Americans have warned Europe for years that cuts in defense spending were turning the great European states of old into military lightweights lacking the resources for even basic military tasks. Europeans scoffed at America’s defense obsession, rejoiced in their soft power, and kept on merrily cutting their budgets.That policy is coming back to haunt them. The […]

This isn’t how Team Obama drew up its reelection plans. Teacher unions were supposed to be coming out in force against big bad Republicans like Scott Walker, in battleground states like Wisconsin, where the campaign could sell a narrative of Koch-funded extremism to a fearful voting public. But now the teachers are striking in deep-blue […]

Asia’s rise is enormously important to America and to the world, but that doesn’t mean that Asia’s economies will soon loom over the US. On one side, American innovation in both energy and high-tech manufacturing will keep the American economy vital for years to come, and on the other, there are good reasons to question the sustainability of […]

The anniversary of September 11, 2001, with all its remembrances and commemorative exhibits, seems like a fitting time to examine the intricate relationship between contemporary art and politics. Is art supposed to deal with politics? If it doesn’t, should it be forced to? Or is art, in any form, a political activity? There are at […]

In his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president, Mitt Romney vowed to take a hard line in dealing with Russia. “Under my administration,” he said, “our friends will see more loyalty, and Mr. Putin will see a little less flexibility and more backbone.” Earlier in the campaign, Romney had cited Russia as “our number […]

Last week we asked why Keynesian policies haven’t worked in China, despite nearly ideal conditions for such a stimulus. A new post by Minxin Pei at The Diplomat may have answers.As Pei notes, China’s growth numbers actually did look rather good during the worldwide recession, due in large part to stimulus efforts. But these positive […]

Temporary tattoos and microchips in the bloodstream that broadcast medical information:  are these the future of medicine? A story at the NY Times “Bits” blog suggests we might not be far away from such revolutionized healthcare: Later this year, a Boston-based company called MC10 will offer the first of several “stretchable electronics” products that can be put on things […]

China’s next president has disappeared. The blogosphere is erupting with rumors and speculation about why the presumtive leader of the world’s most populous country can’t be found just weeks before he is set to assume the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The FT reports: Over the past week Mr Xi has cancelled at least four […]

Today’s Wall Street Journal has good news from the solar industry. Following major scandals from 2011, the solar industry is set for a record year in 2012, with an estimated 2,500 megawatts of power projected for installation.This must be good news for Obama, right? Not exactly. Although solar installations are indeed way up this year, the […]

Less than a month into the school year, the Chicago Teachers Union has launched a strike after failing to reach an agreement with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over salaries, job security and performance evaluations: City officials said that negotiations had resumed Monday and that two issues remained unresolved: the fate of laid-off teachers and whether they […]