In The News

Seeking Safety Abroad: Hidden Story in China’s FDI Statistics

Farok J. Contractor September 10, 2015
Despite a recent slowdown, China’s economy is still growing. Its citizens are much wealthier than they were just a few decades ago and like investors around the world, they seek secure places to store assets. “However, the fact is that enormous amounts of liquid money held by Chinese individuals and companies have, for many years, been anxiously trying to leave China and leave the renminbi as an...

Why Russia Is So Afraid of French Cheese

Brian Whitmore September 1, 2015
Russia is becoming a case study in pitting people who enjoy being told what to do, in the name of nationalism, against those who pursue their own preferences. The government, in what some call an attempt to back away from modern globalization, suggests that foreign foods pose a strategic danger. Neighbors report on neighbors for enjoying imported cheeses, fruits and meats. “The food snitches and...

US-Malaysia Relations: Strategic Imperatives Over Human Rights – Analysis

David Han Guo Xiong August 5, 2015
The US Congress passed legislation prohibiting fast-track trade negotiations with countries ranking low on compliance and efforts to stop human trafficking. The US State Department proceeded to upgrade Malaysia’s ranking, suggesting the country is making an effort, to ease negotiations for the Trans-Pacific-Partnership trade pact. David Han Guo Xiong, writing for RSIS Commentaries, argues the...

Cuba: Transforming a Revolution

Patricia Alejandro July 23, 2015
The United States and Cuba are reopening their respective embassies and preparing for more exchanges in diplomacy and trade. “Cubans and Americans are equally curious about exploring the other side since December when President Barack Obama and Raúl Castro made the surprise announcement on restoration of full diplomatic relations between the two countries,” writes Patricia Alejandro, a Harvard...

Want To Be The Next Amazon? Go Cross-Border From Day One

Hans Tung July 23, 2015
E-commerce is slowly shifting from a national to an international model. “Advances in logistics, shipping and global smartphone penetration have created a perfect storm where e-commerce companies can thrive internationally,” writes Hans Tung for Tech Crunch. He explains that consumers want to buy direct for the best prices; shipping companies have improved international service; and smartphones...

Money Trumps Fear: Reactions to Nuclear Accord With Iran

Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E.B. Choksy July 22, 2015
Iran has the world’ fourth-largest oil reserves and second-largest gas reserves. Once sanctions are lifted, the population of 77 million will provide a large, eager market. The economy, with a strong manufacturing sector and educated workforce, is diversified, explain Jamsheed Choksy and Carol Choksy in the Conversation, and as a result, “potential economic gains are prevailing over military,...

Beijing’s Maritime Silk Road Passes Through Islamabad

Dilip Hiro July 21, 2015
Ties between China and Pakistan run strong and often aim at containing India. In recent decades, China helped Pakistan with its nuclear-weapons program and after 1991 became the country’s chief arms supplier. The relationship could signal that China’s One Belt, One Road project is as much about developing a strategic military network as trade and cultural exchange, suggests historian and author...