In The News

China Backs Argentina's Position on Falkland Islands

Fiona Govan June 27, 2014
China has proposed a short-term solution of “dialogue” for the territorial fight between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, or the Malvinas as they are known in Spanish. Britain refuses to discuss the matter with Argentina. “In a referendum held in March 2012, 99.8 per cent of the islanders voted in favour of remaining a British Oversees territory,” reports the Telegraph...

Ukraine's Empty Seat at Table Darkens Party for Putin's Ex-Soviet Bloc

Raushan Nurshayeva and Alexei Anishchuk June 26, 2014
The Eurasian Economic Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will begin in 2015, lifting trade restrictions among the three countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin states, “This document brings our countries to a new stage of integration while fully preserving the states’ sovereignty.” Putin makes no claims of attempting to recreate the USSR, though “he makes no secret that his dream is to...

Russia's Putin Dominates G7 Summit in Absentia

The Associated Press June 16, 2014
The absence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated the G7 summit. Leaders of seven economies snubbed Putin and issued a joint statement, urging the Kremlin to recognize the presidential elections recently held in Ukraine, withdraw troops from the borders Russia shares with Ukraine and stop the flow of weapons and militants. The G7 pointed out more sanctions were possible for Russia....

Will the European Union Crack?

Nayan Chanda June 16, 2014
Stagnation, unemployment, pessimism in democracies can motivate voters to endorse change. In India, voters embraced the growth policies of Narendra Modi while in European Parliament elections, extremists who oppose immigration and integration made gains. The similarities end there, suggests Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal in his column for Businessworld, and the trends in Europe expose “the...

Europe Divided Over Immigration, Work Ethics

Pallavi Aiyar June 5, 2014
Immigration, transfer of new technologies and evolving work ethics have put entire industries in flux. This has stirred anti-immigration fervor in some communities as demonstrated by big gains of far-right parties in the European Parliament elections. Author Pallavi Aiyar analyzes the forces of globalization transforming the diamond-cutting industry in Antwerp. Once dominated by Jewish merchants...

Euroskepticism Triumphant

David R. Cameron May 29, 2014
Less than half of registered voters turned out for election of members in the European Parliament, but those who did boosted representation of parties that oppose the continent-wide governance. David R. Cameron, director of the Yale Program in European Union Studies, analyzes election results for the EU’s only directly-elected body. Moderate majority parties lost seats and more extreme parties,...

National Front's Marine Le Pen of France Leads Anti-EU Drive

Gabriele Parussini May 26, 2014
Far-right parties gained power in European parliamentary elections with wins in Denmark, Austria and France and calls for dismantling the EU. Europeans are distraught over high unemployment, the struggling eurozone, high debt, immigration and competition from foreign trade. In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front and a member of the European Parliament for 10 years, appealed with a...