In The News

Why You Should Care About Yahoo Secretly Scanning Emails

Amelia Tait October 10, 2016
Many computer users shrugged upon hearing reports that Yahoo had developed software for the US government to scan users’ incoming emails. Yahoo’s security staff did not even know about the program. Anyone who relies on a computer should care about all data breaches, argues Amelia Tait for the New Statesman. Other tech companies could be secretly offering similar services. Former employees exposed...

Chinese R&D Goes Global

Jacopo Dettoni August 31, 2016
China is transforming from recipient of foreign direct investment to source as its firms set up new research and development operations. Chinese firms have announced nine new overseas research centers during the first half of 2016, reports Financial Times, as compared with the United States, 16 projects; Germany, 10; and Japan, 7. “It comes at a time when Beijing is gradually liberalising its...

Food for Thought

Nayan Chanda August 15, 2016
US presidential candidates, sensing anti-trade sentiment among voters, rely on populist strategies, much like Indian Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, encouraging manufacturers to create jobs close to home. “Even if protectionist urges dwindle after the election, anti-trade sentiment will linger to the detriment of export-dependent emerging economies,” writes Nayan Chanda in his...

Internet or Splinternet?

Joseph S. Nye August 11, 2016
The internet connects nearly half the world’s people, though political censorship and cybercrime could reduce public trust, explains Joseph Nye for Project Syndicate. He urges common rules to avoid fragmentation, based on a report from the Global Commission on Internet Governance. The report urges that openly developed standards, good user habits to discourage hackers, system design centered...

The End of Globalization? International Security Implications

T.X. Hammes August 5, 2016
Globalization has delivered countless benefits for individuals and societies. “Today, a combination of technology, politics, and social pressures seems to be reversing globalization,” explains T.X. Hammes in an essay for War on the Rocks. “While the new technology will continue to create wealth, it will favor developed countries. The increasing regionalization of economies and differences in...

How Climate Disasters Can Drive Violent Conflict Around the World

Chelsea Harvey August 3, 2016
Higher temperatures and rising sea levels associated with climate change are expected to contribute to food and water shortages, in turn displacing communities. “Overall, multiple studies have indicated a connection between climate and conflict, although several have suggested that the link may be weak,” notes Chelsea Harvey for the Washington Post. A research study published in the Proceedings...

Texas Shale Oil Has Fought Saudi Arabia to a Standstill

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard August 1, 2016
Oil suppliers have flooded global markets, driving down prices. Investment in the industry is down, and some high-cost projects in deep waters and other challenging environments have been shelved, but “North America's hydraulic frackers are cutting costs so fast that most can now produce at prices far below levels needed to fund the Saudi welfare state and its military machine, or to cover...