Beijing Impasse — The Washington Post provides a comprehensive look at the challenge China’s economic slowdown is presenting to Communist Party leaders seemingly unsure how to proceed. “Unlike in past slowdowns, Chinese …
Syria
The Six-Day War: Photos from a Short, Bloody Conflict
The war fought 45 years ago from June 5-10 helped bolster Israel’s legend of military invincibility but it also left a legacy of displacement and bitterness that unsettles the region to this day
Must-Reads From Around the World, May 31, 2012
A Dissident Speaks – In an op-ed in The New York Times, Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who is in New York after escaping house imprisonment in China’s eastern Shandong province and fleeing to the U.S. embassy in Beijing, …
U.S. Frustration on Iran and Syria Puts New Cards in Russia’s Hands
Russia’s help will be crucial for President Barack Obama in addressing the crisis in Syria and the Iran nuclear standoff, but President Vladimir Putin is playing hard to get. Since resuming the presidency three weeks ago after a …
Must-Reads From Around the World: May 30, 2012
Suu Kyi’s World Tour – Armed with her passport and the freedom to travel without restrictions or fear, Burmese opposition leader and iconic democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi embarked on her first international trip in 24 years, …
Must-Reads From Around the World, May 29, 2012
A Polarized Polity – In a significant development that squarely pits the Muslim Brotherhood against Egypt’s old guard, results of the first round of polling in the country’s presidential race reveal that next month’s runoff …
Must-Reads From Around the World, May 28, 2012
Syrian Massacre – The U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemned Bashar al-Assad’s government for its use of tanks and artillery against civilians during Friday’s Houla massacre that left at least 108 villagers dead. …
G-8 or G-Zero? Why the West No Longer Sets the Global Agenda
The spectacle of some of the most powerful leaders in the world gathering at Camp David on Friday for the G-8 summit and then for this weekend’s NATO anniversary in Chicago won’t disguise the fact that things seem to be gradually …
Damascus Blasts: Are Terrorists the Wild Card in Syria’s Power Struggle?
The twin suicide car bombings that reportedly killed 55 people and wounded 372 in Damascus on Thursday prompted a familiar set of responses: state television blamed unspecified “terrorists” for the atrocity, in keeping with its …
Twin Blasts Kill More Than 50 in Damascus
According to state television, two bombs exploded in the Syrian capital of Damascus on May 10, killing more than 50 people and injuring some 372 people. The blasts—the deadliest since the revolt against the rule of Bashar Assad …
Syria: Is This an Arab Spring or a Balkan Winter?
Special envoy Kofi Annan told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that his struggling peace plan is the last hope to prevent Syria from plunging into an all-out civil war. But the reason his cease-fire and political-dialogue …
Power Struggles in Baghdad and Beyond Mean Opportunities for Iraq’s Kurds
The thriving Kurdish mini-state in northern Iraq is a monument to the ability of the nationalist Kurdish-Iraqi leadership to parlay the conflict between more powerful geopolitical forces around them to maximum advantage. And the …
In Syria, Lebanon’s Most Wanted Sunni Terrorist Blows Himself Up
Lebanese terror leader Abdel Ghani Jawhar detonated himself accidentally in Syria, raising questions about the kind of company the rebels are keeping