In The News

Japan's Shake-Up Unearths Lessons

David Rothkopf March 14, 2011
The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan shows how disasters can destroy lives, wipe out cities and entire industries in a moment. But the experience also proves the value of governance, writes analyst David Rothkopf. Though hard to believe early in the crisis, preparation and technological investment allowed some warning, however brief, which did reduce the human toll. “No nation is...

The World’s Responsibility to Protect Libyans

Ramesh Thakur March 14, 2011
The Gaddafi family unleashes fierce firepower on citizens who could no longer endure a corrupt, brutal reign. The international community is obligated to act swiftly under the responsibility to protect principle, argues Ramesh Thakur, professor of political science and a member of the R2P commission. In 2005, world leaders reached unanimous agreement that the United Nations would honor the...

Painful Price of Forging a Democratic Era

Roula Khalaf March 11, 2011
Libyans protesters want to remove a leader in place for more than 40 years, yet unlike Egypt or Tunisia, Libya confronts civil war rather than a peaceful transition, explains Roula Khalaf, Middle East editor for the Financial Times. Muammar Gaddafi unleashes military attacks on his own people, seeking to retain his grip over Libya’s oil and economy. In Tunisia and Egypt, leaders had relatively...

Religion May Not Dominate Post-Revolutionary Middle East

Endy M. Bayuni March 11, 2011
Arabs throughout the Middle East and North Africa long for the basic freedoms taken for granted in the West. With governments overthrown in Tunisia and Egypt and unrest raging elsewhere in the region, analysts worry about religious motivations and how these might influence governance. Such a narrow focus is misdirected, explains Endy M. Bayuni, visiting fellow with the East-West Center. The...

America Should Not Prosecute Julian Assange

Joseph Nye March 9, 2011
US efforts to prosecute the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, for espionage and exposing confidential US State Department cables are not in line with democratic values or support for a free and open internet, argues Joseph Nye, author and a former US assistant secretary of defense. Around the globe, news organizations, both big and small, review and disseminate the leaked cables. US...

Don’t Look for Jasmine Revolution or Tea in China

Frank Ching March 7, 2011
From the start, the plan sounded like public performance art or a prank to emulate the Jasmine Revolution sweeping the Middle East: Anonymous online messages called for rallies at 2 pm Sunday in China’s busiest shopping districts: No angry signs or shouts needed, protesters could participate by “strolling, watching or pretending to pass by.” Organizers thus hoped to turn every shopper into a...

Political Doubt Hits Zimbabwe Investors

Farai Mutsaka, Peter Wonacott March 7, 2011
Investments in struggling Zimbabwe have long carried risk, but new threats add to business uncertainty. A law promoting “indigenization” – companies with net asset value of more than $500,000 must transfer majority shares to local control – has been on the books since March 2010, report Farai Mutsaka and Peter Wonacott for the Wall Street Journal.. For enforcement, government officials target...