In The News

Anonymous and the Global Correction

February 28, 2011
New communication technologies arm young activists with the tools to disrupt powerful, traditional institutions that simultaneously depend on the internet and apply excessive controls. Since 2005, a loose band of activists known as Anonymous have opposed censorship or a restricted internet, their plans and goals emerging amid fast, furious chatter of message boards. What began as sport in Japan...

Europe Confronts Mediterranean Mayhem – Part I

Jean-Pierre Lehmann February 28, 2011
European leaders were cozy with dictators throughout the Middle East and North Africa for decades. Beginning in Tunisia, citizens have swiftly challenged authoritarian regimes in the region, threatening decades-old enforced stability with non-violent protests. This YaleGlobal series gauges European reactions to a crisis that threatens the continent’s borders, economy and stability. Europe...

Libyan Arms Deals Come Back to Haunt Europe

David Böcking February 25, 2011
In Egypt, a military that refused to shoot fellow citizens made all the difference in overturning a regime that had held on to power for more than 30 years. But other rulers and military leaders – such as Libya’s – are less stricken by conscience. For more than a decade, Libya was subject to UN sanctions. Those were lifted in 2003, and Europe ended its arms embargo in 2004. Since then, the nation...

Revolution U

Tina Rosenberg February 24, 2011
Following Egypt’s uprising, attention focused on links between protest organizers in Cairo and the Center for Applied NonViolent Action and Strategies, or CANVAS, in Serbia. The group was formed by leaders of the movement that overthrew Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Online exchange of information and strategy from Serbia helped the Egyptian movement. Yet CANVAS has worked in more than 50 countries...

Why There's No Turning Back in the Middle East

Fareed Zakaria February 22, 2011
Revolutionary thought emerged in desperate populations throughout history, often fading away after brutal crackdowns. But youthful populations and access to instant communication technologies – will keep revolutionary ideas thriving in the modern Middle East, argues Fareed Zakaria for Time magazine. About 60 percent of the region's population is under the age 30, facing limited opportunities...

Revolutionary Tide Sees New Friends for China

Mei Xinyu February 22, 2011
As Middle East nations are shaken by uprisings, the governments – both those that survive and the emerging powers – will confront a set of new foreign-policy choices. The West’s decades-old alliances with dictators while cheering on democratic movements could make it an unreliable partner for either traditional Arab regimes or newcomers. Many Arab nations will diversify relationships, relying...

China to Block UN Report on North Korean Nuclear Capability

February 21, 2011
A Chinese expert was part of a team that prepared a report for the UN Security Council on North Korea violating sanctions, according to a Reuters article, yet China plans to block the report. The team expressed concerns that the impoverished nation may transfer technology – obtained illegally from Pakistan – to other secretive regimes. “North Korea almost certainly has several more undisclosed...