In The News

US Can Meet Paris Climate Deal Goals Despite Court Ruling: White House

February 11, 2016
Almost 200 countries reached an historic agreement in December to reduce carbon emissions. The Obama administration imposed limits on power plants’ carbon emissions, but the US Supreme Court “took the unusual step to delay implementation of the Clean Power Plan until legal challenges to the regulation are completed,” reports Reuters. A Los Angeles Times editorial was blunt, suggesting “What'...

Russia’s Syrian Intervention Gives the West a Chance to Re-Engage Turkey

Marc Grossman February 11, 2016
The bilateral relationship between Russia and Turkey shifted from strategic partnership to wariness in the course of a year as civil war in Syria intensified. The West has extended limited support to the rebels, including Kurds, while targeting the Islamic State terrorists. Turkey, bordering Syria, has sheltered 2 million refugees, but also targeted Kurdish troops who have been effective in...

India’s Regulator Effectively Bans Facebook’s Free Basics Service

Sean McLain, Joanna Sugden and Deepa Seetharaman February 10, 2016
Net neutrality as principle argues that internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, without favoring or blocking particular websites. “Facebook Inc.’s efforts to expand Internet access in the developing world suffered a blow Monday when India’s telecommunications regulator ruled that the social-media company’s plan to offer free access...

From Iran to Nigeria, Cheap Oil Means Perilous Politics

Fareed Zakaria February 10, 2016
Oil producing nations were long warned to diversify economies. The abrupt fall of oil prices from more than $110 to less than $30 per barrel in the space of a few years is influencing politics and foreign policy. Fareed Zakaria points out that Iran entered serious negotiations for an agreement on ending its nuclear program in summer of 2013. “Iranian officials were predicting that by 2015, Iran’s...

False Sense of Security

Nayan Chanda February 9, 2016
Few countries will be insulated from the slowdown of the Chinese economy, even those not intricately tied to the Chinese supply chain. “China did indeed stimulate its way out of the 2008 crisis but now it has to deal with overcapacity and debt,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for Businessworld. “For India to be congratulating itself for not being part of...

Asia Should Not Delay on South China Sea Disputes

Humphrey Hawksley February 9, 2016
The US military is challenging China’s claims to 90 percent of the South China Sea that includes some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. “The unpredictability of the American presidential election now heightens the risk because inevitably it will come with ramped-up anti-China campaign rhetoric,” reports BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley. The United States and countries in Asia are divided...

US, Other Nations Condemn North Korean Launch of Long-Range Rocket

Ralph Ellis, K.J. Kwon and Tiffany Ap February 8, 2016
North Korea launched a satellite into orbit around the earth. The UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting and condemned the launch. “U.S. officials have said the same type of rocket used to launch today's satellite could deliver a nuclear warhead,” reports CNN. “China, the Soviet Union and the United States have all used intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, to launch...