In The News

Unlike the West, India and China Embrace Globalization

Bruce Stokes October 18, 2016
Globalization has won fans in India and China, where economic growth is projected to rise by 7.6 and 6.6 percent, respectively. “Indians and Chinese also express pride in their respective nation’s growing stature on the world stage,” explains Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center, in reporting on responses to the Pew 2016 Global Attitudes Survey. “In all,...

Death of Thai King Throws Country Into Turmoil

October 13, 2016
Thailand is among the world’s 30 largest economies, though political differences since 2001 have contributed to slowing growth. The Thai king has died, and the crown prince who has lived mostly outside the country with a lifestyle described as excessive is less popular. The constitutional monarchy made military coups easier, reports the Economist, and it’s “widely assumed that the succession...

Donald Trump and the Declining Prestige of US Democracy

Gideon Rachman October 11, 2016
The nomination of Donald Trump, that an erratic candidacy could go so far, reflects poorly on the United States and other democracies. Admittedly, the businessman is not a practiced politician. The troubled campaign, lacking in policy specifics, has been marked with lies and insults against any who criticize him. Comments during debates and public rallies for the world to see often carry an...

A Strange American Election

Nayan Chanda October 10, 2016
The outcome of the US presidential race will influence world policies and markets, and the debates and many news reports command a global audience. Donald Trump, businessman and television celebrity, is running against Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state and US senator. “Thanks to the unprecedented rise of an ignorant, blowhard reality TV star as one of the contestants, the world’s...

US to OPEC: Don’t Drill, Baby, Don’t Drill

Keith Johnson October 6, 2016
Economic and political concerns influence US responses to a potential slowdown in oil output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The Trump campaign advocates for more drilling and fewer regulations to increase jobs in America’s oil-producing heartland. Not everyone would benefit: “what’s good for the goose in the oil patch and parts of many red states, may not be good for the...

Study: Decline of Traditional Media Feeds Polarization

Ricardo Gandour October 3, 2016
Most citizens have access to more community information than ever before, especially online. But the struggle of traditional news outlets, especially the community newspaper with declining budgets and staff members, contributes to fewer informed voters. “[P]eople today are exposed to news mixed with gossip, opinion, hot takes, and branded content, from a variety of sources but often through a...

End of the Road for the Non-Aligned Movement?

Harsh V. Pant September 29, 2016
The Non-Aligned Movement was formed in 1961 by developing nations as a buffer from the tangle of Cold War machinations and legacies of colonialism. Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s prime minister at the time, was a co-founder of the movement, and non-alignment has since been an integral part of the nation’s foreign policy. But the outdated concept has become a platform for troubled states. The movement’...