In The News

Paris Attacks: The Global Consequences

Gideon Rachman November 16, 2015
Cosmopolitan cities like Paris, London and France are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, yet also resilient. The Islamic State’s would-be caliphate imposed by coercion and violence on communities in Iraq and Syria suffering from power vacuums could never hope to match the allure of Paris and French culture. Still, acts of terror challenge freedom and liberal ways in countries like France. Gideon...

Not Just Paris: Why Is Beirut's Brutal Terrorist Attack Ignored?

Anna Lekas Miller November 16, 2015
Every act of terrorism is an act against humanity. Anna Lekas Miller questions decisions by news and social media and the global audience to rally in support of France, after attacks killed more than 120 and injured more than 300, yet regard a Beirut attack, killing more than 40 and injuring 200, as routine. She expresses concern for “borders that are rapidly closing for Syrians and Iraqis...

Crisis Without End: The Disintegration of the European Project

Brendan Simms and Timothy Less November 14, 2015
Europeans and their leaders increasingly struggle over integration. Writing for New Statesman, Brendan Simms and Timothy Less remind that such struggles have historical precedents, including the breakups of Austria-Hungary, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. Those examples are used to analyze a scenario for possible collapse of the European Union. EU integration has grown at a fast pace. “This was...

Hollande Blames ISIS for Attacks in Paris as Death Toll Rises

Adam Nossiter, Aurelien Breeden and Nicola Clark November 14, 2015
Terrorist attacks on a stadium, restaurants and concert hall in the heart of Paris, killing at least 127 and wounding more than 300, will test European unity. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility. France is under a state of emergency with borders closed. “The attacks, and the possibility that the Islamic State was to blame, promised to further traumatize France and other European...

The US and Russia Face to Face as Ice Curtain Melts

Humphrey Hawksley November 5, 2015
The US defense budget for 2014 is more than double that of Russia and China’s combined. Measuring naval strength is trickier as comparisons of hulls or personnel matter less than surveillance and sophisticated weaponry and vessels like ice-cutters. As climate change melts sea ice, countries eye the Arctic for natural resources and trade routes, reassessing naval positions. Journalist Humphrey...

Hotspots: Europe Debates Initial Reception Centers for Refugees

Peter Müller November 4, 2015
EU leaders are divided over how to handle the thousands of refugees streaming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and trying to reach Europe. The reception in Europe can be hostile and disorganized. Some EU leaders hope to establish reception centers along Europe’s external borders to register refugees and conduct reviews on applicants’ status for asylum. Applicants meeting the standard would be...

A Complicated Friendship Between China and Britain

James Richards November 2, 2015
Chinese and westerners enjoy cordial relationships in business, education and tourism. The best of relationships recognize differences and explore values. Yet “Party-controlled media virulently denounce [western] values and traditions” – employing cyber-surveillance and intrusive censorship of ranging from the internet to textbooks, explains former diplomat James Richards in an essay for the...