In The News

New Delhi's Delicate Balancing Act

Stanley A. Weiss May 3, 2007
As a thriving democracy, India has hundreds of political parties and is led by coalition governments. As a result, the party in power must please many special interests, not the least impoverished farmers who represent a majority, reports Stanley A. Weiss, founder of Business Executives for National Security. The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to defeat multiple problems...

Regime Change in the Arab World

Shlomo Ben-Ami April 30, 2007
The American-led invasion of Iraq was motivated, at least in part, by the desire to create a model state that would influence its Middle Eastern neighbors towards democracy. This did not happen, largely because the US policy of favoring pro-Western dictatorial regimes over hostile democracies did not end with the Cold War; therefore, the US has resisted the election of popular, yet threatening...

Capitalist Tools Needed for Future Globalism Ills

Robert J. Shiller April 23, 2007
Fears about displacement caused by economic globalization have been at the forefront of the French presidential campaign, as Nicholas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal head for the final election round in May. The sentiment expressed in candidate Nicolas Sarkozy’s call to end “speculative capitalism” finds resonance in many parts of the world, as governments attempt to interfere with global free trade...

A Nationalist United States of America

Terence Chong April 20, 2007
Nation states should have more power than ever before in history. But global problems, from climate change to poverty, challenge the abilities of nation-states. Groups that despise nation-state control take advantage of any vacuum. Leaders of the nation-state no longer have exclusive control of mass communication, and the internet has shifted more power to anyone who can capture mass attention....

Saudi Balancing Act

Karen Elliot House April 11, 2007
Saudi Arabia, which holds the world’s largest reserves of oil, must confront some complicated challenges: civil war in neighboring Iraq; resentment for a leading ally, the US; discontent among Saudi youth who cannot find jobs; widespread corruption; and rising religious extremism. King Abdullah, in his post for 18 months, is undertaking what are new steps for the kingdom, with “active and open...

The Rise in Extremism – Part I

Fahad Nazer March 30, 2007
As the US and its coalition partners wage their war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, extremists emerge elsewhere in the world. This two-part series examines how governments of Muslim nations tangle with religious extremism within their own borders. In the first article, author Fahad Nazer describes Saudi Arabia’s efforts to confront militants fighting in the name of Islam. Walking a tightrope...

Kenya's Water Troubles More Than Just Leaky Pipes

Joyce Mulama March 28, 2007
Water is a limited resource – and cities in short supply are not acting quickly enough to conserve supplies and prepare for the future. Nairobi, the name of which refers to “place of cool waters,” is one example. Currently, water supply meets only about 70 percent of demand, and yet the government confronts many challenges in achieving reform: Poverty prevents many residents from paying the high...