In The News

As ISIS Take Kobane, NATO's Second Largest Army Sits on the Sidelines

Alexander Christie-Miller October 8, 2014
Most countries would swiftly intervene if a small town on the border was under attack by a vicious group that threatens to topple governments throughout the region. But Turkey, a NATO member, balks as Islamic State terrorists attack the small Syrian town of Kobane, suggesting it will help only “if there was a broader military commitment by Turkey’s allies to create a no-fly-zone in northern Syria...

iOS Trojan Spies on Hong Kong Protesters

Stephanie Mlot October 2, 2014
A massive group of protesters using smart phones, all eager for specific news about their event, clicking on links, is a ripe target for cyber-surveillance. Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong suspect that China has infiltrated their phones with a fake application that is really a Trojan for the Apple mobile operating system, or iOS. Similar reports have emerged about Android phones, too....

In “Umbrella Revolution,” China Confronts Limits of Its Power

David Lague, James Pomfret and Greg Torode October 2, 2014
The “one country, two systems” approach in Hong Kong is not working well for China. A free press, critical of controls, and independent courts that have already released student leaders are weakening China’s control of the island: Chinese authorities “need to contain the campaign for democracy in one of Asia’s leading financial hubs without the tools employed on the mainland to suppress dissent...

War Against the Islamic State

Talmiz Ahmad October 1, 2014
The differences between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran seem small compared with barbaric plans for the region by Islamic State terrorists. Fast-spreading violence and a growing refugee crisis compel a coordinated response from Iran and Saudi Arabia to defend the region, argues Talmiz Ahmad, former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other nations in the region, for the Hindu. He calls for...

Watch Three Mideastern Developments Very Carefully

Rami G. Khouri September 29, 2014
The Middle East is under fire and dealing with the chaos encourages strange bedfellows. Violent rampages of Islamic State terrorists, alarm all and could spur new cooperation. Most players support US-led strikes in Iraq and Syria, coordinated with five Arab states, though many claim the intervention comes too late. Other critics ask how intervention can be applied without instigating more...

US and Vietnam to Discuss Curbing China’s Sea Claims

David Brown September 25, 2014
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet in Washington early October. The two nations, at war more than 40 years ago, now find common interest in protecting open sea lanes in the South China Sea. China asserts sweeping claims, going as far as to construct new islets and impose limitations on the use of other nations’ exclusive economic zones. China...

Hindi Chini Shy Shy

Tansen Sen September 24, 2014
Uneasy ties between China and India prompted analysts to scrutinize every detail of President Xi Jinping’s first visit to India and his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Intense focus on “the border issue, overhyped business prospects and even seemingly trivial unawareness of past relations…are symptoms of serious structural problems in India-China relations,” explains history...