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The Slow US Withdrawal From Afghanistan

October 8, 2019
The US and a coalition of international partners launched war in Afghanistan in 2001 with fierce intensity soon after the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. The war on terror was combined with a war on drugs as Afghanistan is responsible for producing about 90 percent of the world’s...

China Sheds Pretense of Peaceful Rise

August 23, 2016
China is intent on being the dominant, central force in Asia and recognized as such by the international community. China’s rise may be taking more time than some might have expected soon after the Great Recession ravaged advanced economies of the West. The United States and Europe bounced back...

How to Allocate CO2 Emissions

June 25, 2013
Delivering on his election pledge to tackle the climate change issue, President Barack Obama today instructed the US Environmental Protection Agency to establish carbon emission standards for both new and existing power plants. Important as this is, the unilateral move will have a limited impact as...

Global Brands Contend With Appreciation for the Local

July 6, 2010
Fear of global brands is a powerful, universally recognized phenomenon. Just as powerful and less noticed is the consumer pushback against global brands and search for unique, local products, notes Bryant Simon, author and American Studies professor. “The spread of these branded symbols of...

China to Hong Kong: You Can Vote, We Select the Candidates

September 11, 2014
After Beijing’s promise of universal suffrage for the 2017 election, Hong Kong, which was handed over to China by the British colonial ruler in 1997, had anticipated more democracy. But China dashed such hopes by announcing plans to pre-approve candidates for the election of a chief executive,...

Gambling Dilemma: Rappler

August 28, 2019
The global gambling industry is worth about $500 billion, with online gaming on the rise. China has asked the Philippines to shut down its online gambling sites that target mainland Chinese players. The Philippines president is expected to support the POGOs – operations that hire Chinese speakers...

Korea Greets New Era of Multiculturalism

August 3, 2006
In a world of quick travel and increasing flows of people in and out of countries, South Korea is reflecting on its prejudices toward foreigners and Korean children of mixed race. A nation that has endured centuries of invasions from China and Japan, South Korea has long had a national goal of...

Saudi Arabia's Succession Plan Roils Middle East

June 29, 2017
Saudi Arabia – along with Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt – abruptly broke off diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, then followed that up with an ultimatum and a 10-day deadline to respond. The first of 13 unreasonable demands targets Iran, Saudi Arabia’s key rival in the region by urging Qatar to...
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