RSS

Henry A. Kissinger, former US national security adviser | July 4, 2008 Conventional wisdom which treated President Medvedev as a mere continuation of Putin is oversimplified. ++ We are witnessing one of the most promising periods in Russian history. ++ The new Russian government with two centers of power may mark the beginning of an evolution toward a form of checks and balances. ++ Geopolitical realities with respect to nuclear ...More

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General | July 4, 2008 Climate change and economic “stagflation” threaten the very future of our planet. ++ The only way to solve these challenges is to act globally. ++ Essentially, to resolve the food crisis, export restrictions need to be lifted and a second “green revolution,” - what once transformed Southeast Asia - needs to take place. ++ Climate change ...More

Yi Yan, Yi Gu & Lao Lin , China View | July 4, 2008 The Dalai Lama seems to be more interested in fanning up international pressure on China than in talking seriously with the central government. ++ However, after the Olympics, his influence in the West will probably fade. ++ His concept of "high-level" or "maximum" autonomy cannot possibly be accommodated within the Chinese Constitution as it would mean the ...More

Andrew J. Bacevich, Boston University | July 4, 2008 Few will mourn the end of the Bush Administration, yet many fail to realize that his legacy has long-term implications. ++ Beside operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush has managed to shift the path of America’s foreign policy. ++ Defining an “age of terror” with a “global war” as a response, promulgating preemptive war, and ...More

Numan Al Faddagh, The Wall Street Journal | July 4, 2008 Despite the West’s fear and loathing of America’s perceived overdrawn and poorly executed military initiatives in Iraq, the nation’s expats across the Middle East are singing a different, more optimistic tune. ++ Artists and businessmen alike are looking forward to the day they can return to their homes in hopes of a peaceful era. ++ However, ...More

Martin Winter, Sueddeutsche Zeitung I July 3, 2008 Besides a Europe of markets, trade, and economic liberalization the French President Nicolas Sarkozy calls for a "protective Europe." ++ With this, he intends to assuage the discontent of people who feel abandonned by the EU in the face of globalization. ++ Sarkozy's policy style forces the EU to wake up from its political lethargy. ++ ...More

Simon Jenkins, The Guardian | July 3, 2008 Since the first use of sanctions against Italy in 1935, suspending trade with corrupt regimes has proven to make the poor poorer and the evil richer. ++ Even with supposed success, sanctions were either accompanied by other internal problems (South Africa) or imposed upon a cooperative government (England). ++ In contrast, sanctions against regimes such as ...More

G. Bunn, Stanford University & J. B. Rhinelander | July 3, 2008 July 1 marked the 40th anniversary of the NPT which provided an opportunity to reexamine its current and future role. ++ Nuclear nonproliferation movement is at a crossroads. ++ It is crucial that the next US president calls for deep cuts in nuclear weapons around the world at the start of his administration in January 2009. ++ He should also appoint a ...More

Martin Arnold, Financial Times | July 3, 2008 Though Africa still accounts for only a fraction of the global private equity market, the spread of stable democracy and rapid economic evolution make it increasingly attractive for US and European investors. ++ Private capital flow into sub-Saharan Africa increased fourfold since 2000, a trend reflected by Kingdom Zephyr’s recent decision to put $325m ...More

April Rabkin, NY Times | July 3, 2008 Despite China’s plummeting international rapport, its leaders have already declared the Olympics a victory. ++ Fearing domestic turmoil, Chinese political leaders have turned the event into a consumerable good, with which they may prove their “mandate of heaven.” ++ Movies, pop-music, and even school cirricula have been heavily censored and ...More