In The News

World Risk Index: The Human Factor in Natural Disasters

Axel Bojanowski August 26, 2016
Natural disasters strike without warning, but government preparation and regulations on infrastructure contribute to saving lives, suggests the World Risk Index from United Nations University researchers and development organizations. Shallow earthquakes struck Haiti and New Zealand each in 2010, reports Axel Bojanowski. In Haiti, more than 100,000 lost their lives while New Zealand suffered...

How the Refugee Crisis Became Invisible

Yiannis Baboulias August 26, 2016
Problems that go unresolved for months on end become the new normal, and the media spotlight can fade. Refugees continue to flee fighting and violence in Syria and other countries. Total numbers may be down, with Turkey stemming migrant flows, but infrastructure is strained. Refugees are in limbo – stuck in temporary camps not intended for years on end. “Inside the camps, reports of overcrowding...

Japan, China, South Korea Urge North Korea to Stop Provocation

Kiyoshi Takenaka and Xiao Yu August 25, 2016
Soon after North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile, foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea united in urging North Korea to stop its provocations. “A North Korean submarine fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday that flew about 500 km (300 miles) towards Japan, a show of improving technological capability for the isolated country that has conducted a nuclear test and as series of...

Modi Throws Down Gauntlet to Pakistan and China

Harsh V. Pant August 25, 2016
India and Pakistan have battled over territory since winning independence in 1947. Efforts by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ease tensions over the past two years have hit a wall as terrorism backed by Pakistan continues in Kashmir. Meanwhile, Pakistan tightens relations with China. Efforts for peace came to a standstill after Pakistan hailed Burhan Wani – a rebel commander who fought...

Scramble in the Horn

James Jeffrey August 24, 2016
Landlocked Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country with more than 96 million people. Conflict lingers between Ethiopia and Eritrea since the latter obtained independence in 1993. “The fighting that broke out at the Ethiopia-Eritrea border on 12 June, reportedly involving artillery and tanks, resulting in hundreds killed and wounded, has highlighted how old-fashioned power politics has...

Syria Jarablus: Turkish Tanks Roll Into Northern Syria

Pinar Sevinclidir August 24, 2016
A dozen Turkish tanks and other vehicles have entered the Syrian town of Jarablus, a few kilometers from the border. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the operation was aimed against both IS and Kurdish fighters,” reports BBC News. “Turkey shelled Syrian Kurdish forces in the region this week, determined not to let them fill the vacuum if [the Islamic State] leaves.” The five-year war is...

China Sheds Pretense of Peaceful Rise

Frank Ching August 23, 2016
China is intent on being the dominant, central force in Asia and recognized as such by the international community. China’s rise may be taking more time than some might have expected soon after the Great Recession ravaged advanced economies of the West. The United States and Europe bounced back with political and economic influence, and an international court's ruling on the South China Sea...