In The News

China Sheds Pretense of Peaceful Rise

Frank Ching August 23, 2016
China is intent on being the dominant, central force in Asia and recognized as such by the international community. China’s rise may be taking more time than some might have expected soon after the Great Recession ravaged advanced economies of the West. The United States and Europe bounced back with political and economic influence, and an international court's ruling on the South China Sea...

China Warming to New Cold War?

Kor Kian Beng August 22, 2016
Most Asian nations resist taking sides between China and the United States. The phrase “new Cold War” has been bandied about since July after a ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal at The Hague in favor of the Philippines over claims in the South China and China Sea and an announcement that the United States would deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in South Korea. “Since...

The End of Globalization? International Security Implications

T.X. Hammes August 5, 2016
Globalization has delivered countless benefits for individuals and societies. “Today, a combination of technology, politics, and social pressures seems to be reversing globalization,” explains T.X. Hammes in an essay for War on the Rocks. “While the new technology will continue to create wealth, it will favor developed countries. The increasing regionalization of economies and differences in...

The Bell of Globalization Cannot Be Un-Rung

Phillip Lohaus July 29, 2016
Analysts have suggested that British voters’ decision to exit the European Union signals a pronounced dislike for globalization – open trade, immigration and global institutions that set new standards. Phillip Lohaus argues that the term “globalizaiton” is “employed so loosely that it has lost nearly all meaning” and that it’s a scapegoat for populist anger. Lohaus warns against employing extreme...

Trump Sets Conditions for Defending NATO Allies

David E. Sanger and Maggie Haberman July 22, 2016
The Republican nominee for US president set off alarm bells in Europe by suggesting he might not quickly aid Baltic States against a Russian attack. Defense might depend whether they “have fulfilled their obligations to us,” Donald Trump said in an interview with the New York Times. “During a 45-minute conversation, Mr. Trump re-emphasized the hard-line nationalist approach that has marked his...

Erdogan Targets More Than 50,000 in Purge After Failed Turkish Coup

Humeyra Pamuk and Ercan Gurses July 20, 2016
The Turkish government is said to be blaming a self-exiled religious leader for a July 15 coup attempt and targeting his supporters in the military, judiciary and education systems. Fethullah Gulen lives in Pennsylvania and denies having a role in the coup attempt. “A former ally-turned critic of Erdogan, he suggested the president staged it as an excuse for a crackdown after a steady...

The Failure of Free Migration

Robert Skidelsky July 20, 2016
One immigrant’s brutal crime – using a truck to kill 84 people and injure hundreds during Bastille Day festivities in Nice, France – heightens mistrust for all immigrants and boosts support for a swift crackdown. “Throughout the Western world, a toxic mix of physical, economic, and cultural insecurity has been fueling anti-immigration sentiment and politics precisely at the moment when the...