The conflict between IDF forces and Hamas in Gaza is now well into its second week with no immediate end in sight. Last weekend we offered our own take on the situation, and today fellow AI blogger Adam Garfinkle chimes in. Here’s his take on Israel’s strategic dilemma: Everyone who really understands the underlying strategic realities of the […]

The Diplomat interviewed Joe Nye, who served in various intelligence and defense roles back in the Clinton years. Nye says: China’s ability to get what it wants through attraction and persuasion rests on a number of factors: its culture (witness the Confucius Institutes it promotes); its values (particularly a successful growth model); and its foreign […]

Somehow, Detroit always manages to find new forms of self-sabotage, even as it’s set to run out of funds before the end of the year. The state government has promised to send the city $30 million in installments over the next few months, but only if Detroit agrees to take steps to get its finances in […]

A huge solar energy project in North Africa, intended to transmit electricity to Europe, is now in serious jeopardy. Germany’s Spiegel reports on Desertec’s imminent demise: The project has failed to break ground on a single power plant. Spain recently balked at signing a declaration of intent to connect high-voltage lines between Morocco and the […]

The Syrian Opposition got a boost from the UK today: William Hague announced that Downing Street recognizes the opposition council as the “sole legitimate representative” of the Syrian people and a “credible” alternative to the Assad regime. The BBC has the story: In a statement to Parliament, Mr Hague said the Syrian opposition would be […]

As we pointed out yesterday, Moody’s downgrade of France was notable for its singling out of France’s structural problems and weak reform efforts as a cause for concern rather than the broader eurozone climate the country finds itself in.Today, Paris pushed back, with finance minister Pierre Moscovici claiming the downgrade was mostly due to “the […]

About this time last year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was preparing for an imminent S&P downgrade of his country’s credit rating from its cherished AAA status. Under President Hollande, the story is the same, only this time it’s Moody’s that has downgraded France from AAA to AA1, with warnings that it may fall further if France […]

In another indication that the UK is steadily drifting away from the EU, 56 percent of British citizens polled said they would vote to leave the European Union, and only 28 percent held a positive opinion of the institution.  The Guardian: About 68% of Conservative voters want to leave the EU, against 24% who want to […]

Strange things are afoot at the ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh.First, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a statement on behalf of all ten ASEAN nations that the group would not “internationalize” disputes over island and ocean territory. Cambodia is a staunch ally of China, and this statement was seen as a victory for China’s attempts […]

When the New York Times is good, it is really good, and it has been all over the online higher ed story like white on rice. Today it has yet another illuminating piece on how massive open online courses (MOOCs) are transforming higher-ed.Professors face a host of challenges in adapting to the new platform: devising teaching methods appropriate for […]