Reflections from news and commentary of the day
 |
| Sponsored by Oxford University Press |
|
 |
 The Myth of the CaliphateThe Political History of an Idea By Nick Danforth
Western
pundits and nostalgic Muslim thinkers alike have built up a narrative
of the caliphate as an enduring institution, central to Islam and
Islamic thought between the seventh and twentieth centuries. In fact,
the caliphate is a political or religious idea whose relevance...http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142379/nick-danforth/the-myth-of-the-caliphate?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-the_myth_of_the_caliphate_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 China ScoresAnd What the United States Should Do Next By Matthew Goodman and Ely Ratner
Nearly
two centuries after it lost its traditional place at the center of
Asian affairs, Beijing has begun giving shape and substance to its
renewed leadership on the regional stage.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142384/matthew-goodman-and-ely-ratner/china-scores?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-china_scores_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Ferguson from AfarHow the World Sees the Protests By Mary L. Dudziak
As
the turmoil in Ferguson unfolds, questions about the United States'
commitment to human rights are once more headlining news coverage around
the world. That should not be surprising. American racial inequality
regularly dominated foreign news coverage during the 1950s and...http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141929/mary-l-dudziak/ferguson-from-afar?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-ferguson_from_afar_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Zombie AbenomicsJapan's Missing Economic Revival By Richard Katz
Abe’s
economic revival is hardly going as planned. A consumption tax hike
that he introduced in April triggered a recession over the following six
months, prompting him to announce the delay of a second planned hike
and to vow to dissolve the Japanese parliament.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142382/richard-katz/zombie-abenomics?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-zombie_abenomics_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 March on MexicoEnrique Peña Nieto's Challenge—And Opportunity By Ralph H. Espach
The
Peña Nieto government seems to be facing its worst crisis yet, one
likely to persist as police clash with a small minority of protestors
who attack property, set fires, and throw Molotov cocktails. The breadth
of the public outrage, however, is uncertain, and the movement...http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142385/ralph-h-espach/march-on-mexico?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-march_on_mexico_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Long View on IranThe Real Work Will Start After the Nuclear Deal Is Signed By Peter D. Feaver and Eric Lorber
As
the deadline for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran is pushed once
again, observers remain focused on the agreement itself. But the signing
would be just the first step on a long road toward ensuring that any
accord actually survives. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142386/peter-d-feaver-and-eric-lorber/long-view-on-iran?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-long_view_on_iran_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Culture WarThe Case Against Repatriating Museum Artifacts By James Cuno
Over
the last few decades, governments have increasingly sought to reclaim
indigenous artifacts from museums abroad. Yet inappropriate calls for
repatriation should be resisted. Encyclopedic museums do more than house
artifacts; they also spread cosmopolitan ideas.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142185/james-cuno/culture-war?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-culture_war_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 The Real Cost of EbolaLetter From Monrovia By Javier Alvarez
The
Liberian government and international organizations have been most
focused on containing Ebola, as they should be. The containment
policies, however, have come with unintended economic consequences that
need to be addressed to avert an even worse crisis.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/features/letters-from/the-real-cost-of-ebola?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-the_real_cost_of_ebola_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 The War That Didn't End All WarsWhat Started in 1914 -- and Why It Lasted So Long By Lawrence D. Freedman
A
hundred years after World War I, new accounts of the drama help readers
navigate the intricacies of European politics and the political and
diplomatic maneuverings that kicked off the war. Yet there is still no
consensus on its origins or lessons.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142259/lawrence-d-freedman/the-war-that-didnt-end-all-wars?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-the_war_that_didnt_end_all_war_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Hidden AssetsHow Countries Can Capitalize on Public Wealth By Dag Detter and Stefan Fölster
Most
governments know much about their debt but little about their assets.
If central governments managed their assets better, they could generate
annual returns of roughly $3 trillion—more than the world’s yearly
investment in infrastructure including transportation, power,...http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142398/dag-detter-and-stefan-foelster/hidden-assets?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-hidden_assets_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 Misrule of the FewHow the Oligarchs Ruined Greece By Pavlos Eleftheriadis
Since
the early 1990s, a handful of oligarchs has dominated Greece’s economy
and politics. So long as these elites have a vested interest in keeping
things as they are, the country will never fully find its way out of
crisis.http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/142196/pavlos-eleftheriadis/misrule-of-the-few?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-misrule_of_the_few_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
 A Republican Foreign PolicyBy Chuck Hagel
Chuck
Hagel just stepped down as secretary of defense. In this 2004 essay,
Hagel lays out his views on U.S. foreign policy. He explains that "a
wise foreign policy recognizes that U.S. leadership is determined as
much by our commitment to principle as by our exercise of power."http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59921/chuck-hagel/a-republican-foreign-policy?cid=nlc-foreign_affairs_this_week-112714-a_republican_foreign_policy_5-112714&sp_mid=47506904&sp_rid=bWljaGVsZXRrZWFybmV5QGdtYWlsLmNvbQS2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elections Offer Little Solace to Sri Lanka’s Poor
Amantha Perera
Priyantha Wakvitta is used to seeing his adopted city, Colombo,
transform into a landscape of bright sparkling lights and window
dressing towards the end of the year.
This year, he says, he is having a double dose of visual stimulation,
with publicity materials for the January Presidential ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Indigenous Community Beats Drought and Malnutrition in Honduras
Thelma Mejía
In the heart of the Pijol mountains in the northern Honduran province of
Yoro, the Tolupan indigenous community of Pueblo Nuevo has a lot to
celebrate: famine is no longer a problem for them, and their youngest
children were rescued from the grip of child malnutrition.
The Tolupan indigenous ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Democratising the Fight against Malnutrition
Geneviève Lavoie-Mathieu
There is a new dimension to the issue of malnutrition – governments,
civil society and the private sector have started to come together
around a common nutrition agenda.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World
Health Organization (WHO), the launch of the “Zero ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
OPINION: All Family Planning Should Be Voluntary, Safe and Fully Informed
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
The tragic deaths and injuries of women following sterilisation in the
Indian state of Chhattisgarh have sparked global media coverage and
public concern and outrage.
Now we must ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again.
Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. Credit: UNFPA
The women underwent ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Shale Oil Threatens the High Prices Enjoyed by OPEC
Humberto Márquez
Shale fever and the political chess among major oil producers and
consumers have put OPEC in one of the most difficult junctures in its 54
years of history.
“OPEC was spoiled for several years by high prices of around 100 dollars
a barrel,” Elie Habalián, a former Venezuelan OPEC (Organisation ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Women on the Edge of Land and Life
Manipadma Jena
November is the cruelest month for landless families in the Indian
Sundarbans, the largest single block of tidal mangrove forest in the
world lying primarily in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
There is little agricultural wage-work to be found, and the village
moneylender’s loan remains ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Filipino Farmers Protest Government Research on Genetically Modified Rice
Diana Mendoza
Jon Sarmiento, a farmer in the Cavite province in southern Manila,
plants a variety of fruits and vegetables, but his main crop, rice, is
under threat. He claims that approval by the Philippine government of
the genetically modified ‘golden rice’ that is fortified with
beta-carotene, which the body ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Civil Society Freedoms Merit Role in Post-2015 Development Agenda
Mandeep S.Tiwana
Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, an
advocacy NGO, is facing criminal charges for sending a tweet that said:
“many Bahrain men who joined terrorism and ISIS have come from the
security institutions and those institutions were the first ideological
incubator”.
Yara ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Nuclear Weapons as Bargaining Chips in Global Politics
Thalif Deen
Has the world reached a stage where nuclear weapons may be used as
bargaining chips in international politics?
So it seems, judging by the North Korean threat last week to conduct
another nuclear test - if and when the 193-member U.N. General Assembly
adopts a resolution aimed at referring the ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Jewellery Industry Takes Steps to Eliminate “Conflict Gold”
Carey L. Biron
Major U.S. jewellery companies and retailers have started to take
substantive steps to eliminate the presence of “conflict gold” from
their supply chains, according to the results of a year-long
investigation published Monday.
Rights advocates, backed by the United Nations, have been warning for ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Gated Communities on the Water Aggravate Flooding in Argentina
Fabiana Frayssinet
The construction of gated communities on wetlands and floodplains in
Greater Buenos Aires has modified fragile ecosystems and water cycles
and has aggravated flooding, especially in poor surrounding
neighourhoods.
In the 1990s a high-end property boom led to the construction of private
...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Pakistan’s Paraplegics Learning to Stand on their Own Feet
Ashfaq Yusufzai
When a stray bullet fired by Taliban militants became lodged in her
spine last August, 22-year-old Shakira Bibi gave up all hopes of ever
leading a normal life.
Though her family rushed her to the Hayatabad Medical Complex in
Peshawar, capital city of Pakistan’s northern-most Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Down With Sustainable Development! Long Live Convivial Degrowth!
Justin Hyatt
For anyone who recently attended the Fourth International Conference on
Degrowth in Leipzig, Germany, listening in on conference talk,
surrounded by the ecologically savvy, one quickly noticed that no one
was singing the praises of sustainable development.
Nonetheless, development per se and all ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Refugees Between a Legal Rock and a Hard Place in Lebanon
Oriol Andrés Gallart
Staring at the floor, Hassan, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee from Idlib in
northwestern Syria, holds a set of identification papers in his hands.
He picks out a small pink piece of paper with a few words on it stating
that he must obtain a work contract, otherwise his residency visa will
not be ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
Will Myanmar’s ‘Triple Transition’ Help Eradicate Crushing Poverty?
Amantha Perera
Myanmar is never out of the news for long. This has been the case since a
popular uprising challenged military rule in 1988. For over two
decades, the country was featured in mainstream media primarily as one
unable to cope with its own internal contradictions, a nation crippled
by ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
AIDS Is No. 1 Killer of African Teenagers
Sam Olukoya
Two years ago, Shola* was kicked out of the family house in Abeokuta, in
southwestern Nigeria, after testing HIV-positive at age 13. He was
living with his father, his stepmother and their seven children.
“The stepmother insisted that Shola must go because he is likely to
infect her children,” ...
MORE >
>
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Brazil’s Petrobas Scandal Forces Rousseff’s Hand on CorruptionBy: Sean Goforth | Briefing
With a corruption investigation of
state-owned oil company Petrobras, the ground is shifting for Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff. Arrests for kickbacks on contracts underscore
the close and crooked ties between Petrobras and the political coalition
that has governed Brazil for the past 12 years.
Mongolia Shuffles PMs to Address Self-Inflicted Economic CrisisBy: The Editors | Trend Lines
Last week Mongolia’s parliament appointed
Chimed Saikhanbileg prime minister, two weeks after Norov Altankhuyag
lost a no-confidence vote. In an email interview, Julian Dierkes,
associate professor at the University of British Columbia, discussed
Mongolian politics.
European Commission President Likely to Survive Lux Leaks ScandalBy: Maria Savel | Trend Lines
European Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker is in hot water over the Lux Leaks scandal—the publication of
documents exposing how international firms avoided paying billions of
dollars in taxes while maintaining only a token presence in Luxembourg.
In South Sudan, U.N. Peacekeepers’ Biggest Challenge: Staying NeutralBy: Aditi Gorur | Briefing
Protecting civilians from violence in
South Sudan’s civil war rests in large part on U.N. peacekeepers, who to
do so must be perceived as neutral. An upcoming Security Council
resolution on the peacekeeping mission’s mandate could expand its writ,
but also threaten its much-needed neutrality.
China, South Korea Conclude FTA as Regional Deals StallBy: The Editors | Trend Lines
Earlier this month, China and South Korea
reached a free trade agreement (FTA). In an email interview, Tony Nash,
global vice president of Delta Economics, discussed the implications of
the China-South Korea FTA.
Obama Faces Nothing but Problems in Finding Hagel ReplacementBy: Nikolas Gvosdev | Column
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel
apparently drew the short straw and emerged as the first sacrificial
victim dispatched by President Barack Obama after the dismal midterms.
Obama must locate a new defense secretary who can be part of his inner
circle rather than being held at arm’s length.
|
