In The News

US Presidential Debate Stirs Worries in Asia

September 27, 2016
The outcome of the US presidential election could shift global fortunes, and the first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump revealed sharp contrasts. “Mr. Trump has drawn attention for challenges to the Asia security and trade architecture that has girded U.S. alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines for decades and more recently acted as a hedge against China’s...

The Growing Gap Between Town and Country

Ronald Brownstein September 26, 2016
The industrialized world is experiencing a growing divide between “diverse global cities” and the rural “places that feel left behind,” according to Ronald Brownstein of the Atlantic. Sadiq Khan, mayor of London and the first Muslim mayor of a major Western city, pointed this out during a visit to Chicago. Alongside Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Khan celebrated immigrants and increased opportunity...

Rise of Right-Wing Populism: A Manifesto for the Moderate Left

Pranab Bardhan September 15, 2016
Populists take advantage of the real pain of inequality and the economic disruptions of new technology and globalization. Sympathetic and angry, they promise quick fixes and resist compromise. Such “demagogues thrive when the institutions of democracy are hollowed out,” argues economist Pranab Bardhan, and he offers recommendations for citizens whose politics lean left of center. Trade unions...

A Problem for Merkel and Germany

Sebastian Fischer September 7, 2016
State parliament elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were widely regarded as a referendum on immigration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union lost to a right-wing populist party. Alternative for Germany, formed in 2013, initially opposed the euro and eurozone bailouts, later shifting focus to target immigration, refugees and Islam. Merkel’s position as chancellor...

Despite Chinese Shadows, Southeast Asian Friendship With US Worth Cultivating

Satu Limaye September 1, 2016
The United States and China are among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' dialogue partners. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has forged closer ties with the regional group that will endure, explains Satu Limaye, director of the East-West Center in Washington and the Asia Matters for America initiative. The ASEAN summit in Vientiane, Laos, will be Obama’s last as US...

Emails Reveal How Foundation Donors Got Access to Clinton and Aides at State Department

Rosalind S. Helderman, Spencer S. Hsu and Tom Hamburger August 23, 2016
The Clinton Foundation’s website, transparent about the source of its donations, lists names of major foreign donors including those from Australia, Saudi Arabia and Sweden. The website also insists that “Secretary Clinton was not involved in the work of the Foundation when she was serving as Secretary of State.” A release of an aide’s emails suggest that foundation donors and representatives did...

World's Mind Made Up on US Presidential Race

Bruce Stokes August 16, 2016
Managing global security in a tightly interconnected world requires global cooperation. Challenges like the spread of nuclear weapons, climate change or terrorism left unchecked in one place quickly become problems for the rest of the world. Global citizens anticipate US leadership. “Without a vote in the US presidential election, foreigners look on the American electoral process with a mixture...