In The News

Algeria’s Shadow Hangs Over Egypt’s Revolution

Roula Khalaf July 11, 2013
Algerian Islamists advise supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to resist militarization in avenging a military coup, or that could lead to civil war and foreign jihadists hijacking Islamist agendas, advise Algerian Islamists. “This was sound counsel from a North African state that suffered more than 10 years of civil war after a 1991 Islamist electoral victory was abruptly cancelled by...

US Rebalancing Asia, Not Containing China

Robert A. Manning July 8, 2013
Accusations that the United States is attempting to contain its largest trade partner are illogical. Since Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 trip to China, US presidents have consistently “pursued a policy of facilitating China's economic modernization and integration into the international system,” writes Robert Manning for Global Times. “Indeed, no country benefited more than China from the US...

Rerouted Morales Plane Has South American Leaders Irate

July 5, 2013
Leaders of Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay and Suriname had a special meeting to address broad concerns about US and European regard for Latin America in terms of diplomacy and surveillance. The meeting was occasioned by the rerouting of a plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales as he left Russia. European air-traffic controllers reportedly assisted the US in forcing the...

Need to Tear Down Another Wall

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 4, 2013
At the 2013 World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, more than 300 Israeli and Palestinian civic leaders, led by captains of industry Yossi Vardi and Munib R.Masri, called for a break in the impasse on peace talks, instructing Israeli and Palestinian political leaders to achieve in the shortest time possible a two-state solution. Yet serious discussion is blocked by obstructive...

Mursi Role at Syria Rally Seen as Tipping Point for Egypt Army

Yasmine Saleh, Tom Perry July 3, 2013
Egypt’s army has ousted Mohamed Mursi. Concern intensified in mid-June when the president attended a rally that called for “holy war” in Syria and was said to have called for foreign intervention. The army responded by suggesting its duty was to guard Egypt’s borders. The powerful, largely secular army has long mistrusted the Muslim Brotherhood, which supported Mursi as president and claimed it...

China Agrees to South China Sea Talks Amid New Row With Manila

Stuart Grudgings, Manue Mogato July 2, 2013
China has agreed to hold talks with its ASEAN neighbors in a bid to cool tensions surrounding maritime claims in the South China Sea. The move came on the heels of Philippines Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario’s accusation that China has engaged in “increasing militarization,” a comment prompted by Chinese state media warning of a counterstrike. Analysts have expressed concern that the rhetoric...

Key US-EU Trade Pact Under Threat After More NSA Spying Allegations

Ian Traynor, Louise Osborne, Jamie Doward July 1, 2013
A new release of documents from Edward Snowden, a low level contract employee for the US National Security Agency, suggests that the US bugged EU offices in Washington, New York and Brussels, including one operation directed from NATO headquarters. Europe is stunned by the disclosure of intercepted phone calls and compromised fax machines of key officials, which if true, appear to have no...