All Articles
China's Search for Glam Power
China has an image problem and an influence deficit. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government has already taken coordinated steps to raise China’s profile on the world stage.
The World's New Powder Keg
The international community as a whole has an interest in ensuring that Caspian oil continues to flow, and Azerbaijan’s stability is central to that aim. The abeyance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, for example, because of an avoidable regional conflict would wreak havoc on a global energy market already under tremendous pressure. Hillary Clinton ought to pay several more visits to the region in the near future to ensure that Armenia and Azerbaijan’s glacial peace process quickens its pace.
Solutions for Darfur: Can We Diverge Politics from Justice?
If we are to seek an effective international solution, we need the cooperation of states. And although these states have different political agendas, it is only through their agreement that we can create a more effective solution for the crimes in Darfur.
Pakistan and the U.S.'s Long Painful Breakup
NATO took a step away from Pakistan was taken when it reached an independent deal with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan to open a transport route to ship military equipment out of Afghanistan. Circumventing Pakistan may very well become the norm in the region as the US, hopefully, begins a bona fide search for a new regional partner.
Why Drone Warfare is So Controversial
They must recognize that while the President may be able to ponder who to kill miles away, the rest of the world does not believe that America legitimately has this power. And they must recognize that while drones continue to kill almost daily—a senior al Qaeda leader, Abu Yahya al-Libi was just killed yesterday—and have killed up to 3,000 people since their inception, many in the Middle East may just decide that it is time to fight back.
P5 + 1 Meetings Accomplish Little
The discursive frameworks that the P5+1 talks are predicated on do not bode well for future negotiations. The West is a veritable echo chamber of calls for regime change in Iran and its actions to date demonstrate that it does not consider Iran an equal partner.
Run Off for Morsi, Shafiq Doesn't Keep Promise of Egyptian Revolution
It is ironic that the two leading candidates elected by the first free and fair elections brought about by the January 25th Revolution do not resemble the ideals of the revolution.
All Eyes on India
The world is seeing the beginning of an Asian arms race with global implications. India could have chosen to test this missile anytime, but it appears that India is trying to reflect its emergence onto the world stage and show everyone that its strength is equal to that of its neighbor — not necessarily competing with China — but proving itself.
Syrian National Council, Revolution in Exile
The SNC, which claims to be leading the uprising from outside Syria, is battling between leading an opposition movement against Assad’s authoritarian grip and gaining credibility among its civilian population and the Western world.
Syria's YouTube Revolution
Today we are able to sit with our laptops and tablets and watch the horrors of a regime slaughtering its own people. But despicable as this inaction is, posting filmed clips on YouTube has become one of the only viable means for the Syrian people to call out for help.
Saverin to Singapore Highlights U.S. Tax Code
The problem lies instead in a tax code that is ill-equipped to combat today’s highly mobile capital caused by technological advances. Instead of being put to work through domestic reinvestment, capital is stockpiled overseas. Furthermore, tax competition both between states and globally continues to drive tax rates downwards and exacerbates the problem of insufficient revenue.
Briefing: Egypt
Just a little over a year has passed since the outset of the massive uprisings that shook Egypt and deposed one of the longest-ruling Middle Eastern leaders in modern history, and they are quickly passing from the realm of current events into history.
Stuffed Democracy
Offset against grey skies and the black uniform of an average Istanbulite bundled against the cold, the bright yellow and turquoise banners of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) bring a hint of the Arab Spring to Taksim Square.
Divided by Definition
Perhaps the most critical and least acknowledged impediment to the negotiation of a conflict is the manipulation of language. No peace process can come to fruition when representatives from conflicting parties are embroiled in debates on semantics, yet individuals in both government and media inevitably employ strategic language at various stages in the process.
Disputin
In Russia’s parliamentary elections on December 4, 2011, United Russia – the party of President-turned-Prime Minister-turned-current-President Vladimir Putin – won the majority of seats in the Duma, the Russian Parliament, amid cries (and video evidence) of widespread election fraud.
Dire Straits
Currently, the world’s geostrategic center is shifting northward, and few of us are paying attention.
PRC’s Grip over China’s Wild West
In the beginning of October 1949, the bloody Chinese Civil War was nearing its end, and Mao Zedong had proudly declared the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). With the Nationalists defeated, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could now focus on its aims on fully reuniting the country and instituting socialism. The disastrous effects of the latter aim are well-known.
Terror on Trial
This week marked the beginning of the trial of Anders Breivik, charged with the killing of 77 people in a bombing and shooting spree last July in Norway.
Underground Economy And Wasted Potential
Imagine a world in which up to one half of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was not taxed. Imagine capitalist investors and heads of companies escaping the long-handed reach of state coffers, thereby avoiding their due contribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to the very citizenry that helped create their wealth to begin with.