In The News

Anchor, With Prudence

Nayan Chanda March 20, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nations of Sri Lanka, Mauritius and the Seychelles demonstrates India’s renewed interest in reclaiming influence over the broad Indian Ocean region. “Modi’s initiative is indeed a first and long overdue push-back against the notion of China’s inexorable ascendancy in the Indian Ocean, but New Delhi is a long way from countering Beijing’s growing...

Countering the Islamic State Scourge

Riaz Hassan March 19, 2015
The Islamic State terrorists have roots in Al Qaeda and a network of Sunni jihadi groups that coalesced in the midst of the Iraq War. “After being subjected to years of political and economic marginalization, state-sanctioned repression, lawlessness and corruption in the hands of Iraq’s Shia-led government, Sunni Iraqis rebelled by joining militant groups that pledged allegiance to ISIS,” writes...

4 Years in to the Syria Conflict, How Are We Handling the Biggest Humanitarian Crisis of Our Time?

Justin Forsyth March 18, 2015
The civil war in Syria has left more than 210,000 dead and 10 million displaced. “Aid agencies are running refugee camps, clinics and education programmes that reach millions of people,” writes Justin Forsyth, CEO of Save the Children for the New Statesman. “But the ability of the humanitarian system to reach everyone who needs assistance in Syria is in question. The war has exposed the cracks...

Divided Europe Mired in Crises

Chris Miller March 17, 2015
For a few short decades, Europe was viewed as a model for human rights and economic security. Many Europeans were eager for the continent to become an influential geopolitical actor, acting independently of the United States, notes Chris Miller, a Yale doctoral candidate and research associate at the Hoover Institution. But polarization within the Union and the institutional failure to address a...

After Letter to Tehran From US Republicans, the Middle East (Except for Israel) Stays Silent

Erin Banco March 13, 2015
World leaders are accustomed to the increasing polarization in US politics. The Obama administration is in the middle of negotiating with Iran over curtailing its nuclear program, allowing inspections and lifting sanctions. Republicans hold a majority in the 100-member US Senate, and 47 of them disrupted diplomatic protocol, sending a note to Iran to warn that any deal is at risk once Barack...

Saudi Nuclear Deal Raises Stakes for Iran Talks

Jay Solomon and Ahmed Al Omran March 13, 2015
Saudi Arabia, possibly nudged by rival Iran’s negotiations with the US and allies, has signed its own civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with South Korea. This follows similar Saudi agreements with China, France and Argentina. Saudi officials have criticized the US position on the Iranian negotiations, and the US has agreements with allies France and South Korea that prohibit distribution of...

Chad, Niger Launch Offensive Against Boko Haram

Krista Larson and Dalatou Mamane March 11, 2015
Forces from Chad and Niger are crossing into northern Nigeria to join the fight against the Boko Haram extremists whose name means “Western education is forbidden.” Boko Haram, which has kidnapped and enslaved large groups of schoolgirls, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State extremists who control and terrorize strips of territory in Syria and Iraq. Generals leading the offensive insist...