In The News

The Washington Times: Resolving the Afghanistan Crisis

Seyed Hossein Mousavian April 26, 2017
Peace has evaded Afghanistan for decades. The Russians fought in Afghanistan from 1979 until 1989. The brutal Taliban regime, a minority group, took control in the 1990s until the US-led invasion in 2001. Since 2001, the United States and its allies tried to rebuild communities with schools, agriculture projects, road construction, clinics and more. “By early 2017, the situation had deteriorated...

Financial Times: Ideological Purge for China Universities

Emily Feng April 25, 2017
Societies invest in education for jobs, innovations, creativity and prosperity. Western universities, a tremendous source of soft power, attract students from around the world. Recognizing the value of cross-border learning, universities in China organized joint programs with foreign institutions. But the strongest education programs engage in critical thinking and that challenges ideology. China...

New Mandala: Kingdom of Fear – and Favor

Pavin Chachavalpongpun April 25, 2017
Maha Vajiralongkorn is struggling to attract the respect directed toward his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej – with analysts expecting the new king of Thailand to be weak, “precisely because of his lack of moral authority, divinity and popularity once enjoyed by Bhumibol,” explains Pavin Chachavalpongpun for New Mandala, a publication based in Australia. “Vajiralongkorn reigns as a monarch whose...

The New York Times: Macron and Le Pen Advance in French Election

Alissa J. Rubin April 24, 2017
French voters selected Emmanuel Macron, an economist and political novice, and Marine Le Pen, a far-right populist who opposes the European Union, to advance to a runoff. Two out of three French voters voted for non-traditional candidates. “Political experts said the vote showed a new, profound cleavage in French politics around globalization, as well as France’s relationship with the European...

Bloomberg: Jack Ma Sees Decades of Pain as Internet Upends Old Economy

April 24, 2017
The internet and automation are not through disrupting the economy, warns Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba, and “society should prepare for decades of pain” – or expect conflict. In a speech to an entrepreneurship conference in China, Ma expressed frustration that no one listened to his warnings issued long before his online company became famous. “Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce operator,...

Spiegel Online: Time to Break Off EU Membership Talks With Turkey

Markus Becker April 20, 2017
A narrow majority of Turkish voters have approved constitutional reforms that consolidate their president’s power. The European Union could continue to pursue economic ties, but end negotiations on Turkey’s membership. “The Turks have voted for autocracy, for the repression of political opponents and likely also for the introduction of the death penalty,” urges Markus Becker for Spiegel Online. “...

Barron’s: Don’t Give Up on Globalization

Joseph Quinlan April 20, 2017
Much of the world no longer trusts “the unfettered cross-border flows of goods, services, people” of globalization anymore,” explains Joseph Quinlan for Barron’s. “Without access to the world’s resources, capital, and labor, many U.S. firms would be shadows of their current selves in terms of market capitalization and earnings. That would endanger the whole U.S. economy.” Quinlan also expresses...