As the United States and other Western countries continue to suspend sanctions against Myanmar, multinationals are lining up for the chance to invest in the one-time pariah. In this article for Bloomberg Businessweek, Joshua Kurlantzick argues that this gold rush is "wildly premature."
Joshua Kurlantzick reviews King Bhumibhol Adulyadej: A Life's Work and examines how, in Thailand and elsewhere, royal reverence has hampered democracy.
Ed Husain says Europe needs to foster a greater sense of multiculturalism. In the United States, immigrants are accepted; in most of Europe, they are just tolerated.
On the eve of President Obama's historic trip to Myanmar, Joshua Kurlantzick argues that the economic and political changes underway in that country—though substantial—may not be as secure as many Burmese reformers and outside observers think.
Bibi Aisha's gruesome maiming put her on the cover of Time. Now, years later, she's working on getting a new face and trying to exorcise the horror, restart her life—and reunite with family, says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon.
The September 11 killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other Americans during an attack by an angry mob on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi has concentrated the world's attention on the problems of post-Qaddafi Libya.
Authors: Héctor Aguilar Camín and Jorge G. Castañeda
Mexico has long been hostage to unchallengeable traditions: its nationalist approach to oil wealth, overly sensitive attitude toward sovereignty, entrenched labor monopolies, persistent corruption, and self-serving bureaucracy.
Jerome A. Cohen says that while Bo Xilai and Chen Kegui "hail from opposite ends of China's political, economic and social hierarchies, they now have much in common, including the determination of the authorities to punish them for political reasons."
Isobel Coleman writes that despite persistent challenges to security and unity, Libya has weathered the year since Qaddafi's death better than many expected.
The presidential candidates generally agree on support for democracy and human rights in Arab states, but have differed on several policy particulars, such as military intervention in Libya and Syria.
Reza Aslan says the question isn't whether Islam promotes democracy, but rather do Muslims promote democracy, remarking that there are some who do and some who don't, as is the case with followers of every religious tradition on earth."
Isobel Coleman writes about the mixed record that quotas for women's political participation in the Middle East have had, but notes that at least quotas ensure that women's perspectives are represented in government.
A new Freedom House report highlights that a lack of substantive institutional reform, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, has left states struggling to maintain democratic achievements.
Ed Husain considers how recent protests in the Middle East reflect the challenges facing Arab societies in the aftermath of decades of authoritarian leadership.
For more on what the United States and others can do to foster open, prosperous, and stable societies, visit CSM&D.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.