In The News

The 19th-Century World-System

Immanuel Wallerstein October 31, 2011
Sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein, the originator of the modern world-system theory, published volume four of his opus, which examines the development of centrist liberalism during the 19th century and its inevitable imbalances. Centrist liberalism, encompassing enlightened conservatives and pragmatic radicals, supported the expansion of state powers. The powerful feared the exercise of popular...

Emerging Democracies Coy on Denouncing Syrian Repression

Christophe Jaffrelot October 10, 2011
The Arab Spring protests have put emerging powers on the spot. French scholar Christophe Jaffrelot explores whether fledgling democracies have an obligation to aid the citizens of repressive states in securing democratic freedoms – why India, Brazil and South Africa resisted a UN Security Council resolution to intervene in Libya and declined to seek resolution against Sryia’s al-Bassad regime for...

After the Arab Spring – Part III

Dilip Hiro September 26, 2011
The Arab Spring has ushered in new attitudes throughout the Middle East and North Africa, as described by this YaleGlobal series. In country after country, citizens have engaged in peaceful demonstrations, yearning for representative government that balances Islam with democracy and rejecting dictatorships that put foreign interests over that of citizens. In searching for a model of...

After the Arab Spring – Part II

Daniel Bethlehem September 23, 2011
Statehood for Palestine in name only won’t ensure peace, equal footing with Israel and policies that serve the people living within those borders. A three-part series explores the aftermath of the Arab Spring including the motivations behind the Palestinian quest for statehood and consequences. “A balance of dignity between the parties is a necessary step towards a more durable accommodation,”...

How a Palestinian State Could Reward Israel

Suhail Khalilieh September 14, 2011
Palestine is poised to request that the UN General Assembly endorse its bid for statehood at the meeting beginning 20 September. Despite Israeli opposition, about 60 percent of UN members have expressed approval for the bid. The US is attempting to negotiate a delay and has threatened to veto the bid. With statehood, Palestine would become party to many international agreements overseen by the...

How a Persian Gulf Backwater Became an International Power Broker

Sonia Verma April 20, 2011
Qatar, an independent state since 1971 and long overshadowed by richer neighbors, raises its profile by taking advantage of global trends. The country of 1.4 million – 200,000 of whom are Qatari – arms Libyan rebels, hosts US Central Command headquarters, shelters Saddam Hussein’s widow, and serves as the base for the Al Jazeera global news network. Huge natural gas reserves enriched the country...

Libya Exposes Fault Lines in the Mediterranean – Part IV

Harsh V. Pant April 1, 2011
Armed with UN Security Council Resolution 1973, authorizing a no-fly zone in Libya, international powers moved swiftly to protect Libyans from brutal retaliation threatened by their leader. But rising powers Brazil, Russia, India and China refrained from joining the rescue by western power, explains Harsh V. Pant of King's College in the fourth and final article of this series. “The debate...