In The News

What the US Campaign Can Teach China about How It Is Viewed

March 7, 2016
A good test for US presidential candidate is how they respond about a rising China. While both countries can display nationalistic tendencies, the Chinese anticipate the next US president, regardless of campaign rhetoric as well as Republican or Democrat, to strive for middle ground and dialogue while embracing a more pro-active foreign policy. “As China rises in prominence in the global economy...

Elections Gains Unlikely to Shift Iran Power Balance Fast

Samia Nakhoul March 2, 2016
Candidates in Iran must win approval from the nation’s council of clerics that reports to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Hassan Rouhani, deemed least conservative, was reelected with a high turnout. His conservative rivals oppose the country’s recent agreement to end its nuclear-weapons program and steps toward improving relations with the West. “Rouhani may have a stronger...

Worldview: The Myth of the Strongman

Trudy Rubin March 1, 2016
Newspapers throughout the United States are imploring voters to think twice before casting a vote for real estate mogul and reality-TV star Donald Trump. Many voters are distraught over stagnation, the lack of fulfilling jobs and opportunities. Many hope a forceful personality can deliver change. “We've entered an era in which strongmen are in vogue and democracy is taking a hit worldwide,”...

After EU Deal, British Voters Weigh Costs and Benefits of Brexit

David R. Cameron February 25, 2016
Like other nations, the United Kingdom faces ongoing pressures from debt, demographics, and refugees fleeing the Middle East. Some politicians use the European Union as a convenient scapegoat for their own troubles. In 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to renegotiate terms of Britain’s membership in the EU. A referendum on whether the country should remain a member is set for...

Why the Rest of the World Should Get a Vote in the Greatest Reality TV Show on Earth – The US Election

Laurie Penny February 22, 2016
So far, three of 50 states have cast votes in party primaries to determine the top candidates for the US presidential election. Laurie Penny, writing for New Statesman, laments that she cannot have a say on leadership that has so much global influence. “The world is obsessed with the US elections because the outcome of those elections will have an impact on every person on Earth. So, let the...

From Iran to Nigeria, Cheap Oil Means Perilous Politics

Fareed Zakaria February 10, 2016
Oil producing nations were long warned to diversify economies. The abrupt fall of oil prices from more than $110 to less than $30 per barrel in the space of a few years is influencing politics and foreign policy. Fareed Zakaria points out that Iran entered serious negotiations for an agreement on ending its nuclear program in summer of 2013. “Iranian officials were predicting that by 2015, Iran’s...

Obama Visits a Mosque to Send Pointed Message to Non-Muslims

Roberta Rampton February 4, 2016
In his chapter on the "Tyranny of the Majority," Alexis de Tocqueville posed the question, "If it be admitted that a man possessing absolute power may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should not a majority be liable to the same reproach?” Respect for minority rights, openness to the possibility that minorities might someday emerge as majority and will likewise...