In the heady days of 2008, starry-eyed pundits predicted that the election of Barack Obama would lead to a complete rehabilitation of America’s image in the world. President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, less than a year into his first term, reinforced this narrative.Three plus years later, that shiny new president smell is gone, and the […]

Myanmar continues to reap rewards from its gradual transition toward democracy—and away from dependence on China. Earlier this month, the U.S. announced it would lift some of the many sanctions it had placed on Myanmar over the past two decades. Today, the BBC reported that the EU is planning to go even further. A meeting […]

As America goes post-blue, the shape of American workplace is changing dramatically. Thursday’s Wall Street Journal has a story on the latest trend in post-office environments—hotel lobbies: More consultants, bloggers and other creative non-office types are latching on to the comfy chairs, free Wi-Fi and other amenities to be found in chic new urban hotels. […]

North Korea’s recent attempt at testing a long-range missile may have ended in embarrassment, but India has been been more fortunate. On Thursday, India tested a long-range, nuclear-capable missile with the ability to hit major Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. According to AJC the test was a success, and New Delhi is now […]

It’s the middle of spring, and while the Republicans have finally settled on their nominee to challenge President Obama, the general election campaign has yet to truly heat up. The Phony War, however, has begun, and strategists from both parties are poring over demographic data to determine where to allocate resources and how to shape […]

Education reform ideas are a dime a dozen these days. Yet few of them have been more exciting or had more potential than online education, which promises to make education both cheaper and more accessible to students. Programs like MITx have already begun to offer courses by some of the nation’s leading professors in math […]

Are American and European sanctions on Iran’s oil industry working too well? That’s the conclusion reached by the Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES). The widely-respected think-tank estimates Iran will earn $56 billion in oil revenue this year, it’s third-highest level ever. In line with estimates from other analysts, the CGES predicts Iran’s oil export volume […]

Welfare schemes in corrupt countries rarely operate as advertised. Politicians steal money meant to go to the poor, or divert it to party supporters. But one program seems to be working in Pakistan, and that’s very good news. From the AP: The Benazir Income Support Programme is modeled on similar efforts in Africa and South […]

Over and over again, Team Obama promised that green industries would create millions of jobs after he took office. His administration earmarked billions of dollars for investment in “clean” industry. But no matter how you define a “green” job, the numbers are falling far short of millions of jobs, to say the least. Reuters reports: The […]

The Egyptian liberals who played a big part in the insurrection that toppled Hosni Mubarak now find themselves marginalized, pushed into a minor role in parliament and reluctantly withdrawing from the electoral commission.A similar situation has befallen Syria’s liberal, mostly peaceful protesters, who led last summer’s protest marches but have since been sidelined by the […]