The civilized world is repulsed by the war crimes committed by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq: rape and coerced marriages for young girls; numerous beheadings of aid workers, journalists as well as the organization’s own foot soldiers who question orders; the execution of a young Jordanian...
Islamic State’s savage burning of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh demonstrates the strengths and the weaknesses of an organization whose state-like structure makes its vulnerable yet resilient in a turbulent Middle East. The main takeaway from...
Myanmar is reengaging with the world, a sudden immersion in the era of social media. “Using the benefit of hindsight from social media adoption in other Asian countries, it is safe to predict that Myanmar will benefit in terms of education, accountability and transparency,” writes Thomas Crampton,...
MYANMAR'S opening to globalization is remarkable on many levels, but it is unique to have an entire population enter the world directly in the era of social media. The country’s telecom infrastructure remains painfully inadequate — a simple call via...
Foreign buyers “have become an overpowering force” in the city’s real-estate market, reports Andrew Rice for New York Magazine. Despite high costs, the city is a global bargain, and buyers of new construction receive huge tax breaks. Buyers scoop up properties at a wide range of prices; units are...
Click here for the article in New York Magazine.
Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling pump water and chemicals into the ground and ease extraction of oil and natural gas. Critics point to the environmental risks, including earthquakes and groundwater contamination; some property owners even urge bans on the technology. Researchers have...
“We’re in the first inning of a nine-inning game on the shale revolution in the United States,” Conoco CEO Ryan Lance recently boldly predicted. Given the dramatic impact of the shale revolution on the U.S., global energy and the geopolitical...
The US would like to ease its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 12 years of war. Shortly after Pakistan announced a plan to hold talks with the Pakistani Taliban, a US drone strike killed the group’s leader, Hakimullah Mehsud. With a violent record, the Pakistani Taliban has not shown interest in...
If one event crystallizes Pakistan’s helplessness in confronting its political future, it is the recent assassination-by-American-drone of Hakimullah Mehsud, erstwhile leader of the Pakistani Taliban.
Islamabad had only just acknowledged its plan to...
Organized crime is linked to trade in illegal drugs, human trafficking, poaching, internet scams, tax evasion or counterfeit goods – and relies on greed to lure cooperation of some law-enforcement and political leaders. The World Economic Forum estimates illegal activities represent 8 percent of...
Click here for the article in Foreign Policy.
Nations are keen to control globalization, welcoming the best ideas and talent and keeping away the problems, a task much easier said than done. Most nations appreciate a large choice in trendy products, hard-working and innovative immigrants, and a reputation for being cosmopolitan. The 2008...
Click here for the article in The Canberra Times.
Yesterday's historic elections in Iraq proved, by many accounts, to be a relative success, but the story of the day may be the measured reaction of the Arab press. Popular news outlets Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, who have spent most of the last two years broadcasting images of violence to the...
Click here for the original article on The International Herald Tribune's website.