In The News

Why Israel Should Welcome Palestine

David Avital May 19, 2011
More than 140 nations are ready to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly meeting in September. UN approval could put Israel and the US on the defensive. With the Israeli-Palestinian peace process at a stalemate, the US could break that deadlock by pursuing agreement on borders, suggests David Avital of the Israeli Policy Forum in an opinion essay for Politico. Establishing the...

Post-bin Laden: Pakistan’s Hour of Choice

Sadanand Dhume May 17, 2011
The Pakistani military at times has condoned extremism, specifically to needle India or squeeze US military aid. But terrorism is not a precision tool. Pakistan’s reputation as a trustworthy partner could be at an all-time low after the US discovered and killed bin Laden hiding near a Pakistani military academy. The international community is wary of Pakistan’s many links to global terrorism....

Nakba Protests Bring Arab Spring to Israel's Doorstep

Ariel Zirulnick May 17, 2011
Israel serves as a flashpoint for Arab anger, with tens of thousands of Palestinians and supporters gathering along its borders in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt to protest the nation’s 63rd anniversary. Lebanese and Israeli security forces used firepower and tear gas to control crowds, with 15 deaths reported. Protests against Israel are convenient for Arab leaders struggling with democracy movements...

Sweet as Can Be?

May 16, 2011
The purpose of some alliances is to counter a rival’s power. Both China and Pakistani have long aimed to contain India’s power. Now “Pakistan seems keen to foster the impression that new tensions with America might nudge it even closer towards China,” suggests an essay in the Economist. Yet a downturn in the US-Pakistani relationship after the US secretly sent a team in to kill terror mastermind...

Libyan Fallout: Does NATO Divide the Atlantic Partners? Part II

Tomas Valasek May 12, 2011
Despite internal divisions, Europe handily leads the military campaign in Libya, taking on global-policing duties long shouldered by the US. NATO’s objectives have shifted and expanded since 1949, with members divided about threats and strategy. This YaleGlobal series analyzes the transformation in the NATO alliance resulting from the Libyan crisis. Members share common goals, and thus the...

The Double Game

May 11, 2011
After World War II amid a scramble for allies, the US chose Pakistan over India. Pakistan’s economy was more promising than India’s in the 1960s, but there’s been a reversal of fortunes since, suggests Lawrence Wright in an essay for The New Yorker. India emerged with a strong economy and democracy, and Pakistan is troubled, insecure and anti-American. Economic aid requiring matching grants was...

Libyan Fallout: Does NATO Divide the Atlantic Partners? Part I

Alistair Burnett May 10, 2011
With differing levels of enthusiasm among members, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mounts military operations to end the Libyan government’s attacks on civilians. This two-part series analyzes the NATO mission and members’ commitment to the alliance’s future. In the first article, Alistair Burnett, of BBC News, describes the alliance’s intervention in Libya as half-hearted. Of 28 NATO...