In The News

Book Rallying for Social Change Fails to Inspire the Masses

Fu Qi March 26, 2009
A book published in China criticizes the country's foreign policies, suggesting the country could do more to shake off western influences, report Fu Qi and Li Huizi for Xinhua News Agency. The five authors of “Unhappy China” argue that "the current financial crisis reflects an overall corruption of the American society” and that stern, even punitive, foreign policies could provide...

South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From a Peace Conference

Celia W. Dugger March 24, 2009
By discouraging visits from the Dalai Lama, China and the nations that comply have attracted attention to the schedule of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. South Africa has barred the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference intended to promote the 2010 World Cup, reports Celia Dugger for the New York Times. “China has accused him of pursuing independence for Tibet, while he maintains that he...

Democracy May be the Best Ally Against Pakistan's Extremists

Paula R. Newberg March 20, 2009
Pakistan confronts many challenges, on governance, extremism and a war in neighboring Afghanistan that encroaches its own borders. An international focus on eliminating terrorism led to agreements with Pakistani presidents that often bypassed courts and parliament. And that may be an important reason why the Pakistani people pressed for the release of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar...

Empire of Bases

Hugh Gusterson March 19, 2009
The US Declaration of Independence listed grievances against the British, including “quartering large bodies of armed troops among us." Even so, the US has established hundreds of military bases around the globe, more than 800 in all, excluding those in Iraq and Afghanistan. By some estimates, these bases cost more than $1 billion to maintain. “The United States has pioneered a leaner...

Pakistan Is Being Shaped by Popular Will as Never Before

Mohsin Hamid March 19, 2009
A series of trends in Pakistan signal more democratic representation for the country, but the US may not like the opinions emerging from the feisty democracy. “The US needs a Pakistani state that is significantly unrepresentative of the Pakistani people, because most Pakistanis are opposed to America's war in Afghanistan, and the US cannot hope to succeed there without Pakistan's...

The Globalization of Censorship

Christopher Walker March 13, 2009
Powerful individuals who engage in questionable activities manage to restrict criticism by relying on British libel laws and filing lawsuits in British courts, reports the International Herald Tribune. “English common law puts the burden of proof on the defendant, who can be hit with enormous damages and legal costs,” writes Christopher Walker for the International Herald Tribune. Walker is with...

China Reluctant to Lead

Orville Schell March 11, 2009
As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized during her first trip overseas, the US has great expectations for China's leadership and help on fixing the economy, and reducing climate change. Following the model of Richard Nixon in the 1970s, who sought to make common cause against the Soviet threat, Clinton emphasized common challenges for the two nations, playing down any differences...