In The News

China Halts New Policy on Tech for Banks

Paul Mozur and Jane Perlez April 20, 2015
China plans revisions on a policy that required foreign technology firms selling equipment to Chinese banks to turn over source code and other business secrets. The United States has accused hackers sponsored by the Chinese military of hacking corporate and government websites. China worries about surveillance installed with any US-made equipment. US officials anticipate the Chinese to encourage...

South Africa: Xenophobia in South Africa - a Lack of Visionary Leadership

Ozias Tungwarara April 17, 2015
Xenophobia thrives in South Africa as is the case with much of the world. Citizens, especially those experiencing hard times, blame less fortunate foreigners, often from neighboring states, for poverty, crowded conditions, and crime. “In 2000 a major scenario exercise: ‘Southern Africa in 2020’ painted a grim picture of the southern Africa region in two decades, suggesting that only a new...

No Clear Winners or Losers in Yemen as Conflict Rages

Frank Gardner April 15, 2015
Little progress has been made in Saudi-led air campaign to remove Houthi rebels in control of western Yemen, the country’s most populated area. The Saudi goal is to “reverse the takeover of Yemen by rebels and restore the legitimate president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, to power,” reports Frank Gardner for BBC News. The Houthi success “is due, not so much to any alleged support from Iran, but to the...

China Is Said to Use Powerful New Weapon to Censor Internet

Nicole Perlroth April 14, 2015
In March, China used a cyberweapon to redirect huge amounts of online traffic from Chinese search engine Baidu to targeted US websites. Rsearchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Toronto have since suggested that the blitzes were orchestrated by a new weapon. “The Great Cannon, the researchers said in a report published on Friday, allows China to intercept foreign web...

The Evolving Jihad in South Asia

Arif Rafiq April 10, 2015
Improving ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan threatens extremists in both nations and in the neighborhood: “Pakistani Taliban factions are closing ranks; al-Qaeda aims to subvert peace talks between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban; and jihadists connected to the Islamic State appear to be seeking to establish a foothold in the region through sectarian violence,” writes strategic political and...

China-Pakistan: A Strategic Relationship in the Shadows

Andrew Small April 7, 2015
China and Pakistan share a border of just 523 kilometers but are the strongest of neighbors. An on-again off-again trip to Pakistan by China’s President Xi Jinping does not tell the real story. “This is a relationship where the public theatrics have generally been a poor indicator of the underlying substance,” writes Andrew Small, author and a transatlantic fellow with the German Marshall Fund’s...

Iran Deal Reached, Struggle For Acceptance Begins

Dilip Hiro April 2, 2015
The cliff-hanging negotiations over curbing Iran's nuclear program have ended with preliminary agreement. Iran negotiators had to contend with six powers that rarely agree - the US, the UK, China, France, Russia and Germany - as well as internal US polarization. “The hard-knuckle bargaining that has marked high-level negotiations over the past several days at the Swiss resort of Lausanne...