In The News

Power of New Nationalism

Nayan Chanda February 21, 2011
Emphasizing invented enemies, tyrannical leaders argue that only they can protect their nation, sometimes with brutal methods. Yet such tactics weaken the sense of nationhood when citizens have to cower in fear, doubting their own worth. Informed by satellite television or social media sites and emboldened by new perspectives and exchanges, youths in growing numbers challenge the entrenched...

Pakistan and the Bomb

Bruce Riedel February 21, 2011
The international community's questions about Pakistani control over its growing nuclear arsenal rankles the nation. Military leaders maintain control over weapons, while democratically elected civilian leaders have nominal authority, explains Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy in the Brookings Institution, and author of a new book, “Deadly Embrace:...

What Somali Pirates Reveal About the Global Economy

Matthew Lynn February 18, 2011
Pirates off the coast of Somalia continue to target huge ships passing by the impoverished coast. Matthew Lynn, writing for the Financial Times, regards piracy as a metaphor for the global business economy – the pirates know their customers, reinvent careers, conduct research, and maintain employee loyalty by sharing profits. Somalian fishermen were left without livelihoods after foreign factory...

Bahrain Security Forces Accused of Deliberately Recruiting Foreign Nationals

Ian Black February 17, 2011
Military, police and security forces are all that stand between citizens who yearn for greater rights and regimes who impose autocratic control. Egyptians managed to convince their president to walk away from power after the military refused to fire on non-violent protesters. Protesters demand similar reforms in Bahrain. But the Al Khalifa regime has recruited security details – specifically...

Eighteen Days That Shook the Middle East – Part II

Rami G. Khouri February 16, 2011
Governments that avoid rigid ideological rules for their citizens and allow new ideas to flourish can wield great influence. This two-part YaleGlobal series suggests that Egypt, the largest of Arab nations, transformed by the uprising, will in turn transform governments and politics throughout the Middle East. By embarking on a wave of democratization, Egypt could reclaim its historic role as the...

Eighteen Days That Shook the Middle East – Part I

Dilip Hiro February 14, 2011
Protesters in Tunisia and Egypt accomplished much – shaking off fears of security forces, speaking out against corrupt systems and toppling authoritarian leaders. But revolution is far from complete, reminds author Dilip Hiro. By definition, representative government for Egypt requires inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood. That group – started in 1928 by a teacher and a few workers in British...

China Cocks Its Ear to Arab Freedom Cry

Peter Hartcher February 14, 2011
Measured by market-exchange rates, China’s economy is about 40 percent the size of the US economy. Measured by purchasing power, China is the world’s largest economy, writes Peter Hartcher for the Sydney Morning Herald. The nation’s products, services and labor are comparably inexpensive, often due to great sacrifices of the Chinese people. The government uses an iron hand to keep opposition...