Some international NGOs promote universal norms and values while others advance the interests of governments. Is it possible to create space for one kind without the other?
Foreign Agents
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China
Putin Ensuring Authoritarian Governance With an Orderly Political Succession
Like Singapore’s recently deceased Lee Kuan Yew and China’s Deng Xiaoping, Vladimir Putin is establishing a political succession that ensures continuity for his brand of authoritarianism.
Humanity’s War on Wildlife
One day not so very long from now our children may think of the T. rex and the tiger as co-occupants of a single Lost World
Is China a Threat? The Devil’s in the Details
It turns out that that a large-scale conflict in the Asia-Pacific is much more difficult to imagine than China hawks like to pretend.
Submarines, Long Thought the Solution to Sea Warfare, Suddenly Look Dated
Recent technological advances in detection may rob submarines of their stealth.
A New Global Development Bank in Town
The new BRICS bank could rival the IMF or fall flat on its face. Either way, it’s a sign of shifting global power and influence.
Our Savior, Iran
Despite resistance on the parts of both countries, détente between Iran and the United States is preordained.
Why the U.S.-China Climate Deal Is Bad News for Climate Activists
The world’s two biggest polluters shouldn’t be setting the terms for global climate talks.
Why 2014 Wasn’t So Terrible
Three reasons to be (a little) cheerful about the state of the world last year.
So Much for China’s Military Reticence
China’s policies of non-intervention and no first use of its nuclear weapons may be changing.