In The News

Asia Should Not Delay on South China Sea Disputes

Humphrey Hawksley February 9, 2016
The US military is challenging China’s claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea that includes some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. “The unpredictability of the American presidential election now heightens the risk because inevitably it will come with ramped-up anti-China campaign rhetoric,” reports BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley. The United States and countries in Asia are divided...

US, Other Nations Condemn North Korean Launch of Long-Range Rocket

Ralph Ellis, K.J. Kwon and Tiffany Ap February 8, 2016
North Korea launched a satellite into orbit around the earth. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting and condemned the launch. “U.S. officials have said the same type of rocket used to launch today's satellite could deliver a nuclear warhead,” reports CNN. “China, the Soviet Union and the United States have all used intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, to launch...

Africa’s Success Story

John Feffer February 5, 2016
Though Botswana relied almost exclusively on its diamond wealth, its economy has grown steadily since 1966, rivaling China and South Korea’s growth rates. Good governance allowed Botswana to avoid the resource curse that afflicted many of its neighbors. Botswana’s diamond-producing industry is lucrative and provides well-paying, often unionized jobs to locals. Recently, diamond companies have...

Wanted: European Grand Strategy for War Against the Islamic State

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller February 2, 2016
Leaders of the Islamic State impose a rigid and fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, maintaining that the religion does not condone Western values of democracy, individual freedom, economic globalization or education. Author Joergen Oerstroem Moeller urges Europe to develop a grand strategy to combat extremism by recognizing how the long history of the Middle East influences political agendas...

Flint's Lead Problem Extreme Example of Chronic Global Problem

Carolyn Beeler January 25, 2016
Elevated levels of lead in a US city’s water supply have drawn global attention to the neurotoxin. To cut costs, officials in Michigan and the city of Flint shifted the public water supply from a lake to a corrosive river without applying a required treatment. The water corroded the city’s pipes and contaminated tap water, exposing 100,000 people to lead poisoning. PRI reports on common sources...

Charsadda Attack: It Is Time to Ask Pakistan Army Some Hard Questions

Umer Ali January 20, 2016
Militants stormed Bacha Khan University in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 20 and injuring 60. A Pakistan Taliban official quickly claimed and then withdrew responsibility. The attack comes just after a year after 134 were killed at a school in nearby Peshawar. Pakistan endures repeated attacks on schools as symbols of progress and idea centers. Pakistan must confront the extremism in its...

The World Is Hemorrhaging Methane, and Now We Can See Where

Christina Nunez January 19, 2016
Since late October, a natural gas storage well in California has been leaking 100,000 pounds of methane per hour. The colorless and odorless gas is hazardous to health and the environment. The Aliso Canyon leak is accidental but many companies deliberately burn off excess natural gas at energy sites, explains Christina Nunez for National Geographic. Researchers with the US National Oceanic and...