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The Korean Crisis: Kim’s Dangerous Game

April 2, 2013
Threats by North Korea against the United States and South Korea are more intense than in the past, suggests a blog by the New Yorker’s China correspondent. “In barely three months, North Korea has launched long-range rockets, conducted an underground nuclear test, signalled its withdrawal from the...

Chávez Moves Reserves Out of US Treasuries

October 7, 2005
President Hugo Chávez has liquidated about half of Venezuela's US$30.4 billion holdings of US Treasuries, confirmed a director at the country's central bank. The bank director attributed the transfer to financial reasons: Venezuela's foreign reserves have benefited from high oil...

Ahmadinejad’s Challenge to the World

December 19, 2005
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expressed more religious fanaticism than any Iranian president since Khomeini’s revolution. His campaign promises included a pledge to close the stock exchange (it violates the Islamic prohibition of gambling) and during a speech before the UN, he claimed enlightenment....

Continued Decline Is Not Inevitable

July 31, 2007
Multi-party elections throughout the Middle East may be manipulated, but voters do get a voice. Voters increasingly turn to Islamist parties in seeking reform and satisfying public needs. “Secular parties – that is parties that do not explicitly derive their ideology from Islam, but are not...

Der Speigel: Israel Preparing Strike to Take Out Iranian Nuclear Sites

October 12, 2003
The German newspaper Der Speigel recently reported that the Israeli Military has developed a detailed plan to destroy Iranian nuclear sites with a preemptive air attack. In addition to the possible airstrike, Israel has enhanced its submarine capabilities in order to be able to launch nuclear...

China Racing Ahead of U.S. in the Drive to Go Solar

August 25, 2009
China is striving to become the world’s leader in production of solar panels not unlike Japan’s drive for dominance in automobiles in the last century. And just like Japan, China plans to build factories in the US in the hopes of circumventing protectionist legislation. Beijing can afford to foster...

Where Taiwan Support Stops

December 7, 2003
The potential for conflict between China and Taiwan seems to have increased recently with Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian announcement that he wants to hold a referendum on Taiwan's independence next March. Although the island-state – a thriving democracy for over a decade – already...

Talking to Ourselves

April 23, 2008
The best ideas emerge when people hear out all opposing points of view. Unfortunately, Americans are less willing to attend lectures, read books or listen to radio that might offer new points of view. Instead, many increasingly read or listen to commentary that reinforces their beliefs. “Indeed,...
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