In The News

Smaller Dragon Takes Global Strides

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 8, 2010
For two decades, US leaders regarded communist North Vietnam as a threat to freedom and American generals vowed to bomb the regime into submission, before abandoning the fight in 1975. The US pursued an isolation policy, and Vietnam unified, yet wallowed in economic stagnation as it confiscated private property, re-educated opponents and allied with the Soviet Union. As the Soviet Union crumbled...

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 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,...

For Somalis Caught Between Islamists and Weak Government, Fleeing is Only Option

Sudarsan Raghavan April 21, 2010
Al-Shabab, the Islamist group that controls increasingly large swathes of Somalia, has instituted a repressive and violent regime that is forcing Somalis to flee to neighboring countries. Al-Shabab has gained strength despite an Ethiopian invasion, supported by the Americans, in 2006 designed to remove Islamists from power. Now, however, the internationally-supported government is paralyzingly...

Bickering by Champions of Globalization in Asia Worries the Region

Sadanand Dhume December 17, 2009
India and China seem to be locking horns more frequently of late, setting off alarm bells that a long standing rivalry may rekindle overt conflict. As journalist Sadanand Dhume relates, the countries have sparred over issues as diverse as delimiting borders, development loans from international agencies, trade, and the Dalai Lama. While India might be the weaker of the two, China has more room...

Pakistan's Partial War on Terror

C. Christine Fair October 15, 2009
Pakistan is now reaping the bitter harvest of what it had sown by cultivating Islamic militants. Islamabad believed that it could use militants and terrorists to keep India in check and as a hedge for maintaining influence in Afghanistan should the US withdraw. But the recent uptick in suicide bombings and attacks across Pakistan along with evidence of how the Pakistani and Afghani Taliban and Al...