In The News

UK Will Find EU Bank Bonus Cap Hard to Lift

John O'Donnell March 6, 2013
Europeans are impatient with the pace of economic recovery. The European Union surprised the financial industry by imposing a cap on bonuses for banks’ senior managers and traders, and the mood was also reflected by Swiss voters who approved of shareholders having a say on board and executive salaries. The plan is to reduce excessive pay and end the practice of rewards for crisis. How many...

North Korea Tests China and the World

Shim Jae Hoon January 28, 2013
Foreign relations with isolated North Korea are in an unending winter – hints of a thaw repeatedly followed by hard freezes. The country’s young leader, Kim Jong Un, gave a speech, the first broadcast by a North Korean leader since 1994, suggesting that his country might be ready for dialogue with South Korea President-elect Park Geun Hye. Then, responding to UN Security Council Resolution 2087,...

Island Nations Play China, India

Harsh V. Pant January 9, 2013
As rising powers India and China compete for influence, Indian Ocean’s small island states like Maldives, Seychelles or Mauritius gain disproportionate prominence and attract new funding for their strategic space in the Indian Ocean. In domestic politics, parties take advantage of the rivalry and take sides. A recent example described by Harsh V. Pant of King’s College is the cancellation of a 25...

Nationalism Rises in Northeast Asia

Jean-Pierre Lehmann January 4, 2013
The job-creating economies of the Northeast Asia Pacific region are the envy of the world. China, Japan and Korea – the world’s second, third and eleventh largest economies, respectively – are significant global economic powers. China, Japan and South Korea are major trade and investment partners, each thriving by embracing economic globalization. But because of historical differences and...

Recipe for a Post-Hegemonic USA

Kenneth Weisbrode January 2, 2013
US Congress, bitterly partisan, engages in petty bickering and repeatedly fails to resolve any number of pressing crises, let alone craft uplifting legislation for the country and the world. The poor behavior of the legislative body – blocking opponents at any cost – is symptomatic of the fading superpower status of the US and reinforces the loss of global influence. In terms of currency,...

Tunisian Revolution Is Work in Progress

Lindsay J. Benstead, Ellen Lust, Dhafer Malouche December 19, 2012
The surge of uprisings across North Africa began in Tunisia with the self-immolation of a desperate college graduate turned street vendor in December 2010. The pace for democracy since then has been slow, along with economic reforms, as is the case in Egypt and Libya. Economic challenges dog the government, with the unemployment rate near 20 percent. Protests and violence throughout the region,...

For Better Planning, Watch Global Demographic Trends

Joseph Chamie December 12, 2012
An understanding of demographic trends can assist governments in targeting policies for the future and saving money for education, retirement, taxes, healthcare, distribution of natural resources, and more. More importantly, targeted policies can ease resentment emerging over demographic imbalances. The globe can anticipate an additional 1 billion people by 2025 – a total of 8 billion – and...