In The News

Will Erdoğan’s Victory Mark Rise of Illiberal Democracy?

Hakan Altinay August 7, 2014
An easy victory projected for Recep Tayip Erdoğan as first president of Turkey elected by popular vote baffles critics in the West. Steady improvements in the Turkish economy throughout his 11 years as prime minister trump ongoing complaints about an authoritarian style, explains Hakan Altinay, director of the European School of Politics in Istanbul. “While Erdoğan's sympathizers would say...

Wakeup Call for Europe

Philippe Legrain August 5, 2014
Europe has squandered its potential with crushing debt, declining living standards, high unemployment and little innovation. “Europe isn’t just falling further behind the United States; it also faces ever-greater competition from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Korea and other emerging economies – not just in lower-end manufacturing but also in higher-tech sectors,” writes economist...

The Tale of Two Middle Classes

Branko Milanovic July 31, 2014
Thanks to globalization and trade, middle-class incomes have more than doubled in countries like China and Indonesia, but still remain a fraction of those earned by the middle class in Europe or the United States . Meanwhile, in Europe, the United States and Japan, incomes for the middle class have stagnated even as their richest citizens accrue more wealth, profiting by investing in...

America Is Two Different Political Countries These Days

Chris Cillizza July 29, 2014
The United States, so severely polarized, is increasingly deemed as a less-than-reliable partner for the rest of the globe. However, Republican and Democrat voters are not uncertain and instead embrace the respective stances and leaders of their parties, explains Chris Cillizza for the Washington Post. “[W]e are increasingly moving toward two entirely separate Americas, a liberal one and a...

Success of Chinese Reform Is Key to BRICS’ Rise

Pankaj Mishra July 25, 2014
International organizations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund balk at including Asian representatives in leadership positons. China therefore seeks to lead another global system formed by top developing nations known as BRICS. “It is also understandable why China’s poor and often resentful BRICS cousins are willing to assist its global self-assertion,” writes Pankaj Mishra,...

A Herb for All Cures

Nayan Chanda July 24, 2014
India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will proceed with a controversial universal identification card known as Aadhaar, an initiative launched by the previous administration. “To take full advantage of this simple but effective tool of governance, the government, though, needs to clean up the implementation of the programme that has been marred by inefficiency and misuse,” writes Nayan...

Turkey's Kurdish Buffer

Soner Cagaptay July 17, 2014
The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or IS or ISIS, in conjunction with the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, has put more pressure on both Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kurds to work together. The Kurdish people are spread throughout Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Before 2003, Kurds would have resisted working the Turkish government, which they regarded as oppressive. Kurdish...