The standoff between a Filipino warship and two Chinese surveillance vessels began over disputed fishing rights in a part of the South China Sea, where both countries claim sovereignty, but much more than seafood is at stake for the PRC. China wants to dominate the territory, but strong-arming its smaller neighbors drives them straight toward Uncle Sam.China’s […]

Today’s welcome respite to the Syrian conflict represents a rare moment of calm, but the Obama Administration’s approach to the ongoing conflict has been one of the most muddled aspects of its foreign policy to date. Last March, President Obama controversially bypassed Congress to intervene in Libya on humanitarian grounds, where America had few, if […]

More baby steps toward reconciliation for India and Pakistan: Today India’s top diplomat offered to talk to Islamabad about Kashmir, the most contentious issue between the two countries. Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told the WSJ that India “would be happy” to reopen talks on the disputed territory, which both countries claim in its entirety. […]

A sobering report from the IMF finds that the U.S. government may be underestimating the life expectancy of its aging population by as much as three years. This means Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which are already buckling under the strain of the Boomers’ looming retirements, are even closer than we thought to collapse if […]

Despite all the talk that we are in an era of unprecedented political polarization, there are some issues where bipartisanship is making a comeback, especially at the state level, where strained budgets are creating a pragmatism that hasn’t reached the federal level yet. This is most clearly seen in the Midwest and the Northeast, where […]

Cracks are appearing in Iran’s high political circles that could threaten its stance in nuclear negotiations. Until now, Iran’s leadership has sought to put aside its differences and present a unified front when discussing the nuclear program with the West. This may no longer be the case.The WSJ has the story: Iran’s foreign minister, Ali […]

For years, one of the few stereotypes acceptable in polite company was that of the ignorant American Christian. Obama’s “bitter clingers” comments were only the tip of the iceberg. Below the water line, newsrooms and lecture halls around the country are rife with complaints about the backwards religious Americans in the heartland who add to […]

The Economist points out that the current policy being pushed on the Eurozone’s weaker periphery states is wrongheaded and particularly dangerous. The main premise? If Spain and Italy find they can’t escape the crisis by behaving, then they may see if they can’t escape the crisis by misbehaving.In other words, Spain and Italy are not […]

Earlier this week, Dilma Rousseff made the same trip that several thousand Brazilians have become addicted to: a trip to the United States. Unlike Rousseff, most of those Brazilians are on a historically unique shopping spree. Even with the U.S. dollar growing a bit more expensive in the last few weeks, for ordinary Brazilian citizens […]

Regular readers know we have been closely following the Bo Xilai saga and its impact on the Chinese Communist Party. Having already been fired as mayor of Chongqing, Bo has now been suspended from the Politburo, the second most powerful body in China. To add further intrigue to an already charged atmosphere, Bo’s wife has been […]