This is a link to the presentation I gave to a plenary panel “The Clash of Cultures and American Hegemony” (this wasn’t my title) at the American Political Science Association annual meeting in Philadelphia on Sept. 1.  Sam Huntington was supposed to be on the panel but was not able to participate; other panelists were […]

While people have focused on the difficulty of building democracy in the Middle East, they should not assume its gains are consolidated elsewhere in the world. Asia was the model for how rising incomes and a growing middle class would support democratic consolidation, but Thailand’s Sept. 19 military coup shows how stable democracy needs more […]

While people have focused on the difficulty of building democracy in the Middle East, they should not assume its gains are consolidated elsewhere in the world. Asia was the model for how rising incomes and a growing middle class would support democratic consolidation, but Thailand’s Sept. 19 military coup shows how stable democracy needs more […]

Shinzo Abe’s election as leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) this past week and his imminent installation as Junichiro Koizumi’s successor as prime minister is something Americans should look forward to with mixed feelings. Koizumi was a mold-breaking leader, bringing the Japanese economy out of the doldrums, reforming the postal savings system, and smashing […]

Shinzo Abe’s election as leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) this past week and his imminent installation as Junichiro Koizumi’s successor as prime minister is something Americans should look forward to with mixed feelings. Koizumi was a mold-breaking leader, bringing the Japanese economy out of the doldrums, reforming the postal savings system, and smashing […]

At the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, taking place this weekend in Singapore, a major row has emerged between the Bank’s president, Paul Wolfowitz, and Hilary Benn, Tony Blair’s minister heading the British Department for International Development. Wolfowitz has made fighting developing-world corruption the centerpiece of his presidency of the Bank, and […]

At the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, taking place this weekend in Singapore, a major row has emerged between the Bank’s president, Paul Wolfowitz, and Hilary Benn, Tony Blair’s minister heading the British Department for International Development. Wolfowitz has made fighting developing-world corruption the centerpiece of his presidency of the Bank, and […]

1. “Terrorism” is the wrong term to describe the problem we face. Terrorism is a tactic used by the weak; we are not fighting the tactic but a group of violent Islamists and insurgents. It makes no sense to lump together someone willing to fly a plane into a skyscraper in New York with an […]

1. “Terrorism” is the wrong term to describe the problem we face. Terrorism is a tactic used by the weak; we are not fighting the tactic but a group of violent Islamists and insurgents. It makes no sense to lump together someone willing to fly a plane into a skyscraper in New York with an […]

What is it that leaders like Iran’s Ahmedinejad, Hezbollah’s Nasrullah, and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez have in common that vastly increases their local appeal? Anti-Americanism and an aggressive foreign policy are of course components. But what has really allowed them to win elections and cement their support is their ability to promise, and to a certain […]