In The News

Out of the Shadows, China Hackers Turn Cyber Gatekeepers

Paul Carsten and Gerry Shih July 20, 2015
Hackers roam the internet, searching for vulnerabilities. Governments and businesses anywhere in the world that don’t secure computer networks can anticipate intrusions. Under President Xi Jinping, China has made cybersecurity a priority and also monitors forums, media reports and communications passing within its borders. “As Chinese companies grapple with a sharp increase in the number of...

Higher Education: Apocalypse Now?

July 3, 2015
Digital technology is revolutionizing higher education with increased globalization, student enrollment and privatization. Digital technology may be more revolutionary than the printing press in that it “not only disrupts the dissemination of knowledge, but also its production,” report the editors of ParisTech Review. “This double effect is precisely what disrupts the economic balance of the...

Islamic State Seen Overtaking Al Qaeda in South Asia Social Media War

Katharine Houreld June 22, 2015
Analysis of social media accounts suggest that extremists throughout South Asia, including the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are turning away from Al Qaeda and shifting toward the Islamic State for inspiration, reports Katharine Houreld for Reuters. “So far the IS social media campaign has not been matched by material support to South Asian groups such as the Taliban,” she quotes an anayst...

Foreign Groups Fear China Oversight Plan

Andrew Jacobs June 19, 2015
China’s leaders can change regulations quickly, lending uncertainty for any investment. Foreign NGOs that have long promoted education, health care, and other social causes in the nation expect closer monitoring by the government, reports Andrew Jacobs for the New York Times. Proposed legislation would require NGOs to find government sponsors, run activities by police for approval and meet quotas...

Singapore's “Chinese Dilemma” as China Rises

Wang Gungwu June 12, 2015
Neighboring states assess the costs and benefits of a fast-rising China for their own economies and security relationships. “Singapore needs to have a realistic assessment of China's intentions, America's resolve, and the place of Asean and Singapore in the region, in order to chart its course in the geopolitical future world,” writes historian Wang Gungwu for Straits Times. China’s...

Desperate Millions Flee Poverty, Persecution and Inequality

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller June 11, 2015
The world confronts an immigration challenge as vast numbers flee conflict and religious persecution in the Middle East and South Asia along with stark poverty in Africa and South America. The world has 50 million forcibly displaced people, and millions more leave their homelands in search of opportunity. Widening inequality and demographics, with low fertility rates in wealthy nations and high...

China Is Building the Most Extensive Global Commercial Military Empire in History

Steve LeVine June 9, 2015
Great nations invest in innovations and infrastructure, and societies in decline allow those investments to crumble. “China views almost no place as uncontested,” writes Steve LeVine for Quartz, about the nation’s strategy to project power and influence. “Chinese-financed and -built dams, roads, railroads, natural gas pipelines, ports, and airports are either in place or will be from Samoa to Rio...