In The News

Maoist Insurgency Trips Up Rising India

Eric Randolph July 29, 2010
Enjoying rapid growth, India looks to make use of rich mineral holdings in its eastern states. But the rural poor and tribal people living near these deposits have been deprived of their rights and often oppressed by corrupt officials in cahoots with developers, explains journalist Eric Randolph. About 40 percent of India’s majority rural population lives in poverty but cell phones and...

Obama’s America and the World: A Promise at Risk

Strobe Talbott July 20, 2010
Disappointment swelling since Barack Obama’s election isn’t limited to his domestic opposition – it also runs deep among progressives who long for the US president to move swiftly on stirring campaign promises. Obama entered office with a horrendous legacy, a list longer than that encountered by previous US presidents: ongoing Middle East conflict, hemorrhaging Afghan war, North Korea’s and Iran’...

McChrystal Tests Obama’s Priorities

David Sanger June 23, 2010
Throughout history generals have griped about civilian commanders, as summarized by this New York Times article. But with the internet and instant global communication, such complaints do not remain secret long, exposed to colleagues and enemies alike. Any hint of insubordination or internal divisions adds to war’s complexity, dulling public support in the homeland and afar. Complaints by General...

The Middle East at the Crossroads – Part II

Dilip Hiro June 10, 2010
Democracy in rising powers like Turkey – along with economic and military distractions for the West, Israel’s obstinacy in resolving conflict with the Palestinians and convoluted US policies that urge free elections but punish results – prompts governments to strengthen ties with regional neighbors. As a result, countries like Turkey, a longtime member of NATO, no longer follow the West in...

Turkish Funds Helped Group Test Blockade

Sabrina Tavernise, Michael Slackman June 7, 2010
After winning a majority of Palestinian parliamentary seats in 2006, Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, using the position to launch rockets at Israel. Since 2007, Israel and Egypt isolated Gaza with blockades by land and sea. But supporters of Palestinians from around the globe have also worked to test the blockade, collecting donations, including large funds from opponents to Israel based...

The Cheonan Attack: Torpedoing Chance of Peace?

Scott Snyder May 27, 2010
North Korea – impoverished and isolated – depends on others for basic needs and lashes out with a series of provocations, most targeting economically vibrant South Korea. The most recent was the March 26 firing of a torpedo at the ROK Navy corvette Cheonan in disputed waters; 46 crew members died. For many years, South Korea aimed for good relations with a sunshine policy, explains Scott Snyder,...

US Is a Top Villain in Pakistan’s Conspiracy Talk

Sabrina Tavernise May 27, 2010
Pakistan and the US are allies in a war against extremism in Afghanistan, with the US providing more than $1 billion in annual aid, but mutual trust remains low. A US citizen originally from Pakistan was accused of placing a failed car bomb in New York’s Times Square. But many in Pakistan are convinced that his plan was devised inside the US. “Conspiracy theory is a national sport in Pakistan,...