U.S. Looks to Maintain Security Cooperation Reflections on the death of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi are as mixed as his legacy. The former rebel leader helped end the communist “Red Terror” of Mengistu Haile Mariam, but dealt harshly with his own political opponents. He played leading roles in stabilizing Somalia and Sudan, but could […]

U.S. Warns Against “Divide-and-Conquer” approach China is lashing out at accusations that it’s blocking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from settling rival territorial claims in the South China Sea. According to Beijing, ASEAN’s failure to agree on a code of conduct over the maritime dispute was caused by Western “meddling” designed to “smear China’s […]

Foreign Minister Natalegawa Out Front in Regional Mediation Indonesia is distinguishing itself as a voice of moderation and mediation in the troubled waters of the South China Sea. Even as the rival territorial claims over the sea was splitting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia last month, Indonesia refused to quit acting as […]

 U.S. investors cautioned to take care International economic sanctions have been eased and American businesses are leading the charge to set up shop in Burma. But the Obama administration wants the business leaders to consider more than just making money as a more open Burma risks exposing more of its population to human trafficking and […]

Hanoi and Manila Take Different Approaches Vietnam and the Philippines are both angry at what they see as Chinese bullying in the South China Sea, but Hanoi and Manila are taking different approaches to the standoff over rival maritime claims. Vietnam is strengthening military ties with the United States, India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, and Russia, […]

China is setting up shop on a tiny island in the South China Sea, deploying troops and civilian administrators in a move that is raising tensions in the region and seriously annoying Vietnam and the Philippines. The move comes on the heels of a conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) earlier this […]

  Maneuverings at ASEAN over South China Sea Dispute Leaves Hard Feelings China scored a diplomatic win this past week when foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations failed to agree on a unified approach to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. But Beijing’s win wasn’t unqualified. The fervor of the […]

  The Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball’s National League are one of the world’s oldest and most unfortunate sports teams. Born the Chicago White Stockings in 1870, they were back-to-back American baseball champions in 1907 and 1908. But they haven’t won the championship since. They haven’t even been to the World Series since 1945. […]

Prosecution of Traffickers in Puntland Draws Praise Failure is no stranger in Somalia. From warlords Ali Mahdi Mohamed and Mohamed Farrah Aidid to the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, a generation of chaos followed the 1991 ouster of Major General Mohamed Siad Barre. Despite the sacrifices of African Union peacekeepers backing a Transitional Federal Government, Somalia […]