In The News

BBC News: US National Security Adviser Resigns

February 14, 2017
Sloppy procedures from the US commander in chief’s security team combined with ongoing Russian interference are triggering anxiety. Michael Flynn, the US national security adviser, resigned after serving for less than one month over allegations he discussed US sanctions with the Russia ambassador before Donald Trump took office – and then misled his supervisors despite surveillance transcripts of...

Times of India: Soothing Balm

Nayan Chanda February 11, 2017
The Trump administration has shown a pattern on foreign policy – blunt statements that upend long-held policies followed by members of his cabinet and other representatives hurrying to backtrack and reassure global partners. Before entering office, Donald Trump mentioned that the One-China policy might be a bargaining chip, annoying China, before walking that back. Analysts expect China to test...

Project Syndicate: ASEAN and the Rohingya Crisis

Syed Munir Khasru February 10, 2017
Muslim Rohingya communities lack citizen rights in Myanmar and are under military attack as well. “The United Nations considers the stateless Rohingya to be among the world’s most persecuted minorities,” writes Syed Munir Khasru for Project Syndicate. “Now, other countries in an otherwise stable region are becoming embroiled in the crisis; indeed, countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, and...

BBC News: Is the US Facing a Constitutional Crisis?

February 8, 2017
After a US judge has blocked a US executive order banning travelers from seven predominately Muslim countries as well as all refugees, President Donald Trump criticized the judge for putting the naton in “peril” and questioned his authority. “The separation of powers is crucial to understanding how the US is governed,” explains BBC News. “The country's constitution established its treasured...

World Post: Entry Ban Punishes Citizens, Not Government

Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E. B. Choksy February 2, 2017
A blanket ban on traveling from seven countries is targeting many accomplished individuals who have already demonstrated deep appreciation for the United States by working with the US military or providing public service as research professors or physicians. In an essay for the World Post, Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E. B. Choksy agree that the government of Iran, for example, has supported...

Fake Messiah: As Trump Withdraws From Globalization Stakes, Xi Steps In - But to What Avail?

Nayan Chanda January 18, 2017
President Xi Jinping is praising globalization and suggesting that China is ready to assume leadership of a globalized world – even as the United States signals its withdrawal on some fronts and rejects global commitments like the Paris agreement on climate change. During his keynote address at the World Economic Forum, Xi pointed out that China once resisted globalization and opening its economy...

Don’t Bet on Enduring Republican Reset With Russia

Daniel Twining January 10, 2017
Donald Trump blasted critics who reject his plans to improve US ties with Russia on Twitter: “Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only ‘stupid’ people, or fools, would think that it is bad!” But Congress may not go along, including Republicans who worry about aggression in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria and criticized President Barack Obama for going too easy on...