BERLIN/MUMBAI–The announcement last week that India was entering into exclusive negotiations with Dassault for its Rafale fighter jet represents a major coup for the French defense contractor and for Nicolas Sarkozy. The embattled French president was evidently relieved by the prospect of the Rafale’s first ever foreign sale in a deal worth over US$10 billion, [...]

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Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Turkey laid to rest any lingering doubts about the vibrancy of the country’s electoral democracy. But one-party rule does not necessarily equate to weakening democracy and can often be a welcome formula for consensus-building, economic success, and political stability.

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CHISINAU/KIEV/TBILISI—Western politicians and policymakers were already looking overwhelmed before the nuclear catastrophe in Japan and the upheavals across the Middle East hit them. Why on earth should they bother with Eastern Europe now, that forlorn and troubled backwater arcing from Belarus to the Caucasus? The forces pulling and tugging at the West today are indeed [...]

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RICHMOND, Va.—I grew up in northern Japan, and in the 15 years I lived there, earthquakes were a part of everyday life. We had earthquake drills all the time; and we also had the real thing, regular tremors of varying strength and impact. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing 30-foot tsunami on March 11 were the [...]

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WASHINGTON – In preparing to host the November 11-12 G20 Summit in Seoul, the South Korean government has worked to win support for a “global financial safety net,” a rapid response to future global economic crises. Part of Seoul’s vision is greater cooperation in the face of crises between the International Monetary Fund, regional pools [...]

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WASHINGTON — What ever happened to China’s “peaceful rise”?  It is certainly true that the emergence of other great powers in history was not peaceful.  But China promised to be different.  According to its leaders and many foreign experts, China’s internal development would hinge on its support for a stable world order underpinned by the [...]

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WASHINGTON — The recent central bankers’ conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, highlighted yet again that there exist yawning transatlantic differences in perspective on the global economic challenge ahead and, more important, what to do about it. This policy debate, with Europeans urging fiscal austerity and Americans promoting continued economic stimulus, has been a sore point [...]

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WASHINGTON – Ten months ago the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) ended six decades of near-unbroken rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), ushering in a new political era.  But on July 11, elections for Japan’s upper house rolled back DPJ gains and produced yet another divided government, seemingly dashing hopes for effective reform.  A [...]

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BEIJING – After a rough start to the year, last week’s U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue — the mammoth biannual consultation led by Secretaries Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner — capped off a three-month period that has returned the Sino-U.S. relationship to a state of fragile equilibrium.   Strategic mistrust remains pervasive, as the continued [...]

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BEIJING – The 798 Art District, a trendy artists’ neighborhood on Beijing’s outskirts, far removed from the resplendence of the Great Wall and Forbidden City, offers visitors some curious insights into contemporary China.   In the middle of a central plaza, an installation depicts a lone swordsman defending himself against an encircling pack of large, [...]

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