In The News

China Evacuates Citizens From Yemen

James T. Areddy April 1, 2015
With civil war expanding in Yemen, China quickly evacuated 600 people, most by a navy frigate. A few Chinese chose to remain in Yemen and China diverted missile frigates and a helicopter-equipped supply ship engaged in anti-piracy patrols along the African coast to the area, reports the Ministry of Defense. In a separate military matter, China reported that its air force completed its first drill...

How to Know if the Iran Deal Is a Good Deal

Joe Cirincione March 31, 2015
An agreement on containing Iran’s nuclear program should include three elements, explains Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund: allow a civilian nuclear program but block all pathways to a bomb, organize thorough inspections and provide rapid response on punishments for cheating. IAEA officials have suggested that new inspection procedures could detect cheating in a matter of days. The...

Yemen Conflict Devolves Into Proxy War

Akim Alma Smari, Rory Jones, and Asa Fitch March 27, 2015
“The conflict in Yemen is quickly devolving into a wider regional conflagration, pitting Shiite Iran and an allied militant group against Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab states that came together to launch airstrikes on those militants,” reports the Wall Street Journal. Saudi Arabia is bombing the Shiite-linked minority Houthis in Yemen, a country with 65 percent Sunni and 35 percent Shia. “...

Danger From the East: Bangladeshi Extremists Target India

Saroj Kumar Rath March 26, 2015
Some political parties try courting extremists, urging them to target political opponents. “Violent street contests between the cadres of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s Awami League and former Prime Minister Khalida Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party are weakening the country’s nascent democracy and ceding space to extremist groups,” writes historian and author Saroj Kumar Rath. “The...

North Korea Tactic: Discredit Reports of Human-Rights Abuses

Steven Borowiec March 24, 2015
In 2013, the UN Human Rights Council established the Commission of Inquiry on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, mandating an investigation of violations including the right to food; torture and inhuman treatment inside prison camps; severe limits on freedom of expression, the right to life, freedom of movement; and enforced disappearances, including in the form of...

“Big Brother” Technology Comes to Australia's Shops

Nina Hendy March 23, 2015
Most shoppers realize that retailers analyze internet traffic to study consumer habits. But free wireless in retail stores, restaurants and hotels could also turn consumer phones into tracking devices. “Retailers and other businesses with high foot traffic - such as pubs, cafes and restaurants - are increasingly offering free access to wi-fi networks and asking consumers to grant access to their...

Tunisia Museum Attack Is Blow to Democratic Shift

David D. Kirkpatrick March 20, 2015
In the wake of the Arab Spring protests, Tunisia became a success story by developing a democratic government and economy that serve citizens. “Gunmen in military uniforms killed 19 people on Wednesday in a midday attack on a museum in downtown Tunis, dealing a new blow to the tourist industry that is vital to Tunisia as it struggles to consolidate the only transition to democracy after the Arab...