Syria has been mired in deadly strife since March 2011 and the outlook for resolving what is now a full blown civil war looks increasingly dire. The worst case outcome for Syria is one whereby the country fragments and becomes a failed state in which the Damascus government no longer controls its own territory. Under such a scenario, the glue holding the country together comes unstuck.
Asked by Georgia Ossorguine, from Grace Church School
Yingluck Shinawatra was elected prime minister of Thailand in July 2011. She has so far achieved the most important thing in Thailand today, which is preserving a fragile peace between different interest groups and political sides.
Asked by Charlotte Stafford, from Columbia University
The United States restored official relations with Somalia in January 2013 after years of civil unrest there, reflecting an increasingly stable Somali political environment. Better relations with Somalia, however, have little to do with the decrease in piracy, and the drop in offshore piracy cannot be attributed to Somali government efforts.
Jerome A. Cohen says, "Beijing's pending prosecution of deposed Politburo member Bo Xilai and the recent murder conviction of his wife, Gu Kailai , have again brought China's criminal justice system to world attention."
Elizabeth C. Economy says corruption and the failure to develop rule of law in China now define much of the country's political and economic life. With Xi Jinping poised to take over, the focus should be on significant political reform.
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."
Ray Takeyh argues, "The United States will make genuine progress with Iran only when moderate leaders assume greater control of the state. An interim accord may provide time, but that time must be used to broaden the contours of Iran's political system."
Authors: Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen South China Morning Post
Jerome A. Cohen and Yu-Jie Chen argue that legal safeguards remain inadequate for Taiwanese suspected of a crime on the mainland despite hopes of reform to allow greater security for detainees
Jerome A. Cohen says China's unfair criminal justice system makes a harsh sentence all but certain for Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai who is charged with murdering a British businessman.
Jerome A. Cohen asks, "As China's Communist Party elite prepare to select the country's leadership for the coming decade, to what extent does concern for the rule of law affect their deliberations?"
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner head to Beijing for the annual Security and Economic Dialogue, the U.S.-China relationship faces diplomatic tension over the status of activist Chen Guangcheng, China's currency, China's leadership transition, and other issues. CFR's Jerome Cohen, an expert on law and business in China, discusses the U.S. relationship with China and the implications of these tensions.
Politician Bo Xilai's sudden fall from grace unmasks long-discussed corruption within the political ranks and undermines a smooth leadership transition for the Communist Party, says CFR's Elizabeth Economy.
Jerome A. Cohen looks at various types of incommunicado detention in China, and discusses what Bo Xilai could face under "shuanggui," a widely feared internal disciplinary action that is outside the reach of Chinese law.
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.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
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.
Two experts argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country's economy. More
