In The News

Somalia in High Speed Internet “Culture Shock”

Moalimu Mohammed April 14, 2014
The extremist group al-Shabab had ordered a stop to internet services in Somalia, but that has not dented Mogadishu residents’ appreciation for newly installed high-speed internet, suggests one internet provider to BBC News. Following the threat by al-Shabab, “3G networks nationwide were turned off but the project to launch fibre optic cable services continued in the capital, reports Moalimu...

Chinese Premier Li Warns Southeast Asia Nations Against “Provocations”

Andrew Browne April 11, 2014
The message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Boao Forum for Asia was meant to reassure China’s nervous neighbors: China is committed to peaceful development and supports initiatives that strengthen maritime cooperation, yet would respond to “provocations” that destabilize the South China Sea. “China's definition of what constitutes a provocation is linked to its claims to what it calls...

The Next Drone Wars

Sarah Kreps and Micah Zenko April 11, 2014
As increasing number of countries use drones international agreements on their use could reduce misunderstandings and conflict. While only three nations – the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel – have used armed drones, more than 75 others including China, Japan and Australia have drone technology often used for surveillance purposes. The original hope behind remote-controlled aerial...

Reaching Nuclear Threshold, Iran May Be Ready for Pause

Arch Roberts April 10, 2014
Iran possesses the technology to enrich uranium that could lead to production of nuclear weapons, putting the country in a class with 14 nations including Germany and Japan. Perhaps that was the nation’s goal all along. “It’s possible that a pause in Iran’s nuclear program has become desirable and convenient in the face of the sanctions that undermine the economy and the regime, especially given...

Don’t Bet Against the Greenback Yet

Erik Britton and Danny Gabay April 10, 2014
The US benefits from its reserve currency status; 85 percent of all global transactions involve the dollar. But the dollar is worth less than half its value from 1973. Two threats to the dollar’s status as reserve currency include stagnation in demand within the United States and the rise of China’s fully convertible yuan, suggest Erik Britton and Danny Gabay for the Asia Sentinel. They analyze...

Non-Resident Supporters Prop Up AAP's Lok Sabha Campaign

Himanshi Dhawan April 9, 2014
People who relocate do not leave behind an interest in the politics of their homeland – and use the internet and global financing to support candidates: “A motivated band of non-resident Indians (NRIs) are pitching in from across the globe to lend a helping hand to AAP's ambitious Lok Sabha campaign through the party's ‘support a state’ (SAS) initiative,” reports Himanshi Dhawan for the...

Paying for the Gray

April 9, 2014
China’s average age for retirement is 53, unchanged since the 1950s. But China’s economy has flourished and the nation’s average life expectancy is 75: “With the number of pensioners set to soar, and the number of young workers able to support them unable to keep up, China has been making long-overdue changes at both ends of the demographic spectrum,” reports the Economist. “Allowing people to...