In The News

Germany’s Nationalist Movement Rides on a Wave of Islamophobia

Frank Griffel January 29, 2015
Nationalists in Germany are making Islamophobia a scapegoat for troubles, with protests in Dresden and support spreading throughout the country. Political, business and cultural leaders are determined to block parties with xenophobic rhetoric, explains Frank Griffel, professor of religious studies at Yale University. Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf in 1925, exposing his ideology and anti-...

Weak Think Tanks Shackle Nation’s Governance Upgrade

Wang Wenwen January 29, 2015
The mission of most think tanks is to analyze and propose policies for all segments of society, and this requires the ability to investigate, criticize and envision policies freely, often with government or foundation funding. China has more than 400 think tanks, second after the United States with more than 1,800 think tanks, reports Wang Wenwen for Global Times. The Central Committee of the...

Encyclopedias: The Truths du Jour

Immanuel Wallerstein January 20, 2015
Encyclopedias are plentiful, designed to assist contemporary scholars with research. Yet they're also historical documents, reflecting choices made for a period of time and a society’s understanding of the globe. In making room for new events, encyclopedia editors tend to shrink the past. “We can learn much about the evolution of the world’s institutions and modes of thinking by using...

Fewer Chinese Than Expected Apply to Have Second Child

Patti Waldmeir January 16, 2015
In September 1980, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party issued a letter outlining the goal of keeping the nation’s population below 1.2 billion by the end of the century and “made an appeal” to promote a policy of each couple having one child. The policy reduced poverty and infant mortality, and the population was reported at 1.25 billion in 1999. But now the elderly represent a...

Charlie Hebdo Attacks Stir Resolve and Contemplation

Stathis N. Kalyvas January 15, 2015
Terrorists hope to incite fear, panic and capitulation, but so far Europe is resisting such response after surprise attacks on the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, and a Kosher grocery store. “And because they are so shocking, these attacks tempt those targeted into reacting in a kneejerk way, ultimately playing into the hands of the attackers and becoming self-fulfilling...

Terror Attacks Cannot Save Islam's “Honor”

Husain Haqqani January 13, 2015
Terror attacks in Europe and exaggerated threats on social media are not acts of courage or faith. “More important, terrorism is unlikely to dissuade anyone so inclined to refrain from insulting Islam, its prophet or Muslims,” writes Husain Haqqani, former Pakistan envoy to the United States, for the Times of India. Such attacks are not new, with Haqqani pointing to the 1929 murder of a Hindu...

Three Cheers for the Onion

Marek Pruszewicz January 12, 2015
Four centuries ago, Babylonians appreciated onions, as revealed by Yale University’s Babylonian Collection and three clay tablets described as the world’s oldest known cookbooks. Marek Pruszewicz for BBC News Magazine points to onions as “the only truly global ingredient, adding, “rare is the cookery book that that is onion-free.” The hardy vegetable adapts to many climates; it’s easy to store...