In The News

The Congress Party’s Win

May 22, 2009
Indonesia should take comfort and guidance from the Congress Party’s recent success in India’s elections, according to this editorial from The Jakarta Post. As one of the world’s largest democracies, Indonesia has much in common with India not only historically, but also structurally. The similarities in ethnic and political diversity are striking. But Indonesia can learn a number of lessons from...

India’s Election Shows Equitable Globalization Can Succeed

Sadanand Dhume May 21, 2009
India’s Congress Party’s big win in the recent election has as much significance for citizens of that country as it does for citizens of the world. It shows that democracy and development can go hand in hand, according author Sadanand Dhume. A country that is slated to grow above 5 percent amid the financial crisis is a model for developing nations. That India can do this while sporting the world...

“We All Have to Think Multilateral”

May 8, 2009
R. Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, analyzes President Obama’s ongoing challenges, including building a strong relationship with India and fighting two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in this interview with Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal. He also stresses that the complexity of transnational issues is going to require an “unprecedented level of...

Swine Flu Provides a Test of Employers’ Crisis Plans

Joe Sharkey May 6, 2009
The corporate response to the swine flu has been well orchestrated and cautious for the most part. This is due mainly to instituting response and risk management plans in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US and the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia. As a result, companies now have tracking and data systems that can pinpoint the locations of their traveling employees and thus...

Despite Setback, Asean Has Important Role

Simon Tay April 27, 2009
After a threat by rioting protesters led to the cancellation of the Asean – Association of Southeast Asian Nations – Summit, there have been fresh concerns about the relevance of the regional grouping. But Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, argues that despite the recent setback, Asean’s role as a hinge for regional cooperation makes it too important to be...

China Steps Up to World Stage, Cautiously

François Godement April 24, 2009
Though commentators were expecting China to approach the G-20 as an Asian Goliath, what they got instead was the traditional cautious dragon. As Asia specialist François Godement argues, such reticence to playing a bigger part on the global stage should not come as a surprise. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some unexpected events. President Hu Jintao meeting...

Tactics in a Cosmic War

Reza Aslan April 22, 2009
Former President Bush made a grave error when casting the “war on terror” as a “crusade,” according to Reza Aslan, author of “How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror.” By relying on distinctively religious rhetoric, Bush played into the jihadists' hands: that of conflating the war on terror with a war on Islam. President Obama has reversed such a stance...