In The News

Dilip Hiro June 10, 2010
Democracy in rising powers like Turkey – along with economic and military distractions for the West, Israel’s obstinacy in resolving conflict with the Palestinians and convoluted US policies that urge free elections but punish results – prompts governments to strengthen ties with regional neighbors. As a result, countries like Turkey, a longtime member of NATO, no longer follow the West in...
Fawaz A. Gerges June 8, 2010
The attack by Israel’s naval forces on a group of six vessels carrying 700 activists and aid for blockaded Gaza left nine civilians dead and unleashed a torrent of condemnation. This episode and other developments in the Middle East point to a new turning point. In the first of this two-part YaleGlobal series, Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges examines how the latest development has brought out...
Sabrina Tavernise, Michael Slackman June 7, 2010
After winning a majority of Palestinian parliamentary seats in 2006, Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, using the position to launch rockets at Israel. Since 2007, Israel and Egypt isolated Gaza with blockades by land and sea. But supporters of Palestinians from around the globe have also worked to test the blockade, collecting donations, including large funds from opponents to Israel based...
June 4, 2010
Nations bordering North Korea would prefer less isolation, belligerence and unpredictability. But abrupt collapse of the current regime could be equally dangerous. Any loss of control in a nation with such pronounced poverty, as detailed in this article from the Economist, could destabilize South Korea and China, analysts suggest, with refugees pouring over borders, nuclear weapons unsecured, as...
Scott Snyder May 27, 2010
North Korea – impoverished and isolated – depends on others for basic needs and lashes out with a series of provocations, most targeting economically vibrant South Korea. The most recent was the March 26 firing of a torpedo at the ROK Navy corvette Cheonan in disputed waters; 46 crew members died. For many years, South Korea aimed for good relations with a sunshine policy, explains Scott Snyder,...
Sabrina Tavernise May 27, 2010
Pakistan and the US are allies in a war against extremism in Afghanistan, with the US providing more than $1 billion in annual aid, but mutual trust remains low. A US citizen originally from Pakistan was accused of placing a failed car bomb in New York’s Times Square. But many in Pakistan are convinced that his plan was devised inside the US. “Conspiracy theory is a national sport in Pakistan,...
Leonard S. Spector May 25, 2010
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons allows non-nuclear nations to engage in scientific research on using nuclear power for peaceful purposes. States cannot engage in the transfer of nuclear material without safeguards, and non-nuclear states agree to accept safeguards and verification to prevent any diversion from peaceful uses toward weapon programs. The five-year NPT review...