In The News

When Democracy Goes Bad

Gwynne Dyer August 3, 2007
After independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh was ruled by dictators for 20 years. Even after the advent of democracy in 1991, power alternated between legacy candidates from the previous era. In January 2007, the army took matters into its hands, actively purging politicians accused of corruption. Eliminating corruption is a worthy goal in any country. But military takeovers, such as...

Ocean Explorers Plant Russian Flag on Arctic Sea Floor

Randy Boswell August 3, 2007
Canada, Russia, the US, Norway and Denmark all have some overlapping claims throughout the Arctic, each hoping to secure a big share of the rich oil, gas and mineral reserves believed to rest under the ice. “Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a country can secure rights to seabed territory reaching far beyond the 200-mile limit if it can prove that a portion of the ocean...

The US and India: Nuclear Bonding

Nayan Chanda August 2, 2007
The leaders of India and the US reached an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, marking a major strategic shift in US policy. The deal still requires approval from the US Congress, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the international Nuclear Suppliers Group. The Bush administration has often resisted constraints of international agreements, and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of...

Kenyan Farmers’ Fate Caught Up in US Aid Rules

Celia W. Dugger August 2, 2007
US legislators debate a massive farm bill – estimated at more than $260 billion – which will fund loans, subsidies, conservation and many other agriculture activities over the next five years. The Bush administration has proposed allowing the purchase of up to $300 million worth of food in poor countries to quicken response times during times of emergency. The US often provides food aid to Africa...

Grand Strategy for a Divided America

Charles A. Kupchan August 1, 2007
The US has overextended itself on international security matters, failing to gain widespread cooperation with the international community in recent years. As a result, the US has failed in achieving some major goals – promoting democracy, defeating terror and encouraging free trade to alleviate poverty. US voters, observing mounting debt, with little results, are increasingly divided about how to...

Summer of Setbacks

Ernesto Zedillo August 1, 2007
Summer of 2007 may well be remembered for a string of bad financial news: increasing numbers of homeowners in the US struggling to pay home mortgages, the decline of the US dollar, and climbing oil prices as conflict and tension linger in the Middle East. Yet the world economy flourishes despite shocks in foreign exchange and the debt markets. Ernesto Zedillo, director of Yale Center for the...

A US Alliance With One Man

Paula R. Newberg July 31, 2007
Pakistan, a nuclear power, is in a state of turbulence, confronting instability along its border with Afghanistan and violent militancy in the streets of the capital. A failing government system overshadows and compounds the problems: The Supreme Court reversed a decision by President Pervez Musharraf to dismiss the chief justice; the military has infiltrated the executive branch, society and...