Global Viewpoint
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Mario Monti is working through Italy's debt crisis. Is the US watching?
Italy may find Prime Minister Mario Monti's dose of discipline hard to swallow, but his depoliticized democracy is the only form of government that can move Italy forward. Monti's experiment may also serve as an antidote to the political dysfunction in the West – especially the US.
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Brzezinski: Can democracies thrive with financial systems that are out of control?
In an interview, Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of America’s leading strategists, discusses shifting global power, looking at China, Europe, Turkey, Russia, the US, and the Arab Spring.
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Rise of the dragon: China isn't censoring the Internet. It's making it work.
Beijing recently strengthened Internet regulations, particularly on the popular microblogging site Weibo. Critics warn that more government monitoring and self-censorship by hosting companies further violates freedom of expression. The reality is far more complicated.
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Turkey and Iran carve up a ruptured Arab world
Many analysts say the Middle East is the focus of a geopolitical power struggle between the United States and Iran. That misses the primary thread of events – namely, the ongoing soft partition of the Arab republics between Turkey and Iran, with Turkey the stronger power.
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Euro crisis and Germany: Is this 'indispensable' nation to be feared, or welcomed?
The euro crisis revives 'the German question.' Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had deep qualms about German reunification, predicting the country would dominate Europe. Today, Poland's foreign minister worries Germany is not leading strongly enough. Both are right.
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Eurozone crisis: A Polish answer to the 'German question'
Days ahead of a key summit to solve the European debt crisis, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski bluntly spelled out six reasons why Germany – more than any other country – owes its fellow European Union members solidarity in holding the eurozone together.
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Will China become the next major global power? Depends on its rural development.
Economic geography has created two Chinas: the prosperous coast and the undeveloped interior. China's future depends on whether it can reconcile this gap between the haves and have-nots. The city-province of Chongqing provides a model for equitable urbanization.
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Why you should love your city more than your country
Patriotism applies to countries, while 'civicism' applies to cities – where more than half the world's population lives. As the world urbanizes, a new class of global cities is competing for the affection of residents and tourists. There are several reasons to welcome this development.
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Fukushima fallout: time to quit nuclear power altogether
Experience in northern Japan illustrates that even incremental investment in nuclear power threatens human civilization. The Fukushima disaster should once and for all drive global society away from nuclear power, and toward renewable energy.
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Who are the biggest losers and winners coming out of the Arab Spring?
The biggest loser, hands down, is Israel, followed closely by the United States. Iran is third. But there are also clear winners – and winning opportunities still for the US and Israel, if they adjust.
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How to overthrow Iran's regime without war or sanctions
Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, warns that military intervention and economic sanctions only strengthen Iran’s regime, whose grip on power depends on maintaining a crisis. He offers 14 ways to hasten democratization in Islamic countries.
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Henry Kissinger: G20 work is 'essential.' Alternative is 'dangerous outcome.'
In an interview, Henry Kissinger discusses China, a shifting world order, Europe, and the G20 meeting in Cannes.
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G7 led by US can't drive the world economy anymore. G20 must step up.
As developed economies deal with debt and emerging economies like China ramp up, the G20 must spearhead coordinated, complementary policies to navigate the choppy waters ahead, especially for Europe. Austerity alone won't do the trick.
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With Qaddafi dead, Libya must repay its backers with a 'peace dividend,' not favors
Now that Qaddafi is dead and Sirte is captured, Libyans can repay those countries who helped in his ouster not through kickbacks or development contracts, but by establishing a stable, democratic, economically open future for Libya. That's the real 'peace dividend.'
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China's political system is more flexible than US democracy
Many people believe the Western democracy is superior to a one-party system because the rotation of political power gives government the flexibility to make needed policy changes. But China’s one-party system has proven over time to be remarkably adaptable to changing times.
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Brazil’s lessons for indebted Europe
Some European nations' debt will have to be forgiven to resume growth. Those responsible for the financial turmoil must pay, rather than the poor. And Europe must unify its fiscal policy.
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Time has come for a 'United States of Europe' – that includes Turkey
Either Europe develops into a political union or it moves backward as a continent of nation-states that have neither political nor economic clout – surpassed by China and other emerging nations.
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China can meet US, Europe where their interests converge
The promoter of China's 'peaceful rise' argues that China needs a new approach in its relations with the United States and Europe. Beijing should build on common interests, such as investment in each other's countries, stability in global hot spots, and climate change.
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As elections loom, Egypt must unify
The Army and government in Egypt must chart a clear road map for the months ahead. And speaking of a road map, a renewed effort must be made to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on pre-1967 borders.
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Mahmoud Abbas: 'Of whom should I be afraid?'
In an interview, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas discusses the Palestinian bid for statehood recognition at the UN; peaceful opposition to Israel; relations with Syria, Turkey, and Iran; Obama's words vs. actions; and his willingness to return to negotiations.
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