The Eurozone’s tumultuous struggle to extricate itself from its sovereign debt crisis has dominated international headlines since 2009. However, only recently has any substantive progress been made by policymakers. The combination of the European Central Bank becoming the effective lender of last resort for Eurozone members through its new bond-buying program, and the German Constitutional … Read more
On July 22, 2011, a car bomb detonated in central Oslo, killing eight people and injuring an additional 209. That same day, the island Utøya was hosting a youth summer camp for the Norwegian Labor Party. A few hours after the bombing, a man posing as a police officer opened fire on the camp’s participants, … Read more
Last year, President Obama announced the ‘Pacific Pivot,’ a rebalancing of American international emphasis away from Europe and the Middle East and toward East Asia. In declaring this new foreign policy doctrine, President Obama addressed the Australian Parliament and revealed the deployment of an additional 2,500 U.S. troops in Australia. This symbolic measure established the … Read more
A casual observer of the Syrian uprising could be excused for viewing the conflict as a battle between good and evil. The narrative that dominates Western media coverage certainly paints the struggle as a black and white contest between freedom-lovers and bloodthirsty authoritarians. But in reality, this ethnic quarrel should be described only in a smear … Read more
Jordan is one of the world’s most unique polities. In the most volatile region on Earth, the nation stands out as a country with a largely neutral foreign policy and strikingly moderate leadership. King Abdullah II maintains control of his country despite the wave of leaders overthrown during the Arab Spring. He does not rule … Read more
A fervent abolitionist and cutting-edge feminist, John Stuart Mill was among 19th century Britain’s least bigoted intellectuals. Through his utilitarian lens, he examined, and defended, the welfare of all races, nationalities, and creeds. He sallied against popular claims that blacks were naturally inferior to whites, and advanced a deeply moralistic foreign policy in an era … Read more
Following the recent firestorm of anti-American protests in the Middle East and the provocative remarks made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the UN General Assembly, the discussion regarding the U.S. relationship with Israel is back in the spotlight. The Romney campaign accuses the Obama administration of being soft-liners with regards to U.S. defense of … Read more
At first glance, the prospective new Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, seems to be a nightmarish version of Mitt Romney. With a net worth of $6.4 billion, he is the richest man in the entire country, and ranks 153rd on Forbes’ billionaires list. His estates house his exotic animal collections, which include zebras, kangaroos, … Read more
And they are those who are afraid of little girls? They seem, fittingly to dislike education and enlightenment. They claim to be following the commands of God, Who commands us to seek learning! That is one command they blithely ignore. Kishwar Naheed, Pakistani Poet The shooting of Malala Yousufzai, a young student activist and blogger … Read more
Foreign Policy is out with a superb online special feature titled “Who Won the Great Recession?”, featuring a diverse cast of eleven pieces with such esteemed bylines as Slavoj Zizek, Joseph Nye, and Tyler Cowen. And while there’s no shortage of soft-power indulgence in the lineup (McDonald’s; Hollywood; Cheapskates, Pessimists & Food Trucks), where the … Read more