In The News

Rid of Violence, a Reforming Bosnia Emerges as a Model

Humphrey Hawksley June 12, 2008
The history and circumstances of conflict in Bosnia and Iraq vary in many ways. But the bottom line is that swift US intervention succeeded in ending civil strife and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The political planning for Bosnia since the 1995 peace agreement, with the international community deeply engaged in shaping it as a modern European state, could serve as a model for Iraq and...

In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground

Elisabeth Rosenthal June 6, 2008
The southern region of Spain looks lush and green, with farms and golf courses, but that could be temporary as the country runs short of fresh water. “Swaths of southeast Spain are steadily turning into desert, a process spurred on by global warming and poorly planned development,” writes Elisabeth Rosenthal for the New York Times. Regional success and a building boom have put pressure on water...

Linked Global Groups Are Not Political Parties: Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Fantasy of the Caliphate

Jean-Pierre Filiu June 3, 2008
Some Islamists believe that establishing a broad jurisdiction under an Islamic leader, last seen with the Ottoman Empire in 1924, could deliver stability. Calling for such a caliphate is Hizb ut-Tahrir, or the Islamic Party of Liberation, which has re-emerged in Palestine since the divisive clash between Hamas and Fatah. Hizb ut-Tahrir refuses to participate in elections, and its supporters blame...

EU Enlargement: The Dark Side of Globalization

June 2, 2008
As the European Union opened trade and borders, foreign investors set up shop in communities throughout the former Soviet Republic. For example, Samsonite opened a factory in Samorin, Slovakia, in 1997. But the jobs and economic development were short-lived, with Samsonite moving its production line on to China a decade later. “Samorin is a witness to the way that globalisation is fragmenting as...

The Russians Are Coming: Moscow Investors Go on Shopping Spree for German Companies

Alexander Jung May 1, 2008
Russia – the world’s largest exporter of natural gas and the second largest exporter of oil – is collecting big profits as importing nations scramble for supplies. As a result Russians have the money to invest in foreign markets. “Russian investors have been traveling through Germany for months, buying up companies, eyeing almost every industry,” reports a team of writers with Spiegel Online. “...

Baiting the Dragon: German Business Warns of Pushing China too Far

April 29, 2008
Taking a firm stand on human rights can require sacrifice. Like trade itself, boycotts that attempt to influence national behavior are a two-way street: As Europeans ponder boycotting the Beijing Olympics, German business leaders warn that more than 200,000 jobs in that nation depend on Chinese exports. Harsh criticism of China’s policy in Tibet could fuel calls from Chinese citizens to boycott...

In EU, Hope Dims for Iraqi Refugees

Mariah Blake April 24, 2008
The US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq and the subsequent insurgency have produced an estimated 4.7 million refugees. One Swedish town alone, Södertälje near Stockholm, has accepted about 6,000 asylum seekers in the last five years – more than the entire United States. In all, Sweden – which had no role in the war – has accepted 49,000 people who met the conditions required by the European Union’s...