In The News

Modi’s Visit to China Marks New Tone, But No Concrete Progress

Neelam D Sabharwal June 16, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have set a new tone for India's relations with China, yet personal rapport and economic interdependence offer little guarantee of settling longstanding strategic issues that divide the world’s two most populous nations, warns Neelam D Sabharwal, a former Indian ambassador to the Netherlands and UNESCO, now associate professor with the University of Maastricht...

Anchor, With Prudence

Nayan Chanda March 20, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nations of Sri Lanka, Mauritius and the Seychelles demonstrates India’s renewed interest in reclaiming influence over the broad Indian Ocean region. “Modi’s initiative is indeed a first and long overdue push-back against the notion of China’s inexorable ascendancy in the Indian Ocean, but New Delhi is a long way from countering Beijing’s growing...

A Windfall for China as Commodity Prices Plunge

Mark Magnier and Chuin-Wei Yap March 16, 2015
Many analysts argued that China was poised for recession in 2015 but falling commodity prices worldwide could bring respite: “the world's largest importer of natural resources stocks up and saves money in the process,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “By some estimates, China is enjoying annual headline savings of as much as $250 billion from stepped-up purchases of discounted oil, copper...

Sri Lanka Tells China It Will Rethink Ties and a Major Port Project

Chen Qin and Huang Shan March 12, 2015
Foreign relations can shift with a new national government, and a key link in China’s plan for a maritime Silk Road winding through the Pacific and Indian oceans has been put on hold in Sri Lanka. The new government under President Maithripala Sirisena announced an environmental review for a proposed port and retail project in Sri Lanka. The deal included more than 1 million square meters of land...

Glasgow Becomes First University in Europe to Divest From Fossil Fuels

Libby Brooks October 13, 2014
Glasgow University in Scotland has voted to divest from the fossil fuel industry and is selling its holdings in the sector, worth £18 million, or US $12 million. The decision follows a year of pressure and campaigning from a student organization, the Glasgow University Climate Action Society, part of a broader international university movement. The “Fossil Free” university movement began in the...

Not End of the Road Yet

Nayan Chanda September 22, 2014
Individuals and countries, too, find it convenient to blame their own failings on globalization, with many going so far as to suggest that the interconnections can be halted. Reports of a decline in globalization are greatly exaggerated, argues Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal’s editor in his column for Businessworld. The process of new connections is uneven yet ongoing, ever picking up speed and volume...

All Eyes on Africa

J. Peter Pham August 14, 2014
Disturbing news out of Africa, whether about extremist Boko Haram or the outbreak of Ebola, are aberrations for a young continent eager to grow and innovate. Like China and Europe, the United States is ready to court Africa as signaled by the first US-Africa Leaders Summit, explains J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council. “The summit itself underscores the broad...