In The News

Al Qaeda Captures 2 Yemen Towns

December 4, 2015
Patterns continue for the Middle East: a failure of power sharing and representation for countries with Shia-Sunni divisions, and religious extremists taking advantage of the instability and power vacuums. Al Qaeda has quickly wrested control of Zinjibar and Jaar in Yemen even as the government battles Houthi rebels. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia supports the government, and Iran supports the...

A War of Priorities in Syria

Chris Miller December 3, 2015
The international coalition targeting the Islamic State’s tenuous hold of communities in Syria and Iraq has divided interests that could prolong the war in Syria. “The war is driven by multiple, interlocking layers of conflict,” explains Chris Miller, associate director of the Grand Strategy Program at Yale and a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. The priorities vary and desire to...

The Challenge of Urban Flooding

December 3, 2015
Research suggests that heavy rainfall events are on the rise. “The time has come to take serious cognisance of the link between climate change and extreme weather events like Chennai floods,” notes an essay from the Hans India. “As recommended by Centre for Science and Environment, India should start internalising climate change adaptation in all developmental policies and programmes.” Cities as...

Gauging the ISIS Threat in Indonesia

December 2, 2015
Indonesia, with near 250 million people, is the world’s largest Muslim nation. The Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta estimates that 300 Indonesians headed to the Middle East; 100 of those have been killed and another 100 were detained and returned. “A video has been circulating in social media since Nov. 22, purporting to be from East Indonesian Mujahideen, a terrorist group...

World War III?

Nayan Chanda December 2, 2015
Pope Frances has raised a concern that the Islamic State could spark a third world war. Nayan Chanda, the founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, points to a parallel: international powers, with major differences over strategy, targeting the extremists in Syria and Iraq. Aerial bombing alone won’t deter the 32,000 or so Islamic State extremists, an estimate from the CIA, or their ideology. Major...

Renminbi Joins the IMF’s Reserve-Currency Basket

December 1, 2015
Only a few goods and services are priced in what are known as Special Drawing Rights, or the mix of currencies used by the International Monetary Fund as a unit. Transit through the Suez Canal are one such service. The Chinese renminbi joins other currencies like the US dollar, the euro and Japanese yen for the IMF basket. Because so few items are priced such way, the Economist points out many...

COP21: China Prepares to Act on Climate Change

Isabel Hilton December 1, 2015
The climate talks in Paris known as COP21 are underway, and world leaders confront overwhelming scientific evidence that catastrophe is inevitable if countries continue to rely on fossil fuels. Global awareness runs high about the increasing economic and security threats of volatile weather patterns, including food and water shortages, infrastructure damage and rising insurance costs, as well as...