and quickly blast doubters, as evident prior to the 2003 US...

Obama and the World: Time to Deliver

Bruce Stokes January 28, 2009
President Barack Obama must act quickly on a range of foreign-policy issues to demonstrate that the United States is prepared for meaningful change in its approach to resolve problems that have defied solution. Bruce Stokes, international-affairs columnist, cautions that Obama has a small window of opportunity to sort through many contradictions, demonstrating fairness and leadership while the...

"No Country, No Matter How Powerful…Can Control the Forces of Globalization on Its Own"

Kofi A. Annan January 27, 2009
Economic crisis will leave no part of the globe untouched, yet it also offers widespread opportunity for citizens to assess priorities. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urges nations to select priorities that reshape and improve the world for the common good: "For the roots of this crisis go beyond an abject failure of financial governance and neglect of warnings of the risks being run...