In the News | Older
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In the NewsApril 13, 2013When the world changedThe EconomistLater this month Christian Caryl, a veteran foreign correspondent now based in Washington, will publish a timely new book, “Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century”. In it he argues that 1979 belongs to the select club of real turning-points: years in which one era ended and another was born. |
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In the NewsApril 2, 2013Amateur hourStephen M. WaltForeign PolicyUnited States has lofty global ambitions, and its leaders still like to describe the country as the "leader of the free world," the "indispensable nation," and various other self-congratulatory labels. Yet it doesn’t always marry these ambitions to a set of policies and practices that would help it achieve them. Case in point: the well-sourced rumor that the Obama administration is about to appoint Caroline Kennedy to serve as our next ambassador to Japan. The obvious question: Is this an appointment that demonstrates a serious engagement with the complex problems the United States is now facing in Asia? |
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In the NewsMarch 6, 2013The democracy boondoggle in IraqChristian CarylForeign PolicyThe U.S. spent billions promoting democracy in Iraq. Now the official verdict is in: It was all for nothing. |
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In the NewsFebruary 7, 2013Lifting of sanctions will take a few yearsAbbas MalekiPanorama.amAn interview of Irdiplomacy.ir with Dr. Abbas Maleki, a former Iranian deputy foreign minister. |
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In the NewsNovember 2, 2012How civil wars evolveFotini ChristiaMIT NewsMIT political scientist’s book shows how even the bloodiest conflicts feature pragmatic alliances — not just ancient sectarian divisions. |
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In the NewsOctober 17, 2012Where the Arab spring has not yet sprungChristian CarylForeign PolicyThe spirit of rebellion continues to simmer in the Middle East and North Africa. But you won’t see much about it in the headlines. |
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In the NewsOctober 3, 2012An idealist on death rowChristian CarylForeign PolicyWhy the desperate fate of a little-known Sudanese human rights activists poses some fundamental questions about what it means to be human. |
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In the NewsSeptember 14, 2012Violence and protests in the Muslim worldFotini ChristiaMIT NewsThe world has been roiled by violence in North Africa and the Middle East in recent days. The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed in an attack this week, while violent protests were launched in many countries following the release of a video insulting the Prophet Muhammad on the Internet. MIT political scientist Fotini Christia, who studies multiethnic conflict in rebuilding nations, talked to MIT News about this complex and fluid situation. |
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In the NewsSeptember 12, 2012The Salafi momentChristian CarylForeign PolicyAs the death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya demonstrates, the ultraconservative Salafi movement is pushing to the forefront in the politics of the Middle East. The West should be careful how it reacts. |
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In the NewsJune 5, 2012GOP whining on military spending cutsBenjamin FriedmanCato InstituteCato daily podcast featuring Benjamin Friedman. |
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In the NewsMay 1, 2012What might an India-Pakistan war look like?By Christopher ClaryToward the end of his presidency, Bill Clinton argued that Kashmir, the territory disputed by India and Pakistan, was 'the most dangerous place in the world.'1 Clinton's second term saw India and Pakistan undergo reciprocal tests of nuclear weapons in 1998, followed in 1999 by the Kargil war, the first conflict between nuclear weapons states since the Ussuri River clashes between the Soviet Union and China in 1969. |
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In the NewsMarch 30, 2012The lady's leap of faithChristian CarylForeign PolicyWhy Aung San Suu Kyi's decision to participate in a flawed election could be the biggest gamble of her career. |
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In the NewsNovember 2, 2011How cutting Pentagon spending will fix US defense strategyBenjamin FriedmanForeign AffairsAusterity is the best possible auditor. |
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In the NewsOctober 20, 2011Chappell Lawson on border securityPeter DizikesMIT NewsWith national security and immigration prominent as political issues, border control is a perennial topic of debate in the United States — especially as the presidential campaign heats up. What are the chief border-security issues now facing the country? |
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In the NewsOctober 20, 2011Get ready to starveChristian CarylForeign PolicyThe West was just gearing up to send food to a hungry North Korea. Then came the death of Kim Jong Il. |
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In the NewsOctober 18, 2011Two African women won Nobel Peace Prizes, but the continent still has a long way to go to gender equalityJackee Budesta BatandaBoston GlobeLess than a year ago, women helped lead the reform movements that swept across Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia. But now that those uprisings have succeeded, and the world's attention has shifted elsewhere, women are once again being shoved aside. |
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In the NewsOctober 18, 2011North-South Korea talks in US serious, but civilHarry R. WeberAssociated PressNorth and South Korean representatives holding informal talks in the U.S. are sitting together at meals, sharing laughs and even breaking out together in song. But long-standing disputes still cropped up Tuesday on Day 2 of the summit at the University of Georgia. |
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In the NewsOctober 4, 2011China's response to a rising IndiaErin FriedNBRStrategic Asia 2011–12: Asia Responds to Its Rising Powers—China and India is the eleventh volume in the Strategic Asia series and explores how key Asian states and regions are responding to the rise of China and India. NBR spoke with M. Taylor Fravel, Strategic Asia contributing author, National Asia Research Associate, and associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who argues that China views India’s rise as a largely positive development that promotes China’s own interests and objectives more than it threatens or challenges them. |
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In the NewsOctober 3, 2011Museveni's grip on UgandaJackee Budesta BatandaBoston GlobeDon Innocent Wanyama, an editor with the Ugandan newspaper, Daily Monitor, wrote on Facebook, “I had never paid attention to who Vincent Nzaramba was. But our gov’t, as usual, makes me take note. I have just downloaded a copy of his book - which has caused security agents to detain him. Surely, with our poor reading culture why detain someone for writing a book? The regime should worry more about someone who sings. . .’’ |
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In the NewsSeptember 26, 2011A weakened AhmadinejadJim WalshCNNSome of the stereotypes of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fall short of the mark, says Jim Walsh. |