Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao spoke optimistically about China’s flagging economy during his annual address to the National People’s Congress. Wen outlined extensive measures to enable continued economic growth. In anticipation of new investments Asian markets moved higher on Wednesday, but the Premier did not specify any spending beyond previous commitments. China’s leaders have long […]
Foreign ministers at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreed to resume high-level relations with Russia during a meeting today in Brussels. NATO severed normal ties with Russia following the country’s invasion of Georgia (an aspiring NATO member) last summer. Moscow subsequently recognized the independence of two breakaway regions – Abkhazia and South Ossetia – […]
Source: BBC Is the conflict over Kashmir hindering India’s rise? Is an unstable Pakistan, with its religious, regional and political cleavages, likewise a threat to India’s rise? Is American foreign policy exacerbating tensions in South Asia with its concentration on Al Qaeda, the Taliban and Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan? In The New Yorker ’s […]
In a massive PR effort, the Chinese government held an online chat session for the public. China is home to the largest population of Internet users on earth. Premier Wen Jiabao was the representative of the government, and appeared to many analysts as if he were running for election. Indeed perhaps he was taking some […]
In a move representative of Vice President Biden’s call to “press the reset button” on American-Russian relations, President Obama sent a letter to Russian President Medvedev seeking stronger cooperation on halting Iran’s nuclear program. The letter, hand-delivered in Moscow three weeks ago by top US officials, raises the possibility of stopping the deployment of a […]
“Already the world’s preeminent energy and trade interstate seaway, the Indian Ocean will matter even more as India and China enter into a dynamic great-power rivalry in these waters,” writes Robert Kaplan, a correspondent for The Atlantic and senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. Appearing in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, […]
One way for an aspiring power to avoid the hard work of building a formidable economic base upon which to base future military power is to acquire nuclear weapons. Although not easy, this constitutes a fairly cheap way to become a major regional, if not a global, power in spite of one’s pygmy status in […]
On Sunday, Chinese authorties reported that the Chang’e-1 space probe made a successful and planned crash landing on the Moon. This is the first time any Chinese spacecraft has touched the Moon. China’s Xinhua state-controlled news service explains that the Chang’e probes are part of an extended mission aimed at eventually sending recoverable and manned missions to the Moon. Xinhua reports:
One of the historic strengths of the U.S. economy has been its flexibility. Dust bowl migrants relocated to Michigan for auto jobs in the thirties. Hiring and firing has been less fraught with regulation in the U.S. than in other countries. Labor mobility has helped buoy U.S. productivity growth in years past. Rapid adjustment could […]
Recent events have shown Iran’s rising clout in the Middle East. Despite its economic losses stemming from reduced oil prices and increased international sanctions, Iran has been posturing itself for an increased regional role for quite some time. The controversial and firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been outspoken in his challenges to the West, his […]
This week, the Council on Foreign Relations released an interesting backgrounder on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The report discusses ASEAN’s relevance in the region’s politics and security. “Now experts say the group may pursue a bigger role in the region to help its members cope with the global financial crisis. As the downturn […]
Five weeks since taking office, President Barack Obama’s policies towards rising powers remain somewhat unclear. The new face of the United States can be seen in Obama’s campaign promises, his rhetoric and initial actions, the makeup of his foreign policy and national security teams, his Cabinet members’ confirmation hearings, Vice President Biden’s speech in Munich […]
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