In The News

The Politics of Memory: Tiananmen at 27

Nick Frisch June 14, 2016
China has transformed since the 1989 crackdown on thousands of protesters in Tiananmen Square who demanded economic, political and social reforms. China’s leaders, initially triumphant about quelling the protests, soon retreated into a disciplined silence, banning public accounts or grieving. “As the years accumulate, the anniversary of the tragedy offers an occasion to wonder if the pursuit of...

Does Europe Need Brexit?

Alan Stoga June 9, 2016
Brexit symbolizes the European Union’s divide and discontent, and yet, “the shock of Britain leaving the Union could be exactly what's needed to jumpstart Europe out of its near catatonic state,” argues Alan Stoga, senior adviser with Kissinger Associates and chairman of the Tällberg Foundation. The continent is divided in multiple ways over politics, migration, debt, as well as labor and...

China’s Internet Policy Offers the Wrong Kind of Lessons

Pete Hunt June 8, 2016
Authoritarians may eye China’s system of internet censorship, known as the Great Firewall, with envy, but other governments may struggle to apply the Chinese model, suggests internet policy analyst Pete Hunt. “China’s real lesson to the world, in turns out, is that maintaining cyber sovereignty is an expensive endeavor with sizable opportunity costs,” he writes for the Diplomat. “The government’s...

Ambition and Chinese Hostility Push India Closer to the US

Harsh V. Pant June 7, 2016
Narendra Modi, on his fourth visit to the United States as India’s prime minister, makes a case for strengthening ties between the two nations. The relationship centers on trade, defense cooperation and concerns about China. “Indian moves towards the United States are driven in large measure by China’s openly hostile acts vis-a-vis India,” explains author Harsh V. Pant. “The Modi government’s...

Modi in America: Strategic Convergence Alone Won’t Deflect Scrutiny on Treatment of NGOs and Minorities

Nayan Chanda June 6, 2016
The United States fought a war in Vietnam to prevent the expansion of communism, and more than 40 years later, the two countries are strengthening ties to curb Chinese expansionism. The United States lifted a ban on arms sales to Vietnam but human rights concerns could still block transactions. US President Barack Obama, during his visit to Vietnam, insisted that human rights reinforce rather...

Turkey No Longer a Democratic Model for the Middle East

Mohammed Ayoob May 31, 2016
Turkey was expected to offer a democratic model for other Muslim nations in the Middle East. Instead, the country under President Recep Erdoğan is displaying familiar authoritarian tendencies, with the Kurdish minority as a special target. “The parliament’s May 20 decision to approve an amendment to the constitution to strip a select group of MPs, many from the predominantly Kurdish HDP, of...

An Alternative to Boycotts or Divestment for Israel

Ian Shapiro and Nicholas Strong May 26, 2016
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault invited international leaders to Paris on May 30 to make plans for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Peace and economic security go hand in hand. Israel is thriving despite boycotts by some European countries while the economic outlook is dismal for Gaza and the West Bank. “There is little evidence that boycotting Israel will have a...