In The News

A Forgotten War in the Himalayas

Jeff M. Smith September 14, 2012
Leaders around the world and Americans, too, fret about whether the United States is a reliable or fickle ally. As the US pivots toward Asia and Indian leaders toy with a return to a policy of nonalignment, people of both nations should recall the 1962 Sino-Indian War, suggests Jeff M. Smith, Kraemer Strategy Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council. India and China had good “brotherly”...

East Asia’s Free for All

Frank Ching August 30, 2012
More than half a century has passed since Japan occupied China or Korea. Mistrust and bitterness linger, with intense nationalism and territorial disputes flaring over two sets of small islands in the East China Sea – Senkakus/Diaoyu and Takeshima/Dokdo. The value of the islands extends beyond land and reputation, with deposits of oil and natural gas possibly resting in the nearby seabed. The...

Is Partition a Solution for Syria?

Dilip Hiro July 31, 2012
The roots of Syria’s intractable civil war rest in sectarian differences and a legacy of colonialism that divided a region’s people, favoring a few elites and suppressing dissenters. Today, the violence continues unabated. The bitter feud that divides Syria’s minority Alawites and Christians and the majority Sunni has similarities to the Hindu-Muslim division in British India. Author and South...

Is Islam to Blame for Freedom Deficit in Middle East?

Riaz Hassan July 5, 2012
The fury of the Arab Spring, with widespread demands for freedom quickly followed by a re-emergence of authoritarian ways, has renewed debate about Islam and democracy in the Middle East, notes sociologist Riaz Hassan. Circa 1000 AD, the Middle East represented 10 percent of global GDP, as compared to Europe’s 9 percent – religious powers in both regions protected elites and the status quo. Seven...

Eurozone Heaves Sigh of Relief – For How Long?

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 3, 2012
The European Union’s heads of state avoided disaster for the time being, preventing impending collapse of Spanish banks and offering assistance to Italy, too. Europe has decided to move toward a more complete integration. The steps are cautious, but “the USE – United States of Europe – would seem to be the ultimate destination, in fact if not in name,” explains Jean-Pierre Lehmann. Yet nobody...

The US Confronts Pakistan’s Street Power

Dilip Hiro April 27, 2012
Lahore-based Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is founder of Laskar-e-Taiba, LeT, and alleged to be the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. Yet he’s also come to epitomize Pakistani street power, taking advantage of widespread seething discontent. Author Dilip Hiro details the history of Pakistan that encourages instability. Large numbers of Pakistanis are alert for any hint of disrespect...

Burma in the US-China Great Game – Part II

Aung Zaw December 7, 2011
China publicly shrugged at the Obama administration’s initiative to engage with Burma, widely seen as part of the US plan to reinforce its position in Asia. This YaleGlobal series analyzes the global ramifications of Burma’s willingness to diversify its relations beyond China. The West had imposed sanctions after Burma’s violent suppression of the democratic movement and setting aside 1990...