In The News

A Justified Extension for Iran Nuclear Talks, But Hard Choices Ahead

Robert Einhorn July 21, 2014
Iran and P5+1 countries – United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany – are extending talks on ending Iran’s nuclear program for another four months. A “six-month halt in all significant advances in Iran's nuclear program will remain in effect, as will the modest but worthwhile lengthening of the time it would take Iran to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a...

Malaysian Plane Downing: Will It Change Course of Ukraine Conflict?

Howard LaFranchi July 18, 2014
Ukraine and other nations are calling for an international investigation after a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane was downed in Ukraine, near the Russian border where insurgents have been fighting with support from Russia. The rebels have shot down several Ukrainian military planes in recent weeks. A separatist leader claimed responsibility early on, but backtracked after learning the target...

Turkey's Kurdish Buffer

Soner Cagaptay July 17, 2014
The rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, or IS or ISIS, in conjunction with the civil wars in Syria and Iraq, has put more pressure on both Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kurds to work together. The Kurdish people are spread throughout Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Before 2003, Kurds would have resisted working the Turkish government, which they regarded as oppressive. Kurdish...

Chinese Challenge: Australia’s Japan Choice

Evelyn Goh July 17, 2014
China’s steady economic growth has been accompanied by growing assertiveness over control of resources and territory in the East China Sea and the South China Sea that unnerves neighbors. Most Asian nations do not see any option other than a closely entwined future with China and criticize Beijing with caution. Australia under conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott, in advancing defense...

The Islamic World and the West: Recovering Common History

Nayef Al-Rodhan July 15, 2014
One out of five people in the world are Muslim, and many Europeans express fear about growing numbers of Muslim migrants. “Islam in Europe tends to be viewed as not only a recent, but also a foreign and threatening presence,” explains Nayef Al-Rodhan, University of Oxford philosopher, neuroscientist and geostrategist. “Europe and the Arab-Islamic world have brushed shoulders for centuries, and...

US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue

July 14, 2014
Tensions run high between the world’s two largest economies over trade and currency, cyberhacking, and maritime disputes in the East and South China seas. Top officials of the United States and China meet annually to review economic, financial and security concerns, and the most recent US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue was held July 9 and 10. “The S&ED is now the main event in the U.S...

Russia Clampdown Stokes Fears of Balkanization of the Web

Kathrin Hille July 11, 2014
Governments and tech companies continue to tussle over control of the internet. Russia’s parliament approved “a bill requiring all technology companies to store the personal data of their Russian users in the country,” reports Kathrin Hille for the Financial Times. “The Russian clampdown is the first serious move to assert national control over segments of the web in the wake of the revelation of...