In The News

US Embassy in Cairo Scrubs Twitter Feed of Link to Daily Show Commentary on Egypt

Robert Mackey, Liam Stack April 10, 2013
Internet users can close down Facebook pages, correct blog entries or scrub Twitter logs, but global observers take notice of prominent censorship. Jon Stewart of the Daily Show came to the defense of Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian comedian under investigation for mocking Egypt’s president and Islam. Youssef’s show in Egypt adopts Stewart’s format of a mock news show, exposing hypocrisy and...

Chinese President Xi Jinping Expresses Concern Over North Korea’s Rhetoric

William Wan April 10, 2013
Global consensus is that China holds the most leverage over the Kim regime. As tensions rise, the international community follows every word from top leaders, especially those in China. While not specifically mentioning North Korea, President Xi Jinping noted, “No one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gains.” International scrutiny should...

Abenomics and the Japanese Economy

Beina Xu April 9, 2013
While Japan prospered throughout the 1980s, it’s since become mired in deflation, with weak consumer spending and low growth. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to implement new economic policies and jolt his recession-riddled country out of the deflationary malaise. Beina Xu of the Council on Foreign Relations analyzes the history of Japan’s economy and examines Abe’s grand Keynesian-...

What's in the Business-Labor Deal on Immigration?

Matthew Yglesias April 5, 2013
In the 2012 US presidential election, Latino voters threw their growing weight behind democrats and President Barack Obama. Chastened Republicans have now joined a new bipartisan push for immigration reform. US legislators, once polarized over immigration, must satisfy numerous groups: Americans who worry about competition for jobs; farmers, ranchers and managers in need of workers; and...

Should South Korea Pursue Nuclear Arms?

Bennett Ramberg March 29, 2013
South Korea and the United States confront a dilemma in responding to erratic threats from impoverished, nuclear-armed North Korea. South Korea ranks among the top 15 largest economies, while the North is dysfunctional. In recent weeks North Korea has test-launched a long-range missile, criticized China’s response to the launch, severed all communications with South Korea, and threatened...

Moscow’s Mysterious Move on Cyprus

Owen Matthews March 28, 2013
Russian deposits may account for about one third of Cypriot bank accounts worth more than €100,000, which could be frozen and taxed by up to 25 percent as part of a EU bailout deal. Russian President Vladmir Putin has denounced such methods for rescuing the Cypriot economy and “many non-Russian commentators agree with Putin that raiding private savings risks undermining confidence in Europe’s...

China's Xi Jinping Visits; Africa Asks, What Are We Getting Out of This?

Peter Ford March 27, 2013
Chinese trade with Africa has grown fourfold in six years, up to 2 million. Chinese are based there, and China’s African investments are worth near $200 billion. Still, Africans are questioning if trade is tilted too much in China’s favor, with leaders and pundits suggesting that selling off minerals and natural resources and failing to develop a manufacturing base repeats the legacy of...