In The News

Applying the Responsibility to Protect to Syria

Bennett Ramberg March 5, 2012
More than 9000 people have been reported killed in a year of Syrian unrest, after the government used troops and tanks to crack down on determined protesters, and thousands of Syrian refugees try to escape the violence by crossing into Lebanon and Turkey. Human rights advocates had lauded application of the United Nations’ Responsibility to Protect doctrine in Libya to end the violence by Muammar...

India and the US Pivot to Asia

Robert M. Hathaway February 24, 2012
The US strategic plan is to continue providing global security with emphasis on “rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region.” Such a pivot is not new, but has been in play since the end of the Cold War, argues Robert M. Hathaway, director of the Asia Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The strategy requires a long-term partnership with India, as an economic and security...

India’s Iran Challenge

Harsh V. Pant February 17, 2012
While the international community agrees that Iran’s development of nuclear weapons will destabilize the Middle East, responses to the West’s call for sanctions against Iran highlight diverse foreign-policy approaches, especially from India and China, ranked fourth and second, respectively, as the world’s largest oil consumers. China unequivocally prioritizes its domestic interests and energy...

Where Will the Muslim Brotherhood Take Egypt’s Economy?

Mohamed El Dahshan February 6, 2012
The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt’s largest opposition group, so it’s no surprise that its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, secured nearly half the votes in parliamentary elections. Campaign rhetoric proposed alcohol restrictions, gender-segregated beaches, and revision of Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. Ready to step into power, Islamists already have more pressing matters: an...

Hunger Pains Test North Korea’s Dynastic Succession

Shim Jae Hoon February 1, 2012
Isolated North Korea has carried out early stages of transfer of power from Kim Jong Il to his third son, Kim Jong Un, with elaborate titles and displays of respect. But the government faces grave challenges stemming from decades of prioritizing military spending capped by a nuclear-weapons program, acrimonious relations with South Korea since the 1950-1953 war, and steadfast refusal to engage...

Syrian Massacres: World Has No Appetite for Intervention

Fahad Nazer January 23, 2012
The Arab Spring galvanized Sunni Syrians’ discontent with Alawite dictator Bashar al Assad who has since used tanks and armed gangs in an unrelenting crackdown on protests. After recent suicide blasts, the Syrian government quickly blamed Al Qaeda, although no groups stepped forward to claim credit, while opposition leaders questioned if the government orchestrated the attacks to provide cover...

US-Pakistani Relations in Crisis – Part II

Robert M. Hathaway January 5, 2012
Hours after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Pakistan pledged to assist the US in fighting terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. But a series of events, including the May discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad and the November US strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers along the Afghan border, contribute to mounting mistrust in both nations. This YaleGlobal series examines the deteriorating...