World Apr 14 An anxious Japan awaits Obama visit TOKYO -- In diplomacy, as in musical theater or opera, words go only so far before the music takes over. That proposition will be put to the test again when President Obama visits Japan later this month on a mission…
World Mar 20 Commentary: Ukraine crisis signals our 25-year break from history is over A new Cold War is not upon us. Probably the only country that could afford one is China, and even it has some regime-threatening problems at home, such as the air its citizens breathe every minute, that require some very…
World Feb 18 For NAFTA, half a happy birthday Last fall, while teaching at Hong Kong Baptist University, I had a small encounter that spoke to a larger story of changes brewing in global economics and politics.
World Jan 31 Thailand at the brink When I was in Thailand a year ago, the streets and glitzy shopping malls were crammed with tourists, including tens of thousands of Chinese escaping their country's crowds and pollution for a more exotic Asian New Year holiday. What a…
World Jan 20 Poco progress in Mexico drug war If any one place symbolizes the continuing frustration facing the Mexican government dealing with drug gangs, it is Michoacan, a western state of 4.3 million, which might have suffered as many as 1,000 homicides in the past year.
Politics May 08 Lugar’s Loss Follows ‘Curse’ of Senate’s Foreign Policy Committee From Oct. 1, 1986, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., is seen after a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting about Nicaragua with Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I. Photo by Cynthia Johnson//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images. Call it the curse of the chair of the…
World May 11 House Intel Chair: No Evidence Senior Pakistani Officials Knew bin Laden’s Whereabouts The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that thus far, he has seen no evidence that senior Pakistani officials knew of or abetted Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad. Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and former…
World May 03 Canada’s Political Shuffle Brings Majority Government Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images) Canada might be heading for more polarized American-style politics after Monday's national election. The ruling Conservatives finally have a majority in parliament after five years of minority governments. Prime Minister Stephen…
World Feb 25 Crucial Irish Vote in Busted Economy Could Bring Major Change Irish opposition leader Enda Kenny (Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images) On Friday, Irish voters have a chance to punish the government so many of them blame for the country's massive economic woes. And they are expected to do so with a vengeance.
World Feb 15 Early Takes on Egypt’s Revolution It used to take decades for academics to sort out revolutions. For instance, Crane Brinton's still-revered (if not always correctly read) "Anatomy of a Revolution" was first published 20 years after the Russian Revolution and centuries after the French and…