In The News

The Rise of China and the Future of the West: Can the Liberal System Survive?

G. John Ikenberry January 2, 2008
China’s rise does not present inevitable battle between east and west. Global powers can accommodate a changing order and thrive. “Today's Western order, in short, is hard to overturn and easy to join,” writes G. John Ikenberry, professor of politics and international affairs. After World War II, the US led in establishing institutions that welcomed victors and defeated, established powers...

After Bhutto, Pakistan on Edge

Ahmed Rashid January 1, 2008
Pakistan grieves the sudden, yet foreseen death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a courageous woman who threatened the status quo. Urged by the US, Bhutto agreed to a power-sharing deal with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, if both won election. She vowed to end appeasement of extremists and cooperate with the US in pursuing all sources of terrorism, in and out of Pakistan. She...

As Immigration Debate Generates Heat, Dust Gathers on a Workable Plan

Joseph Chamie December 18, 2007
For two centuries, the US grew and flourished with the world's most open immigration policy. But with the public worried about growing illegal immigration and politicians trying to outdo one another with an anti-immigrant stance, the issue has moved from reason to rhetoric. As a topic, immigration has tripped many a politician in US election campaigns, and the 2008 presidential race is no...

Restored

December 13, 2007
After World War II, Korea was divided into two nations, north and south. The Korean War began after forces from the north invaded the south in 1950, after rival factions could not agree on a system of governance. Train service crossing the border ended in 1951 and did not resume after the 1953 ceasefire. Since then, South Korea has flourished, now the 11th largest economy in the world, while...

Why Iran Didn't Cross the Nuclear Weapon Road

Dilip Hiro December 11, 2007
A US national intelligence estimate – a consensus of 16 intelligence agencies – recently concluded that Iran discontinued its nuclear-weapons program due to “international pressure.” Author and Middle East analyst Dilip Hiro examines the chronology of events and argues that Iran started and ended its nuclear-weapons program for one reason: the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein in neighboring Iraq....

Subsidies' Harvest of Misery

Jimmy Carter December 10, 2007
A US bill passed during the 1930s Great Depression – paying farmers for crops not grown – no longer makes sense. Instead, current US farm programs hurt the poorest people in the world and small farmers in the US, encouraging “excess production while channeling enormous government payments to the biggest producers,” argues former President Jimmy Carter in an opinion essay for the Washington Post...

Down With Democracy

December 7, 2007
Some leaders are so insecure that they cannot withstand any hint of opposition or dissent at all. Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, may have an 80-percent approval rating, and yet his party squashed any questions or debate about his record. Democracy is a complicated process, reminds this article in the Economist. “Everything depends on who is allowed to vote, who selects the candidates or...