In The News

Man Without a Country

Alistair Burnett July 16, 2013
Edward Snowden, a former contract worker who exposed secret National Security Agency practices, has been trapped inside Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport for 23 days and counting. The United States, alternately pressuring and pleading with other countries not to offer Snowden asylum, has charged him with unauthorized release of classified intelligence and theft of government property. So far, most...

The Arab Spring: Has It Failed?

July 16, 2013
A quest for democracy has been underway in North Africa and the Middle East since 2010. Supporters of democracy for the region may assume that the Arab Spring movement is doomed, with a military coup that deposed Egypt’s elected president and civil war raging in Syria, suggests an essay in The Economist. Critics may blame Islam, the predominant religion, and suggest that modern authoritarianism...

Algeria’s Shadow Hangs Over Egypt’s Revolution

Roula Khalaf July 11, 2013
Algerian Islamists advise supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to resist militarization in avenging a military coup, or that could lead to civil war and foreign jihadists hijacking Islamist agendas, advise Algerian Islamists. “This was sound counsel from a North African state that suffered more than 10 years of civil war after a 1991 Islamist electoral victory was abruptly cancelled by...

Egyptian Coup Splits Middle East

Dilip Hiro July 11, 2013
Massive protests on Egyptian streets, followed by a swift military coup, have underscored confusion in the region. Syrian leaders, struggling with their own insurrection, relying on support from the Islamist government in Iran, have suggested that religion is no basis for governance; Iran, after crushing opposition protests in 2009, urged Egypt’s protesters to resist frustration. Some US...

Why US Is Being Humiliated by the Hunt for Snowden

Simon Tisdall July 9, 2013
US failure to nab a former National Security Agency contract employee who's spilling secrets has become a source of embarrassment for the government, Simon Tisdall writes for CNN. Stern demands from a range of US political leaders for immediate extradition of Snowden, along with attempts to extend US law across the world with vague warnings of consequences for Russia and China, seem...

Low Fertility Rates – Just a Phase?

Michael S. Teitelbaum, Jay Winter July 9, 2013
The phenomenon of women delaying childbirth and limiting family size to two children or less is gaining traction worldwide. Low fertility rates can deliver prosperity for individuals, but disrupt patterns of economic growth. Some countries compensate for low fertility rates with immigration, which brings its own set of worries. Changing population patterns influence the world in complex ways for...

In Africa, Obama Hot on Xi’s Trail

Zachary Keck July 9, 2013
As US President Barack Obama embarked on his first trip to Africa as president, the specter of China loomed large. The trip, which took the president to Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, was officially described as reinforcing “the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa.” However, the struggle for influence between the US and...