In The News

Afghanistan’s Perilous Roads: Allies Struggle to Find Safer Supply Route

Dieter Bednarz February 18, 2009
The tribal people who live in the remote borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan are irritated about ongoing intrusions into their territory and way of life. As result, attacks against NATO convoys are on the rise along the few rugged roads between the two countries. Plans are underway for sending more NATO troops to stabilize Afghanistan, and that may force the allies to look for...

At Last, Justice Comes to Cambodia

Benny Widyono February 13, 2009
Cambodia suffered years of hurt, from French and Japanese occupation to American invasion and massive bombing. The end of the US war in 1975 opened an even grislier chapter in Cambodia’s history. The rise of the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot brought unprecedented misery as the regime emptied cities, torturing and executing the educated, imposing extreme policies that led to starvation, disease and...

Whose Resistance?

Amr Hamzawy February 2, 2009
The plight of the Palestinian people fuels Muslim ire, boosting the popularity of non-state militants and non-militant religious groups alike. As a result, the Palestinians are sometimes seen as more symbol than humanity. Amr Hamzawy, with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, points to a decline of humanitarianism in the region, on the part of a brutal occupying force and on the part...

Obama and the World: Time to Deliver

Bruce Stokes January 28, 2009
President Barack Obama must act quickly on a range of foreign-policy issues to demonstrate that the United States is prepared for meaningful change in its approach to resolve problems that have defied solution. Bruce Stokes, international-affairs columnist, cautions that Obama has a small window of opportunity to sort through many contradictions, demonstrating fairness and leadership while the...

Politically Incorrect

Nayan Chanda January 23, 2009
Battles rage to save some products ill-suited in a world worried about energy shortages: In the US, CEOs of auto companies who long depended on oversized vehicles for profits now lobby politicians for financial aid, while protesters in Kolkata aim to protect noisy, polluting auto-rickshaws by burning buses and disrupting traffic. “Allowing the city’s 60,000-odd auto-rickshaws to carry on...

As Obama Takes Office, Global Press Turns to Regional Concerns

Richard Wike January 23, 2009
No American presidential bid in history has been so closely monitored by the international community as Barack Obama’s. For the Pew Global Attitudes Project, Richard Wike and Michael Remez compare reactions from newspapers around the globe, many of which focus on specific regional concerns. From Kenya to Kerala, Bolivia to Baghdad, media and citizens followed the campaign, rooting for the young...

China Censors Part of Obama Speech

Edward Wong January 22, 2009
Barack Obama’s inaugural address had an international audience, hanging on every word to detect a new direction in American foreign policy. Some Chinese censors took offense at a comment on communism and in translations deleted the phrase, ”Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.” But...