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Patrick Smith, The Fiscal Times | September 26, 2012 The United States' new endeavor in Asia comes across as a collection of incoherent contradictions. ++ The US wishes closer ties with China at the same time presidential candidates castigate Chinese trade policies. ++ The US claims the American 'pivot' isn't aimed at China even as the US forges defense ties ringing the Chinese mainland. ++ The US is trying to ...More

Friedrich Merz, Atlantik-Brücke (Article in German) | September 25, 2012 No matter who the next US president is, Europe and the US must work together. ++ The Arab Spring will reveal new conflicts that threaten that region's stability. ++ America and Europe must work as partners on the economic front, especially the mutual recognition of technical standards. ++ Europe should prepare itself for when the US is self-sufficient in oil ...More

Louis Klarevas, Foreign Policy | September 21, 2012 The incident that has left four Americans including the US Ambassador to Libya dead has been labeled by the White House as a "terrorist attack". ++ The only problem is that according to the statutory definition of terrorism for an attack to be considered an act of terrorism it must be premeditated. ++ The agency tasked to determine this, the NCTC, has admitted ...More

David Ignatius, Washington Post | September 20, 2012 Following the Rose Revolution and the 2004 Georgian presidential elections, Mikheil Saakashvili is known for his bold stance against Russian hegemony in the region. ++ But today, he is getting attention of a different kind. ++ His government is being charged for its suppression of political challengers at home. ++ The recent cyber attack allegations appear to ...More

Dominique Moisi, IFRI | September 19, 2012 The conflict in Syria looks very much like the Spanish Civil War. ++ Russia and Iran continue to standby Assad's regime while democracies are reluctant in supporting the opposition. ++ Similar to Spain in the 1930s, established democracies were hesitant in supporting the Spanish Republic at the time Franco's rebellion was supported by fascist Italy and Germany. ...More

Patrick Jenkins, Financial Times | September 18, 2012 China’s second largest bank, China Construction Bank, wants to buy $15.8b worth of assets in a European bank. ++ With the rapid growth of the Chinese economy, their initiative makes sense, but the differences in management cultures could be a problem. ++ CCB’s worthwhile options seem to be in the UK, Germany and France with part-nationalized banks ...More

John Quiggin, The National Interest | September 17, 2012 Obama's reelection success will be due to Euopean Central Bank President Mario Draghi. ++ Greece's exit from the eurozone or the collapse of the ESM would have really hurt the EU and US economy, thus giving Romney leverage to win over his opponent. ++ Draghi committed the ECB to unlimited purchases of government bonds, which will stabilize the debt enough to ...More

David Milne, International Affairs | September 2012 Obama's foreign policy and the one that Romney promises are not too far off from one another. Both men are results-oriented pragmatists, emphasizing achieving results over pursuing agendas. Yet, according to David Milne, where they differ most concerns the foundations to their foreign policy approaches. Obama attacks the dogma behind the policies of the Bush ...More

M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times | September 14, 2012 Both Russia and China abhor the Salafist attack on the US embassy in Libya and both resent intervention to force "regime change". ++ Yet, while China's remarks lacked empathy, Russia showed solidarity so as to probe for new thinking in Washington. ++ Russia offers itself as a potential ally because it wants to be taken on equal footing. ++ Putin intends to ...More

The Economist | September 13, 2012 The assassination of the US ambassador to Libya fits the pattern of a series of attacks carried out by Salafists and directed toward Westerners and other Muslim sects. ++ Although Libya has lingering security problems and local militias are still able to ignore the decree of the central government, the country's revolution and the foreign intervention in it ...More