In The News

US Policy Toward Venezuela: Seeing The Larger Picture

Steve Ellner February 25, 2014
Some critics question US policy that weakens central governments and calls for regime change in pluralistic states like Ukraine or Syria without good strategy for the next step in governance. “Could it be that in cases of governments considered adverse to U.S. interests, Washington prefers a civil war over a normal situation free of discord and violence?” questions Steve Ellner in an essay for...

Can Machiavellian Renzi Save Italy?

Joseph LaPalombara February 25, 2014
Machiavellian maneuvers rely on clever deceit and appearances to achieve political goals, as described by Niccolò Machiavelli in his short book The Prince, published in 1532. Using political machinations, disrupting a coalition carefully crafted by the leader of his own party and promising expansive reforms, Matteo Renzi followed Machiavelli’s playbook to become prime minister of Italy, suggests...

Debt Ceiling Redux?

James Leitner and Ian Shapiro February 20, 2014
US Congress raised the artificial debt ceiling to pay bills without a fuss, but the move may galvanize extremists who want to slow government spending, explain James Leitner, president of Falcon Management, and Ian Shapiro, a Yale political science professor. Economists around the globe agree the United States should slow spending and reduce debt, but oppose the crude approach that would...

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

Nayan Chanda February 20, 2014
Subsidies, originally intended as a tool of fairness, often transform into a tool for political power. The subsidies carry costs, both financial as well as with distorted and destabilized markets. Governments struggle to manage budgets, huge stockpiles, wasted resources and even unrest, explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor in his column for Businessworld. “History is replete with examples of...

Where We Go From Here

Ernesto Zedillo February 17, 2014
NAFTA is 20 years old, and the trade agreement is assessed by Americas Quarterly, a policy journal by the Council of Americas, an international business organization. Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico, argues NAFTA has fulfilled its promise of growth, employment and competitiveness. “Annual trade among the three partners has increased fourfold, and intraregional investment almost...

Microsoft Blames “System Error,” Denies Censoring Chinese Search Results

Dominic Rushe February 13, 2014
Internet users, hungry for instant but complete information, often type a search term and check out top offerings. Depending on a user’s expertise, discrepancies or missing data may or may not be apparent. “On Tuesday, campaigners at FreeWeibo, a tool that allows uncensored search of Chinese blogs, revealed that Bing returns radically different results in the US for English and simplified Chinese...

Cambodian Regime Realigns Its Foreign Relations

Murray Hiebert, Phuong Nguyen February 4, 2014
Political turmoil in Cambodia – with the opposition challenging 2013 election results and demanding that Prime Minister Hun Sen step down – is having an effect on the country’s foreign relations. “The truth is, even if his party manages to win the next elections, Hun Sen will have to continue to deal with growing demands for greater transparency, better rule of law, and more democracy,” note...