In The News

Sunnylands or Rancho Mirage? ASEAN and the South China Sea

Donald K. Emmerson February 23, 2016
China and its neighbors have competing claims to sections of the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long trusted that regional diplomacy might resolve the overlapping claims and, in the meantime, the United States would keep China in check. But China has been more assertive in recent years, building up small islands and adding military installations. The hope for...

Radioactive Material Stolen in Iraq Raises Security Concerns

Ahmed Rasheed, Aref Mohammed and Stephen Kalin February 19, 2016
A camera containing the radioactive isotope of iridium went missing in Iraq in November, and the concern is that the material could fall into the hands of Islamic State terrorists and be transformed into a weapon. The camera, owned by a Turkish firm and used for oil drilling, was last seen in US facility in Basra. “The material is classed as a Category 2 radioactive source by the IAEA, meaning...

Magistrate Orders Apple to Help FBI Hack San Bernardino Shooter’s Phone

Kim Zetter February 17, 2016
The founding fathers of the United States were fierce in protecting civil liberties, and the principles continue to be argued over technology developed more than two centuries later. A US magistrate in California has ordered Apple to provide the FBI software designed to defeat a self-destruct capability in iPhones that goes into effect once multiple incorrect passwords are tried. The county phone...

However Annoying, Failure to Engage Russia Is Not an Option

Jochen Prantl February 16, 2016
Negotiations to end civil war in Syria, which has left 250,000 dead, and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes, are set to resume February 25. Syrian troops, aided by Russian airstrikes, are gradually retaking territory held by the rebels. “Russia needs to be convinced that an immediate ceasefire rather than the continuation of war serves its long-term interests,” argues Jochen Prantl,...

To Tame a Dragon

Nayan Chanda February 15, 2016
US President Barack Obama, hosting the first US-ASEAN summit, is calling for a negotiated settlement over South China Sea disputes. “For the past several years, the US has sought unsuccessfully to nudge Asean members to take a unified stance against China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, for the Times of India. “Although member...

Russia’s Syrian Intervention Gives the West a Chance to Re-Engage Turkey

Marc Grossman February 11, 2016
The bilateral relationship between Russia and Turkey shifted from strategic partnership to wariness in the course of a year as civil war in Syria intensified. The West has extended limited support to the rebels, including Kurds, while targeting the Islamic State terrorists. Turkey, bordering Syria, has sheltered 2 million refugees, but also targeted Kurdish troops who have been effective in...

False Sense of Security

Nayan Chanda February 9, 2016
Few countries will be insulated from the slowdown of the Chinese economy, even those not intricately tied to the Chinese supply chain. “China did indeed stimulate its way out of the 2008 crisis but now it has to deal with overcapacity and debt,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for Businessworld. “For India to be congratulating itself for not being part of...