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Standoff in the South China Sea

Carlyle A. Thayer
June 12, 2012

Putin Promises Oil Pipeline for Japan

November 23, 2005
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has promised a pipeline that will carry Siberian oil to Japan. His recent visit to Japan, where plans for the pipeline were discussed, appeared designed to incorporate Japan back into the Asian power triangle that currently emphasizes Russian and Chinese...

New Immigration Rules: “A Plan for More Segregation”

October 17, 2008
The 27 nations of the European Union formally approved an immigration policy designed to crack down on illegal immigrants but attract qualified guest workers. Europe, hoping to boost flailing public pension programs, seeks a greater share of talented immigrants who now head for the US, Australia...

Europe Close to Creating “Budget Tsar”

November 15, 2011
With European countries struggling to get a control on debt, the European Commission is taking steps to appoint one person responsible for scrutinizing finances. Rival commissioners could not over-ride disciplinary measures imposed by the commissioner for economics and monetary affairs on nations...

Russia Reaches Out to Venezuela

August 1, 2006
Opposed to US foreign policy promoting democracy, leading to political unrest and conflict throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, the Kremlin has become more assertive. Russia has signed a deal with Venezuela, offering the small nation advanced fighter aircraft, helicopters and assault rifles...

Unlike General Motors and Delphi, Most of America's Manufacturers Are Thriving

July 14, 2006
Well-publicized woes of companies like General Motors could give the impression that all US manufacturing is struggling. Predictions that manufacturing would suffer setbacks after the IT boom played itself out several years ago failed to materialize. US manufacturers have been innovative in...

Still No Votes in Leipzig

September 22, 2004
When Bob Dole was running for US President, he once dismissed a Finnish reporter's questions of by saying, "No votes in Leipzig." Dole's sense of geography may have been lacking, but his sense of who was important to his campaign was, at the time, perfectly on target: Only...

Mixing Oil, Gas, and Politics

June 21, 2005
The Russian government has become a majority shareholder in Gazprom, one of the country's largest oil producers. The buyout is aimed at opening the company up to foreign investment and bolstering the Russian stock market. The move was also likely designed to put the government in a more...
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