In The News

Euroskepticism Triumphant

David R. Cameron May 29, 2014
Less than half of registered voters turned out for election of members in the European Parliament, but those who did boosted representation of parties that oppose the continent-wide governance. David R. Cameron, director of the Yale Program in European Union Studies, analyzes election results for the EU’s only directly-elected body. Moderate majority parties lost seats and more extreme parties,...

The Global Pivot to China

Jean-Pierre Lehmann May 27, 2014
The United States is not alone in its pivot toward Asia. The Asia Pacific region is a center of bustling potential and security pitfalls. And China is the center of that region, notes Jean-Pierre Lehmann, international political economist. The United States claims its pivot is not intended to contain China, but other Asian nations seek such security. China is a lead trading partner for Japan and...

National Front's Marine Le Pen of France Leads Anti-EU Drive

Gabriele Parussini May 26, 2014
Far-right parties gained power in European parliamentary elections with wins in Denmark, Austria and France and calls for dismantling the EU. Europeans are distraught over high unemployment, the struggling eurozone, high debt, immigration and competition from foreign trade. In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front and a member of the European Parliament for 10 years, appealed with a...

Timor-Leste: Lessons of a Failing State?

Loro Horta May 22, 2014
Timor-Leste shares the island of Timor and a bloody history with Indonesia. The former Portuguese colony was part of Indonesia from 1976 until 2002, when it was declared an independent state. The country’s small population is less than half of 1 percent of that in neighboring Indonesia, and one quarter died in fighting for independence. Despite great natural resources, the country has since...

A Calibrated Takeover of the South China Sea

Nayan Chanda May 22, 2014
China may have taken advantage of fragmentation among its neighbors and a preoccupied international community to set up a big exploration drilling rig in disputed waters. Vietnam “may join the Philippines in challenging China in international court as well as strengthening security cooperation with the U.S.,” writes Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal in his column for the WorldPost. “The rise of...

US, India’s Goals Diverge in New Delhi’s Near Abroad

Nilanthi Samaranayake May 20, 2014
The United States and India do not always agree on strategic policies. “While there is certainly much convergence between U.S. and Indian aspirations for stability in Afghanistan and East Asia, structural cleavages characterize both nations’ political and strategic approaches to the smaller countries in India’s backyard,” explains Nilanthi Samaranayake for World Politics Review. “The pervasive...

Gujarat Model of Foreign Policy: Let Economy Be the Driver

Walter Andersen May 20, 2014
The parliamentary victories of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India were decisive. Narendra Modi will take the oath as prime minister later this month, and economic growth and nationalism will be likely drivers of Indian foreign policy, notes Walter Andersen, an expert on the BJP who heads the South Asia Program at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. As the...