In The News

A Tale of Two Ports

Christophe Jaffrelot January 7, 2011
A common strategy in geopolitical rivalries is to accrue alliances, strengthen positions and counter competitors. Of course, Asia is rich with historic rivalries: India and China, Pakistan and India, Iran and Pakistan, Iran and the US, the US and China. Two ports in the Arabian Sea, one in Iran and another Pakistan, demonstrate an emerging contest for power in the Arabian Sea, explains...

Christians of the Levant on the Brink of Extinction

May Akl December 10, 2010
Christianity emerged in the Middle East some 2000 years ago, spreading rapidly throughout the Levant countries along the Mediterranean, then beyond, to become a global force. But in the Middle East, the numbers of Christians dwindle, with rights of Levant Christians trampled since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies, explains May Akl, 2010 Yale University World Fellow and...

The WikiLeaks Ravage – Part I

Shyam Saran December 6, 2010
WikiLeaks has set out to display 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables, dated 1966 to 2010, exposing blunt US assessments, tactics and conjecture. For the well read, the cables reveal much hypocrisy, but few surprises. This two-part YaleGlobal series explores the consequences of the unprecedented leak from the points of view of diplomacy and internet freedom. The latest release about vital US...

Endgame for Afghanistan

Sreeram Chaulia November 17, 2010
The US and Iran have been at odds since militants overthrew the government and stormed the US embassy more than 30 years ago and, more recently, over Iran’s nuclear program and resistance to UN inspections. But the two nations still share common interests – animosity for the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Sunni extremism – particularly since the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001, points out author Sreeram...

Israeli Settlement Plan Sparks International Outrage

Harriet Sherwood November 11, 2010
A key component of any peace deal between Palestinians and Israelis is a freeze on construction of Israeli settlements. Settlements on occupied territory are illegal under international law. Yet Israeli leaders refuse to commit to a freeze; newly disclosed plans for settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank threaten the latest US attempt at peace talks and spur widespread international...

Fighting Terrorism in Yemen Requires Patience and Partners

November 10, 2010
Countries with high rates of poverty and lax central governments provide ideal settings for those intent on committing acts of terrorism. The most recent try was printer cartridges, loaded with explosions, in overseas packages addressed to Chicago synagogues, mailed from Sana’a, Yemen's capital. Yemen has severe water shortages, low rates of literacy, high rates of child hunger, with nearly...

Iraq War Logs: UN Calls on Obama to Investigate Human Rights Abuses

David Batty, Jamie Doward October 25, 2010
After the online release of nearly 400,000 documents from the Iraq War, the UN's chief investigator on torture has called for an investigation. Notably the documents reveal a higher number of civilian deaths than admitted publicly by the US military; chaos with military reliance on security contractors; and increasing Iranian influence in Iraq. Individual soldiers reported incidents of abuse...