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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...

Tangled Threads of Protectionism – Part I

May 3, 2005
One of the textile industry's oldest problems is again under focus: how to adjust in the face of changing technology, tastes, and economic fundamentals. Politicians are calling, not surprisingly, for a populist solution – protect jobs by raising walls against imports. In a three-part series...

Vietnam – Globalized Party-State

March 14, 2019
Vietnam emerged as a winner, benefiting from global media attention after a second summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States ended in failure. “Vietnam has clawed its way toward more capitalism and a market system despite communist rule,” writes author Börje Ljunggren, former...

Environmental Contamination in Romania

July 31, 2018
The old saying “What goes around comes around” has applications for industrial waste. Companies may evade responsibility, but the consequences of contamination caused by waste linger for society. Raluca Besliu describes how a chemical plant in Turda, Romania, transformed over the course of the 20th...

In Search of the Real Indo-Pacific

June 14, 2018
Global powers express renewed interest in the Indo-Pacific, and intentions are divided over strategies that could counter China or entice Chinese participation. The Indo-Pacific region dominated discussions at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, even more so than the summit between leaders of...

China and Saudi Arabia Converge on Pakistan

March 7, 2019
Pakistan received substantial US military and financial aid since 2001, and the Trump administration canceled those payments in 2018, with the president suggesting that the country doesn't "do anything for us." Pakistan still has support from China, an ally since 1962, and Saudi...

The Kyrgyz Presidential Elections: Peaceful Transfer With 5 Caveats

October 12, 2017
Voters in Kyrgyzstan head to the polls to elect a new president on October 15, a historical event for Central Asia as the first peaceful transfer of power since 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved and the five nations gained independence. ”Yet, this is not a story about democracy on the rise,”...

Question Mark Over TPP

September 14, 2016
The outlook for the Tans-Pacific Partnership appears bleak with only a few months remaining for the Obama administration. Trade has been vilified in the US presidential campaign. “Given the lofty rhetoric and expectations surrounding the 12-nation trade pact, its increasingly perilous path to...
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