Why Democrats Are Obsessed with Russia
The issue of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has intensified an already deep and bitter partisan divide. Democrats and the broader progressive community argue that a hostile nation worked to defeat Hillary Clinton and install a president that Moscow could influen…
The World Bank Needs to Return to Its Mission
The World Bank declares that its mission is to end extreme poverty within a generation and to boost shared prosperity. These goals are universally agreed as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. But the World Bank lacks an SDG strategy, and now it is turning to Wall Street to please its politic…
Israel’s ‘air strikes’ in Sinai show its growing Arab ties
Over the weekend the New York Times carried a fascinating scoop. Under the headline “Secret Alliance: Israel Carries Out Airstrikes in Egypt, With Cairo’s O.K.” its correspondent, David D. Kirkpatrick provided details of a remarkable and highly secret military relationship. “For more than two years,…
The One Phone Call Qatar Desperately Wants Donald Trump to Make
Top officials from the tiny, embattled Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar came to Washington this week with a simple message to President Donald Trump: You can solve the regional crisis that has seen it blockaded by all their neighbors with a single phone call. “The sooner, the better, the phone call,” s…
Commentary: For euro reforms, growth is the enemy
Europe’s currency union – not so long ago on its sickbed – has started the year in rude health. The winning streak looks set to continue since economic confidence in the euro area is at its highest for almost two decades, but it will have an unwelcome side-effect. The more the euro zone economy thri…
Want to Strike North Korea? It’s Not Going to Go the Way You Think.
For the bulk of my professional career, I’ve been studying maybe the most difficult and dangerous question in American foreign policy: how to handle a North Korea armed with nuclear weapons. During five of those years, my job at the Department of Defense was anything but academic. I was at the cente…
Four reasons why corruption matters
More than a trillion dollars are stolen from the world’s poorest countries every year, which is such a vast sum that it is hard to visualise. That amount of money would get you Apple, with enough left over to buy every sterling-denominated note or coin in circulation. To count out a trillion dollars…
The Two Camps Illusion
In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia has become more assertive. It first imposed a total blockade on Yemen, despite claims that this would lead to widespread famine. (It most recently announced that it would allow some humanitarian aid supplies.) It unseated the prime minister of Lebanon, presumably becaus…
EU sets date for next wave of enlargement
The EU is preparing to pledge a 2025 deadline for the next wave of enlargement, but Balkans disputes could hold things back. “The Western Balkans partners now have a historic window of opportunity. For the first time, their accession perspective has a best-case timeframe,” the commission is to say i…
These Are The Top 10 Risks to the World in 2018
Markets are soaring, but divisions are deepening among citizens of both developed and developing countries. Liberal democracy currently has less legitimacy than at any time since World War II, and the global order is unraveling. There has been plenty of turmoil in international politics over the pas…