In The News

Faulty Promises

George Perkovich September 9, 2005
The controversial civil nuclear cooperation deal signed by Indian and US leaders in July has sounded alarms around the world. George Perkovich, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, reviews the fallout of the pact, critically assessing the ramifications of revised Indo-US nuclear relations. In a policy brief, he argues that the strategic premises underlying...

Europe's Political Parties Buffeted by Globalization

Jonathan Fenby September 8, 2005
September 18, the date of the German elections, marks a crucial moment in European politics. The poll results will reveal whether the burgeoning protest movements will continue to nibble away at the mainstream parties. As Jonathan Fenby writes, moderate left-right political polarity in Europe may be giving way to a more fragmented system. Haunted by the specter of the ‘Polish plumber’ and...

You Are Judged by the Company You Keep

Ralph A. Cossa September 6, 2005
Chinese officials perceived the postponement of President Hu Jintao's planned US visit as a diplomatic snub on the part of the Bush administration. According to Ralph A. Cossa, however, the fundamental issue may be China's relations with other countries. Hosting leaders including Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, Beijing has publicly supported many of the world's oppressive...

Democracy in Burma: Does Anybody Really Care?

Amitav Acharya September 1, 2005
Upon its 1967 founding, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stated its collective goals, wherein members, "through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom, and prosperity." Unfortunately, in Burma – one of the 10 member states – the ruling junta has provided none of the aforementioned "blessings"...

Cheating Great Expectations

Philip Bowring September 1, 2005
September 5 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the Russo-Japanese War. And as columnist Philip Bowring writes, that conflict bears lessons on how the international community should view today's rising powers – namely, China. After France, Germany, and Russia forced Japan to cede several territorial claims in an 1895 treaty, Japan spent the coming decades building its military...

Prices Transform Oil into a Weapon

Ian Bremmer August 29, 2005
Alongside the fear that high oil prices will dampen global economic growth lies another serious threat: It is increasingly likely that certain oil-producing states may use the valued fuel as a political weapon – and effectively so, according to Ian Bremmer. Given the current state of global markets, any interruption of output will likely drive up prices. At the same time, petro-states are...

US Wants Changes in UN Agreement

Colum Lynch August 25, 2005
Just weeks before an upcoming UN summit, the United States has proposed more than 750 amendments to an agreement to be signed at the meeting. Organized as an effort to better address world poverty, terrorism, and human rights abuses, the summit is slated to host leaders of 175 nations. The Bush administration's last-minute changes, designed to better reflect US concerns, have received much...