In The News

Obama Waits for Lawful Way to Fight Islamic State Terrorists

Harold Hongju Koh September 4, 2014
International observers and critics in the United States repeatedly ask why President Barack Obama does not simply bomb areas controlled by the Islamic State terrorist group inside Iraq and Syria. “Part of the challenge lies in the maze of domestic and international law that must be navigated,” suggests Harold Hongju Koh, Yale professor of law and former legal adviser to the US State Department....

Thailand’s Ultra-Monarchists Export Vigilante Justice

Michael Peel September 3, 2014
The rise of ultra-monarchism and harsh penalties for speaking against the monarchy in Thailand are heightening political conflict and tension throughout the diaspora. “Part-absurd, part chilling, the case highlights how the ever harsher application in Thailand of lèse-majesté laws protecting the frail 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is spilling across continents in uncontrolled and...

Beijing Puts Hong Kong Business on Alert

Chris Dodd September 1, 2014
Hong Kong will have elections in 2017, but voters must select from candidates approved by China. Protesters plan to target the financial district. “Beijing’s intransigence and protesters’ plans to bring traffic in Hong Kong’s streets to a standstill are a threat to the city’s reputation as a stable financial centre,” writes Chris Dodd for AsiaFinance. Credit agencies and banks have issued...

Thai Junta Chief Nominated to Be Prime Minister

James Hookway August 21, 2014
Without a whimper and only three abstentions, the Thai legislature has nominated the general who seized power in May as prime minister. The king’s approval is also required, but that is considered a formality. “The 60-year-old commander has said he aims to win over voters and foreign investors, who are looking beyond Thailand and its troubles to other locations such as Indonesia and Vietnam,”...

Global Warming Denial Rears Ugly Head Around the World, In English

Dana Nuccitelli August 21, 2014
Research overwhelmingly identifies global warming trends, pointing to humans as the leading cause. But a handful of corporations and politicians in advanced economies profit mightily from the status quo in energy. The US, UK, Australia, Russia, Poland, Japan and Canada have the highest percentages of climate skeptics, reports Dana Nuccitelli for the Guardian. The skeptics are small minorities in...

Long-Term Answer to Border Crises: Empower Women

Marisol Ruiz August 19, 2014
Policy proposals to end the flow of children streaming across the southern border of the United States too often focus on enforcement, including increased military presence along the border or warehouse-like detention centers in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras – the three nations that so many try to flee. Such proposals miss the major challenge behind many border crises, that is, minimal...

An Interview With the US President

August 8, 2014
Multiple powers, including China and the United States, will contribute to ongoing economic development in Africa, suggests US President Barack Obama. Editors with the Economist interviewed Obama just before the US summit with African heads of state and business leaders in Washington, and he offers insights on US relations with emerging economies: ASEAN nations do not want to choose between China...