In The News

The Yasukuni Shrine has become a symbol of Japanese nationalism and a major target for Chinese criticism. China and Japan still carry bitterness since fighting each other during World War II, and Japanese leaders’ visits to the resting place for 14 class-A war criminals further strain the relationship. The bitterness, established in a Cold War framework, has little sense of purpose other than...

There has long been violence between Arabs and Jews, particularly after the creation of Israel in 1948. By relying on its strong military and outside support – first from the Soviet Union, then France and later the US – Israel has survived as a nation. But some question how long this strategy will work. Pointing to parallels between US President Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Israel’s conflict with...

The UK has 3,300 troops in the Afghan province of Helmand, with increasing casualties, and thus author Ben Macintyre suggests that the British engagement in Afghanistan is settling into the pattern of what he calls a fourth Anglo-Afghan war. The deep history of conflict between the two countries, combined with the ongoing, organic nature of historical storylines in Afghan culture, combine to...