In The News

Merkel Victory Will Mask Germany's Long-Term Economic Problems

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard September 23, 2013
Angela Merkel was reelected chancellor of Germany for a third term. The world’s fourth largest economy, and Europe’s largest, leads in tackling the eurozone crisis. But writing for the Telegraph, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard warns that Germany’s economic strength is deceptive, “an illusion of the business cycle and a China-driven global boom in machinery and capital goods that is running out of steam...

Did Brazil's President Just Knock Down US Influence a Notch or Two?

James Norton September 18, 2013
Leaked data about secret US National Security Agency surveillance of foreign countries have claimed another casualty. Upset over alleged NSA spying of Brazilian government and institutions, President Dilma Rousseff has put off a late October visit to the United States, where she was to be honored with a state dinner. James Norton writes for the Christian Science Monitor that Rousseff describes...

The Politics of Palm Oil

Pavin Chachavalpongpun September 17, 2013
Palm oil is Indonesia’s most valuable agricultural export and the industry employs nearly 2 million people. Indonesia has laws prohibiting the slash-and-burn method of clearing fields for large plantations, explains Pavin Chachavalpongpun, of Kyoto University’s Centre for Southeast Asian Studies. Yet allowances for small farmers and a regional culture of patronage politics may hamper enforcement...

People Will Pay if Army Fails Challenge of Political Islam

Amin Saikal September 9, 2013
Political Islam in Egypt – with the democratic election of Mohamed Morsi and one chaotic year in office – took an ideological approach to government, failing to compromise with other forces in society that led the revolution against Mubarak’s dictatorship. After deposing Morsi, the Egyptian military has cracked down on his party, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other supporters. Conservative...

Why Is Prosperous China So Anxious?

Orville Schell September 5, 2013
China, like other countries, seeks economic success and global respect. The country has accomplished so much in a few short decades – massively expanding the economy, reducing poverty and developing impressive infrastructure. Yet Chinese leaders exude anxiety, suggests author and long-time China observer Orville Schell. Fearing public discontent and unrest, the Chinese Communist Party resists...

Syria Is Dying

Azeem Ibrahim August 29, 2013
A brutal civil war reigns in Syria, as demonstrated by scenes of a neighborhood waking to a chemical attack that killed hundreds. International critics allege that the regime, clinging to power, is responsible for the attack, even as the United Nations investigates. The country has become the center for a regional proxy war and a battleground for the two leading branches of Islam, explains Azeem...

Winners and Losers After Arab Spring

Lindsay J. Benstead, Ellen M. Lust, Dhafer Malouche, Gamal Soltan, Jakob Wichmann August 27, 2013
Each political transition underway since the Arab Spring has its own characteristics, reports a group of researchers who conducted post-election surveys in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. The international community should resist applying stereotypical responses. “A one-size-fits-all approach to the transition processes – and particularly to development assistance aimed at fostering democratization –...