In The News

Will the Iran Nuclear Deal Thrive or Wither?

Dilip Hiro January 21, 2014
Iran and six world powers known as P5 + 1, led by the United States, have a narrow time frame for working out a permanent deal that ensures an end to Tehran's enriching weapons-grade uranium. A final accord requires the convergence of diverse interests of countries reaching critical mass, and such moments are rare in history, warns journalist and author Dilip Hiro. Iranians support an...

Americans Want to Turn Away From World’s Problems

Bruce Stokes January 16, 2014
The United States may no longer view itself as the world’s leading advocate for military engagements or multilateral efforts to promote freedom, democracy and human rights, suggests a study by the Pew Research Center. Americans are war weary, and about half of 2000 adults surveyed in the fall 2013 suggest that the country is overextended, writes Bruce Stokes, the center’s director of global...

UN Makes Record Funding Appeal for Syrian Refugees

Barbara Surk December 18, 2013
The UN hopes to raise $6.5 billion to assist as many as 9 million refugees who have fled the civil war in Syria, many of whom live in massive camps and tents hastily set up in bordering states. “The conflict in Syria, now in its third year, has defied all attempts at peace,” explains Barbara Surk for the Associated Press. “A biting cold spell marking the beginning of winter has added another...

Delhi Should Avoid Lasting Damages to India-US Ties

Rajesh Rajagopalan December 18, 2013
A junior diplomat stationed in New York City was charged by US marshals for underpaying a maid. Standard procedure for such detainees includes a strip search, and India is furious. The United States responds that junior diplomats do not have immunity; Indian leaders contend that the arrest could have been handled more sensitively. The United States and India should not allow the incident to ruin...

A Dangerous Interregnum

Roger Cohen November 29, 2013
The 9/11 attacks, followed by long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have left the United States exhausted, which has transformed its approach to the globe. New York Times columnist Roger Cohen cites political theorist Antonio Gramsci who suggested that transitions, during which old ways resist new approaches, can magnify crisis. The United States, and other nations, too, have taken an “inward turn...

Iran Approaches a “Gorbachev Moment”

Robert A. Manning November 26, 2013
The United States and Iran have reached a historic interim accord that would limit sanctons and Iranian nuclear enrichment, subject to IAEA inspections. Iran confronts a transformative moment, explains Robert A. Manning of the Brent Snowcroft Center for International Security at the Atlantic Council. Western sanctions have contributed to high inflation, unemployment and other economic woes for...

Time for the US and Iran to Act

Jamsheed K. Choksy November 21, 2013
Europe, Russia, China and the United States have pressed Iran for years to end a suspected nuclear weapons program. After years of harsh sanctions, Iran is engaging in serious negotiations under President Hassan Rouhani. “Only US pressure through economic sanctions and martial threats has made Iran face the reality that it won’t be permitted nuclear weapons,” explains Jamsheed Choksy, professor...