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Open Think Tank Articles
Christiane Doerner: China has arrived in Namibia and with it a new form of colonialism has unfolded. Its effect on Namibia’s domestic industry as well as its employment rate is discernibly negative.
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From the Editorial Team: “The received wisdom is that President Bush has been a foreign policy disaster, and that America is threatened by the rise of Asia. Both claims are wrong — Bush has successfully rolled back jihadism, and the US will benefit from Asian growth.”
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Matthew Yglesias: US relationships with EU countries have been marred not only by our disastrous military engagements but also by a lack of actual diplomacy from the Bush administration. A return to the hallmarks of a liberal society coupled with the simple measure of common courtesy would go a long way.
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Sonja Davidovic: Unable to satisfy the energy demand of its heavy industry, which is further augmented by the rising consumption of the emerging middle class, China had to turn to international markets in search for oil and gas assets.
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Wolfgang Nowak: America is no longer up to shouldering the world’s crises. But who is going to take its place? And how do the new global powers imagine the future world order? Foresight, a project of the Alfred Herrhausen Society, asks thinkers and policy makers from the emerging and existing powers for their thoughts and proposals.
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Anna Wojnilko: Institutions for global governance must become more balanced; the United States and the European Union cannot continue to carry the onus of global decision-making on their own. The emerging economic powers must be given more say in multilateral organizations and also take on more international responsibility.
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Joseph S. Nye: If the US wants to remain powerful, strong ties to the world’s emerging powers are crucial. Improved relations between the US and India could provide the basis for China’s international integration.
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Philip Gordon: China does not want to jeopardize its energy deals with Tehran which are essential for its economic development. But this is a short-sighted perspective which overlooks the risks the Iranian nuclear program represents for China itself. It is time for China to think strategically about Iran.
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Anna Wojnilko: Changing economic and political realities are forcing the G8 to rethink its goals, mandate, and membership. The debate on the shape of a potential G8 reform divides the political world. Should the G8 be enlarged to include new major international players or contracted to ensure effectiveness? We invite you to vote.
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XXX: This article has been removed from the website in accordance with the author’s request.
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Michael T. Klare: When the Cold War ended, it was generally assumed that the US would henceforth enjoy unchallenged preponderance. But today, military superiority no longer constitutes the decisive determinant of global paramountcy: energy has acquired unexpectedly vast significance.
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Andrew D. Bishop: As it becomes - supposedly - obvious that China might one day “rule the world,” it’s urgent we take a look at the facts behind the fears, and reassess our expectations.
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Natalia Ruban : Those who support a boycott of the Beijing Olympics overlook that limiting relations with China to the question of Tibet will not improve the human rights situation. The worsening of Western-Chinese relations endangers economic growth, and progress on global issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, Darfur and climate change.
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Susan Aaronson: Much more than a marriage of convenience, America and other industrialized nations, should examine their trade policies to see how it might encourage and ultimately form a coherent union with human rights abroad.
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Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger: Values and interests should not be opposed. The fact that the West and China follow different regulatory political concepts should not prevent cooperation. We should be humble enough to deal with undemocratic states without fearing to be untrue to our convictions.
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Jackson Janes: The common threats which Europe and the United States are facing call for immediate collaborative action. Given the interconnectedness of the world today, it is important to apply the lessons learned through transatlantic successes to other regions as well.
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CBS: In an exclusive interview with Lesley Stahl for “60 Minutes,” the head of China’s new sovereign wealth fund, Gao Xiqing, pledges more transparency to allay fears that China will try to use its vast investment ability to exert economic or political control in the United States.
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Florian Kuhne: China is caught in the question how to behave in preparation of the Olympic Games in summer.
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Parag Khanna: The new world order won’t include American hegemony. “Second world” nations will be the geopolitical battlefield, as the US fights for a balance with China and the EU.
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Robert Zoellick: The president of the World Bank expresses his concern regarding the German focus on bilateral aid programs in an interview with Rüdiger Lentz, head of the Deutsche Welle studio in Washington and executive director USA of the Atlantic Initiative.
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Dr. Dimitrios Argirakos: Angela Merkel subordinates German international relations to US geopolitical objectives, something that Bismarck and Adenauer would not understand.
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Katharina Gnath: I laud the ongoing Heiligendamm Process as an important step in involving emerging countries in global economic governance. Five months after the summit, there are still challenges to be met, and the two-year Process is only the first stage in increasing cooperation with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico.
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Eckart von Klaeden: India has become a new global player. The broadening and deepening of relations with Western powers such as Germany and the United States in recent years has been welcomed in Berlin and Washington.
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Henrik Schmiegelow: I warn that Asia is building pillars to support a future international order. Reacting to the functional integration and regional community-building led by ASEAN and the big three—China, Japan, and India—will be “the West’s greatest challenge.”
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Joseph S. Nye: We cannot overlook Japan as a global powerhouse. How its people and government respond to emerging China will be “one of the great questions for this century.”
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Global Must Read Articles
Last year Chinese officials held a record number of press conferences. ++ For the first time Chinese president Hu Jintao joined a chat on a news portal. ++ Vice mayor Li Ou hosts one of the most popular Chinese blogs. ++ This, along with online debates on proposed laws, shows Chinese confidence in improved, transparent governance. ++ But Internet outcries over corrupt officials, while sometimes
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Samurai-philosopher Fukuzawa’s longstanding notion that Japan should “leave Asia and enter the West” is likely to fade in 2009. ++ “Tokyo needs to diversify diplomatic and economic relations.” ++ Ruling party LDP may soon be replaced by opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), who advocate multilateral cooperation. ++ “Japan’s efforts to establish the East Asian Community - a proposed economic
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We “wanted Russia to be a market economy, but Russia never asked how.” ++ Gazprom is like the East India Company, from which market economies grew. ++ Other sources are unreliable; China, Japan and India look to Russia for gas. ++ While the EU builds pipelines to pass unreliable ex-communist states, Russia builds east - and southwards. ++ Gazprom’s hard game is market economy and it refuses to
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While the world welcomes the end of the Bush presidency and places its hopes on the man who promised change, China stands aloof from the celebrations. ++ President Bush turned a blind eye to China’s human rights abuses and failed to provide criticism of Chinese military expansion, leaving it undisturbed to pursue its goal of becoming a world power. ++ Currently, global recession and a new
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Barack Obama, financial crisis, resurgent Russia, G20, Western decline, climate change - in the season of global predictions, current discourse is driven by these and other such catchwords. ++ Yet, predictions from December 2007 were of little value: none predicted the financial collapse, none an Obama victory, nor any vastly fluctuating oil prices or governments’ failure to keep pace with global
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This week marks 30 years since China put into place measures to increase economic and political freedoms. ++ The latter have not been realized. ++ On the contrary, China’s judicial system in the years since has been “corrupt and ineffective,” with regular curtailment of civil and human rights and detention of activists and protestors. ++ It is crucial that China redress this,
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China’s behavior towards Pakistan is the first big pointer as to whether it will become a responsible stakeholder on the international stage. ++ Both the US and China have for too long engaged in a hands-off approach in Pakistan because of strategic considerations. ++ A coordinated effort from both countries to “bring multilateral pressure to bear on Pakistan” is needed. ++ To
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Protests and strikes have taken place among laid-off workers across China as the financial crisis begins to hit. ++ Global demand for Chinese goods is likely to plummet in 2009, creating heightened tension between the US and China. ++ Protectionist measures in the US, which are likely to be emulated in the EU, will hit the Chinese export market very hard. ++ The Chinese economy is
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The myth of decoupled markets is all but shattered. ++ Asian countries, especially China, who benefited from trade imbalances and western overconsumption, will have difficulty adjusting. ++ In reaction to these new economic conditions trade deficit countries could absorb the production imbalance through government spending; trade surplus countries could attempt to increase domestic consumption to
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Barack Obama’s approach towards China is unlikely to be confrontational in view of the current global situation. ++ The US has plenty of conflict to deal with elsewhere and needs Chinese cooperation in dealing with North Korea. ++ However, the increasing trade imbalance between the two countries is volatile. ++ It should be dealt with by lifting trade restrictions on Chinese goods. ++
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Britain’s culture commands admiration from around the world; more so than its politics or economic power. ++ Football, leading universities and an elegant command of the English language are among the most iconic of Britain’s cultural offerings. ++ In order to maintain this “magnetic power abroad,” the state must play a limited role in cultural affairs. ++ However, increased public
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We now have an opportunity for a world government - a global currency, supreme court, law, civil service, and military force, as in the EU, is possible. ++ Global warming, the financial crisis and the war on terror offer reasons for such global governance. ++ China and the US are becoming more open to global solutions. ++ Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, shows a commitment to international
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In the 1990’s Asia was considered the pioneer in democratic renewal. Out of Asia spread a democratic wave from southern Europe through Latin America and into Africa. In recent times, however, democratization in Asia has experienced significant set-backs. Quasi-authoritarian regimes in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and the Philippines set the military against political opposition and profit from declared
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Under Bush, the State Department, Defense Department, and White House fought over the War on Terror. ++ Clinton and Obama fought in the primaries, which does not bode well for their cooperation. ++ The Clinton administration of the 90’s took a hard-line position on Japan, while being light on China. ++ This apparent double standard may continue, and could threaten stability in Asia. ++ Japan must
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China Investment Corporation, a fund that manages foreign exchange reserves for China, says it does not dare invest in western financial institutions. ++ When “government policies change every week, how can you expect that to make me confident?,” said Lou Jiwei, head of the fund. ++ US officials are trying to convince China not to let its currency, the renminbi, devalue, as this would give China
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Barack Obama should adopt Al Gore’s proposal for a carbon tax on a global scale. ++ In today’s hyper-globalized economy, cap-and-trade systems that only apply to certain countries are not a viable solution. ++ A harmonized tax would allow for cheaper and cleaner energy in the long term. ++ An incentive for developing countries to participate could come in the form of access to a portion of rich
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China is spending its $586 billion stimulus plan on infrastructure development. ++ However, a steel and concrete stimulus will not provide long-term economic growth. ++ Instead, China should equally distribute ownership rights to the remaining 119,000 state-owned enterprises, valuing around $4 billion, and create a more transparent budget process through public hearings and
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The most pressing moral issue the next US administration will have to face, is the genocide that is taking place in Dafur. ++ The International Criminial Court is likely to issue a warrant for arresting Sudan’s president, al-Bashir, “charging him with crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.” ++ President-elect Obama should support the legitimacy of the ICC and provide
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Western oriented, business friendly, and governed by smart, young people, Georgia is a country on the rise. ++ NATO should not be her final resting place, though. ++ Georgia doesn’t meet NATO requirements for full control of its territory and a closer look reveals its media is like Russia’s: state run and laden with propaganda. ++ “Georgia’s future is economic
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Great challenges await the 44th US president, especially economic ones. The Brookings Institution lists the ten most important:
Restoring Financial Stability: Strengthening the global financial system is a priority alongside the task of defeating the current financial market crisis. Such a strengthening includes increased national regulation and decreased dependence on foreign credit.
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China can revive the world economy by strengthening its consumption. ++ Its industrial development has been shaped by US consumer demand and “US consumption has in turn been fueled by Chinese lending that kept interest rates low.” ++ This circle is broken - the US economy is in a recession and the Chinese are failing to fill the gap. ++ China has the resources to undertake stimulus
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Now in the eighth round of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue, China’s expectations are clear: Tibet must follow the Shangri-La model. ++ Shangri-La, part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, is strictly controlled by Beijing, maintaining civil order at all costs. ++ With 30% of the population Tibetan, the area has maintained 20% economic growth over the last six years and is a popular tourist destination. ++
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There is a lesson to be learned from the West’s decision to integrate China into its fold following Tiananmen Square. ++ While China is still ruled by the same horrific party responsible for the Cultural Revolution, it is “a far cry from the Mao Zedong era.” ++ By applying the same “global liberalizing influences” to Russia, all will benefit from closer “peace
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30 years after the signing of the Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty, the two countries are now more than ever in a position to create positive change in Asia and abroad. ++ The two countries can cooperate on “the regional financial crisis; nuclear disarmament of North Korea; global warming; and creating a regional immediate response system for natural disasters or infectious diseases.” ++
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China’s recent move to make permanent its “modest easing of controls on reporting by foreign journalists” is a half measure following Olympic pledges. ++ Hu Jia is “living proof that human rights in China worsened rather than improved thanks to the Games” and is the recent recipient of the EU’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which the Chinese government tried to head off through
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The financial crash will have serious geopolitical consequences. ++ Russia will reassert itself as a global player. ++ As its stock market does not play as crucial a role as in Western markets, and as Russia has a lot of money due to the boom in oil and natural gas markets, it will be the greatest winner in the aftermath of the crisis. ++ The US will also, in the long run, gain as the crisis will
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When it comes to the economy, the West and China are becoming more and more alike. ++ The Chinese are moving towards private ownership and crave the kind of dynamism that only a capitalist system can provide. ++ Western economies, on the other hand, are only capitalist in name. ++ They don’t trust the free market anymore; they want a safety net in case of an economic slowdowns or crunches,
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G20 nations represent 85 percent of the world’s economy. ++ The forum is essential for addressing the financial meltdown. ++ Developed nations urgently need liquidity; the vast reserves of foreign capital held by emerging economies are the remedy. ++ Bush’s first appearance at the G20 highlights this very fact. ++ “It’s of all nations’ common interest to take coordinated measures to tackle the
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China’s demand for raw materials and new markets boosts its appetite for economic and military involvement in Africa. ++ The African continent is increasingly serving as a proxy battleground for Beijing and Washington. ++ China exports weapons to states hostile to the US thus complicating American counterterrorism actions. ++ Chinese involvement in Africa must be countered. ++ Bush took a
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To date China can, through financial repression - state regulation, which undermines market mechanisms in the financial system - sustain the costs of an undervalued currency. However, by adhering to these financial policies, China’s economy may soon endure the resulting backlash: low level interest rates, which drive excessive credit demand, a weak domestic demand and therefore a large dependence
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The Bush administration announced its intention to agree to a $6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan. ++ There are more than 1,400 missiles on the Chinese side of the Taiwan Strait that endanger Taiwan’s security. ++ The sale will help to avert the threat and “fulfill the US commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act”. ++ Taiwan will thereby gain leverage against China, who has defined
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It is time for the “globar” - or “global dollar,” a collective Asian bond that could revitalize the world economy by catering to US currency-stabilization needs and simultaneously recycling massive Asian surpluses back into tangible assets in Asia itself. ++ Asia’s surpluses are primarily in US dollars, a risky investment in the current turmoil. ++ Asian countries are no longer mere borrowers,
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Efforts to address carbon emissions must be undertaken with exigency. ++ Developing countries like China, India and Brazil are responsible for half of all carbon emissions worldwide; their output has doubled over the past two decades. ++ 8.47 gigatons of emissions were released in 2007, up 2.9 percent over 2006. ++ Polluters will not change their energy policy until the US takes action. ++ The US
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The possible regime crisis in N. Korea poses a threat of loose nukes, floods of refugees, and long-term economic upheaval, but is also a great chance to reunite the Peninsula under democratic rule. ++ The US-South Korean Forces may need to intervene to keep WMDs out of the wrong hands. ++ S. Korea fears an economic situation like that after the Berlin Wall, but the longer unification is delayed,
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It’s a critical question: Is the financial crisis on Wall Street going to damage the US’s image of good finance and business expertise? ++ Actually, the answer is no. ++ The image of the US from a global perspective is still strong, and the US is for many “a beacon of free enterprise.” ++ There is no other financial leader who could replace the US - Europe is divided, while Russia and China have
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Annette Heuser is executive director of the Bertelsmann Foundation Washington DC, a private, nonpartisan operating foundation, working to promote and strengthen transatlantic cooperation. Before launching the Bertelsman
Foundation in Washington DC, Ms. Heuser served in the corporate sector as Vice President of
International Relations at Bertelsmann AG in Guetersloh, Germany, and as the
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Given the interdependence between the economic growth of China and the world, it is necessary to integrate China into the global economy system. ++ One option is the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), which brings US and Chinese policymakers together to expand the bilateral relations. ++ Due to the long consultation that the Chinese government needs for decision making, the dialogue is
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Oil prices have tripled in the last seven years and if they continue to rise, it may have profound political consequences. ++ Oil-consuming nations shouldn’t become hostages of the oil-producing countries – they must “end the blackmail of the strong by the weak.” ++ Reducing the price of oil by eliminating the speculative pressures behind price rises must be the paramount
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For a long time it has been thought that world markets are decoupling, enabling the emerging economies of the BRIC group to thrive regardless of the economic slowdown in the Western world. ++ The emerging countries were predicted to quickly overtake the veterans of the G7. ++ New data, however, seem to puncture that theory. ++ BRICs do not live in an enclosed world, and the credit crunch has had
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This time, the declaration of a new world order does not depend on the next US president. ++ Now, it is the new economies that are shaping geopolitics, not the US. ++ Moreover, the complex matrix of various actors hinders global governance and, right now, any possible order is regional. ++ The successful policy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the reorientation of the Persian Gulf
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Due to high oil prices that make transport more expensive, US companies might stop outsourcing to Asia and give Mexico another chance. ++ China’s export taxes are rising, its workers are demanding higher wages and the Chinese currency is rapidly appreciating against the USD. ++ Therefore, Mexico is the better choice, but it also has to cope with challenges such as high raw material costs and
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The domestic political culture in India determines whether India will work out in its new role as a nuclear power. ++ So far, suspicion and accusation among the politicians hindered India’s democratic institutions to produce a coherent notion of national purpose. ++ External actors such as China and the US have again and again manipulated the preferences of India’s politicians. ++ But now it is
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While
Pakistan is often called a failed state it is more accurately labeled as a flailing
state. The PPP-PML coalition cannot solve every problem alone but needs help
from India, China and the US. These nations, which had once contributed to the
distortion of Pakistani politics, may now play a positive role in assisting
Pakistanis develop a democratic order to cope with several critical
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China’s emergence as a global power bears eerie resemblance to Germany during the Bismarck era. ++ The reaction back then was World War I, but will the world react better this time? ++ China’s military in Asia does not compare to Germany’s in 1914, but Chinese military spending has vastly grown. ++ This might encourage neighbors to adjust their defenses, as Europe did before World War I. ++ The
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The World Bank recently reported that in 2005 there were 1.4 billion people living below the poverty line - a figure which it had previously underestimated. ++ Still, this figure does not take into account the rising food and energy prices witnessed in the last two years. ++ This new data only stresses the necessity for aid stemming from developed countries, particularly the G8. ++ Having
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President Medvedev was unable to achieve the explicit support of the Chinese president for Russia’s intervention in the Caucasus at the latest Central Asian summit. ++ China has not only avoided any anti-western statements so far, it is also concerned about an upcoming trend of separation which may spill over to its own ethnically diverse provinces. ++ Beijing has kept a low-profile in the
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Beijing Olympics mark a new era: China is opening up to the world and the Western ignorance and fear of the People’s Republic is declining. ++ Many Atlantic leaders see China’s growth as a threat but it might also be a great opportunity, provided we forgo our historic arrogance. ++ Today’s challenges are global and the West cannot face them unless it cooperates with major global
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The successful staging of the Olympics is extra important to Beijing as increasing its “soft power” is one of China’s major objectives. ++ Though domestic corruption and lack of democracy makes China attractive in authoritarian and semi-authoritarian developing countries, it undermines its soft power in the West. ++ A recent Pew poll proves that despite China’s efforts, the US continues to
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The Atlantic view that it’s necessary to protect the underdog from its powerful neighbour is isolated; most of the world is bemused at Western double standards and sees Russia as bullied by the West. ++ Events in Georgia show that the West lacks strategic thinking. ++ Instead of dealing with Russia, Western thinkers should decide what the greatest long-term challenge is – China or the
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The reemergence of autocracy and great-power politics questions the stability of the international liberal order. ++ Unfortunately, Europe’s postmodern tools of foreign policy are not able to counter Russia in the latest conflict between liberal democracy and autocracy. ++ Facing the rise of great-power autocracies, democracies turn back in the direction of the US. ++ Despite predictions of
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The debate between individualism and collectivism seemed closed after the cold war, but if collectivist societies rise economically, the outnumbered individualists won’t continue to dominate. ++ Americans usually value individuals, rights, and privacy and Asians value relationships, harmony, and duty. ++ Scientists say the Western idea of individual choice is an illusion and the real key to
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After the collapse of the Soviet Union and victory of western liberalism, the world is experiencing a revival of authoritarianism, especially in petro-states in Latin America or the Middle East. ++ Furthermore, Russia has learned its lesson from history: instead of liberalization, Putin established a neo-authoritarian state with imperial ambitions as the latest Russian retaliation proves. ++
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The West not only dominates the issues of the day, it also neglects perspectives other than its own. ++ Human rights and Tibet are in the center of the Western media coverage of China, but not all countries share this critical view on People’s Republic. ++ In contrast to people in the Western countries, Chinese are very interested in foreign press and the way their country is portrayed abroad.
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With regard to the global slowdown, it would be wise if China privatized state-owned assets in order to transform China’s growth model from being export-driven to being stimulated by domestic consumption. ++ Even if the country’s assets in government hands supported the emergence of an industrialized economy in the past, it is time for the government to share the wealth through economic growth
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US-China relationship is arguably the most important bilateral tie of our time and its benefits are increasingly recognized. ++ One of the advantages of the Olympic Games is that the attention it generates could create a better understanding of modern China and finally tear down the cold-war perception of the People’s Republic in the US. ++ Washington and Beijing must engage in a
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For China’s strategic and economic interests it is crucial to maintain a good image, otherwise counter-alliances are likely. ++ Nonetheless, the ruling elite is not willing to establish a constitutional state to replace the “socialist constitutional state.” ++ As a consequence, the police tortures with impunity, and opponents of the Communist party are thrown into prison or psychiatric
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Tomorrow China’s new antimonopoly law takes effect. ++ At a formal level, it is comparable to the laws in the US and the EU, but its implementation will not be as simple. ++ The US encourages competition in the marketplace; EU, on the other hand, strives to keep booming businesses from being too successful - Chinese law resembles the European system. ++ Moreover, the formulated goals such as the
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The global trade negotiations known as the Doha Round broke up yesterday without an agreement. ++ Despite expectations of a new international plan to cut tariffs, members of the WTO proved themselves unready for such a deal. ++ While the US and the EU had made some concessions on farm supports, India and China essentially torpedoed the talks asserting a broad right to raise tariffs to protect
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Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stated in his article on China that the economic wealth will advance the democratic transformation of the country ++ But it is not that simple: the Communist party uses the economic success to justify its rule. ++ Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate German policy towards China with that of other Western powers. ++ Schröder in his article
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America declares it stands up for human rights; it condemns the regime in Burma and calls for fair democratic elections in Zimbabwe. ++ However, it is doing so only where it is convenient: human rights infringements in China and Saudi Arabia or the fact that Dmitri Medvedev came to power in fraudulent elections are overlooked. ++ The hypocrisy of condemning one and turning a blind eye to the
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The ascendancy of Anglo-American capitalism has been an illusion - as proven by the credit crisis which originated in the US. ++ Apart from this model, there are different forms of state capitalism developing in China, Russia, the Middle East, and South America. ++ In principle, the existence of different forms of capitalism is healthy, but the attempt of each capitalism to assert its own
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After the end of the cold war the world experienced a transition period of US dominance. ++ The new world order will be multipolar. ++ Therefore, we need Beijing to solve the global challenges
and it is up to Germany to promote an international integration of China. ++ The economic and the civil domain are the keys for the development of bilateral relations. ++ China’s internal liberalization
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Economists are baffled why higher oil prices and higher demand has not lead to higher production. ++ The answer is: the “China bubble.” ++ Oil producing countries are leaving oil in the ground, in hopes that China’s consumptions and readiness to pay higher prices will increase over time. ++ Low US interests rates deter further drilling, as invested US Dollars are less lucrative.
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Since the Cold War, US foreign policy has struggled to find a “main enemy,” thereby defining its focus. ++ Global politics, however, have returned to a status quo, in which a broad range of problems, with long-term resilience and requiring non-ideological responses, will be better served with America’s continuing strategic advantage on most fronts. ++ On a non-governmental
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On the surface, the strategic Sino-Russian relationship seems at an apex. ++ In reality, however, relations between the two leading Eurasian powers are being weakened by a stalemate in military sales, disputes over energy prices, and a general decline in trade due to Russia’s wavering manufacturing capacity. ++ China’s trade with Russia in 2007 accounted for 2 percent of China’s global trade
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The annual inflation rate in Zimbabwe has reached 9 million percent. ++ The only reason why the country is still afloat are huge Chinese investments. ++ Zimbabwean critics contend that Beijing will continue to support Harare unconditionally, while piling up various claims on Zimbabwe’s natural resources. ++ A constructive engagement with China needs to be put in place. ++ This is especially
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The Dalai Lama seems to be more interested in fanning up international pressure on China than in talking seriously with the central government. ++ However, after the Olympics, his influence in the West will probably fade. ++ His concept of “high-level” or “maximum” autonomy cannot possibly be accommodated within the Chinese Constitution as it would mean the restoration of theocracy. ++ It is time
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July 1 marked the 40th anniversary of the NPT which provided an opportunity to reexamine its current and future role. ++ Nuclear nonproliferation movement is at a crossroads. ++ It is crucial that the next US president calls for deep cuts in nuclear weapons around the world at the start of his administration in January 2009. ++ He should also appoint a nonproliferation “czar” to help him shape
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Despite China’s plummeting international rapport, its leaders have already declared the Olympics a victory. ++ Fearing domestic turmoil, Chinese political leaders have turned the event into a consumerable good, with which they may prove their “mandate of heaven.” ++ Movies, pop-music, and even school cirricula have been heavily censored and geared to portray the Beijing Olympics
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Sino-American ties are likely to be the most important component of international relations for the next several decades. ++ The question is whether China’s re-emergence can be managed without a conflict. ++ Powerful voices on the right of US politics want a tougher stance against China. ++ But there is no clearer expression of the interdependence that comes with globalisation than between
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Senator McCain’s call for a “League of Democracies” would be a danger rather than an aid to world peace. ++ With both Russia and China excluded, the league would be unable to combat the most pressing global matters: terrorism, climate change, and nuclear proliferation. ++ McCain’s plan could even create a Cold War-like tension between democratic and autocratic states. ++ The League of Democracies
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Foreign direct investment is slowing down worldwide due to nations’ fears of losing control of what they call “critical infrastructure.” ++ Markets have recently experienced FDI coming from non-traditional sources such as China and the Middle East, spurring governments to implement market-disrupting controls. ++ This is unnecessary. ++ Protectionist restrictions harm source and receiving
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Coercive diplomacy is America’s only remaining option as its influence declines in the Middle East. ++ Especially in the case of an Obama presidency, this “changed constellation” in the region calls for India to readjust its strategy. ++ India needs to balance Israel and Syria, and constructively engage Iran. ++ Like China, India should acknowledge the region’s importance for its own energy
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Gao Xiqing, the president of China’s sovereign wealth fund expressed his frustration concerning the political opposition his fund sometimes faces when it attempts to invest in the West. ++ From the economic point of view, this is frightening. ++ Without SWF investments, the current financial crisis in the US would be much worse. ++ If SWF shareholders no longer feel welcome in the US, they
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The 4th China-US Economic Dialogue will be held in the US this week. ++ The US and China can only win when cooperating in the energy and environment sector. ++ Chinese officials state they are working on reducing energy consumption by 20% by 2010 and setting goals: “Intensify energy and resource conservation. Develop renewable energy. Actively adapt to global climate change.” ++ In return, China
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Surprisingly, it is some of the fastest developing countries such as China and India, that are slowing down the Doha development talks. ++ Protectionism in one country triggers a chain reaction that blocks free trade in several sectors across the globe. ++ The losers are those for whom Doha was conceptualized: farmers and small businesses in slowly developing countries. ++ Opening up the
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The future world energy order will have China, India, and Middle Eastern countries rather than OECD countries at its helm. ++ Conventional oil is likely to peak soon, and unconventional oil will then play an important role. ++ Since global oil resources are limited, it is only a matter of time before all oil will peak. ++ Though biofuels have received much criticism recently, without them fuel
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Last month’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan has taught the Chinese a very important lesson, namely the importance of civil society. ++ The outpouring of foreign and local aid accompanied by a plethora of new philanthropic websites and aid organizations, has been too massive for the government to regulate. ++ As the Party feels its grip wavering, Chinese citizens are coming together from all
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The growing popularity of John McCain’s League of Democracies among US voters of both parties should raise concern. ++ In a post-American world peace and prosperity especially require Chinese and Russian cooperation. ++ Democracies would be no less paralysed into inaction than the UN and would further lack international legitimacy for intervention. ++ It is by reforming the
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In a series of recent talks, poignantly described as “bad dates,” Russian President Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao were divided on issues concerning missile defense and energy resources. ++ Ready to elide almost all other bilateral concerns, China’s need to procure oil and gas seems to be shifting its arm of diplomacy towards the Middle East. ++ Given their estranged
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President Medvedev’s visit to China has important symbolic significance. ++ Driven by their shared goals of safeguarding and promoting national interests in an era of US dominance, Beijing and Moscow have grown increasingly close in recent years. ++ They formed strategic partnerships on key international issues, such as defense, and established the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. ++ Yet
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Responsibility and emergency to act in Burma cannot be doubted but UN legitimacy is lacking and R2P stands for “responsibility to protect,” not “right to invade.” ++ Any action requires “a careful, informed calculation of the likely consequences.” ++ Now the junta has acquiesced to limited aid “under an Asian umbrella,” the West should drop plans for air and sea bridges that could entail the
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The earthquake in Sichuan may be remembered as a milestone in the Chinese “peaceful evolution” toward capitalism and democracy. ++ Private Chinese donations have already raised more than $500 million. ++ That kind of bottom-up public spirit is a mark of citizens, not subjects. ++ There are 75 million blogs, often critical of the government, and tens of thousands of citizen protests
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China’s recent need for energy resources has accelerated at an alarming rate. ++ US envoy to the Paris-based International Energy Association (IEA), Daniel S. Sullivan, maintains that China and India must join international organizations in order to control usage and ensure energy security. ++ As oil prices skyrocket, developing nations, desperately in need of energy resources, are less
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A 30-year lease of the Afghan copper deposits was sold to the China Metallurgical Group
for $3 billion, making it the biggest foreign investment in Afghanistan’s history. ++ While critics argue Afghanistan is too ill-equipped to absorb such huge sums of money or to assess the social and environmental costs, most Afghans see the deal as their only chance for the future. ++ The Chinese are
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The Indian Ocean will be a strategic bridgehead for the big players of the 21st century. This relates to the Indian sea doctrine, which has been determining India’s policies in the region since its release in 2004. China’s advance in particular is pushing the Indian government to strengthen its ties with the African countries on the coast of the Indian Ocean and to regain more influence in the
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Next month the US will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council. ++ In hopes of preserving its currently vulnerable legacy as an architect of peace, the US plans to move forward in deploying peacekeeping troops to the Darfur region. ++ As the suffering on the ground intensifies, the Bush administration is hoping for partnerships with other African nations to progress in Sudan. ++ Due to
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When the world cares about what happens within a nation’s borders, it can be assumed that “superpower status” has been reached. ++ For China, this has been made poignantly evident by recent scrutiny from the international community concerning everything from Tibet to the earthquake in Sichuan. ++ Chinese nationalists blame the West for holding a double standard regarding trade,
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The US is making a bold, perhaps doltish, move by refusing to discuss a treaty aimed at preventing weapons in outer space. ++ China and Russia have warned that a countermove would be unavoidable to ensure their own security. ++ Many are urging the Pentagon to consider the historical consequences of expanding warfare to new frontiers. ++ In reality, however, defense contractors and military
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Burma’s despots are politicizing the crisis, blocking foreign relief operations, and preventing the needy from receiving food and aid. ++ 400,000 may have died and two million may now face the threats of malnutrition and disease. ++ Rather than apply sanctions or evict Burma from the UN, the international community should try to convince China, India and Thailand to remind the generals of
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Japan increasingly faces a dilemma in its relationship with China. ++ On the one hand intensifying already close economic relations with China is vital for the continued recovery of Japan’s own economy. ++ On the other hand China’s growth gives it greater regional power at the expense of Japanese influence, and creates new security concerns. ++ Japan should confidently embrace its “role as a
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Modern China is full of inner contradictions. ++ The ubiquity of internet access coexists with the impossibility to open critical websites, and the obvious ecological pollution exists side by side with the extreme cleanliness of the streets. ++ The numerous members of the Communist Party are coevally religious Buddhists or successful capitalist businessmen. ++ China is going to be the world’s
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China’s growth is especially generated in the cities. Their contribution to the GDP is around 75 percent. In 2025, there should be a billion Chinese living in urban areas, 350 million more than today. They could then be responsible for 95 percent of the Chinese GDP. For Chinese as well as international companies, this advancing urbanization of China holds huge promises. At the same time,
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African leaders are less reluctant to grant China access to their markets and resources because its aid is not conditional on good governance, democracy, or human rights. ++ The West and the UN’s attempts to tackle conflict, disease, and hunger are perceived as dictatorial re-colonization strategies aiming at challenging the Chinese. ++ Resistance to the US Africa Command has led to calls
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Two types of nationalism are prevalent in China at the moment. ++ On the one hand, a virulent nationalism that is based on continued historical grievances and is used to legitimize the rule of the Communist Party. ++ On the other hand, a “confident nationalism” based on pride in China’s rapid socioeconomic and technological transformation and its new role as a global power. ++ If the former gets
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In Asia, the rise of India is perceived as less threatening than the rise of China. ++ India does have strong military capabilities, but is a democracy, which are said to be more peaceful. ++ India’s military is believed to be unthreatening because of the turmoil in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh that concerns India. ++ Many Asians want India to counterbalance China and hope that
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Russia and China are autocracies by conviction. ++ They believe in the virtues of strong central government and despise the weaknesses of the democratic system. ++ Autocracy was thought to be less successful in aggregating national wealth, which China and Russia are proving to be untrue. ++ Can autocracies enter the liberal international order without becoming liberal? Yes, Russia and China can.
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In the face of turmoil in Tibet, India has found itself in a delicate position. ++ As a democracy, India has a tradition of permitting peaceful protest, yet it is also intent on improving Indo-Sino relations and continuing to expand trade with China. ++ “India’s government has attempted to draw a distinction between its humanitarian obligations as an asylum country and its political
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Independence is first about daily economic realities, and not about religious practice or ideology. ++ Tibet has made no visible steps to build on its autonomy; without China Tibet is not even able to feed its population. ++ All those Hollywood personalities will not create new jobs or build better infrastructure, as China did. ++ The world has a large enough inventory of failed ideas like Iraq.
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The appointment of a Chinese Professor, Lin Yifu, to the post of chief economist at the World Bank reflects the changes in the global balance of powers. ++ In the past, the World Bank, like the IMF, was traditionally dominated by American, Europeans, and their neoliberal agenda. ++ However as American financial pillars are now underpinned by Chinese money, it has become impossible to ignore
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There is no other reason for a nation, whether democratic or totalitarian, to want to host the costly modern Olympics, than the chance to stage a propagandist publicity stunt. ++ The Beijing Games’ ideological content is indubitable. ++ Since a boycott would be useless, we should encourage politicization and exploit the attention of the media with counter-stunts and demonstrations for human
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The attitudes of the Chinese government and Chinese citizens are not identical. ++ The Olympics have inspired Chinese nationalism which will lead to increased civil engagement and awareness of the responsibilities and rights of citizenship. ++ National identity is no longer determined by the government. ++ The civic dimension of Chinese nationalism may check the
authoritarian state in the future.
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Not the US but the new big globalizers are responsible for renewed global tensions since the 1980s. ++ BRIC countries, – Brazil, Russia, India and China – terrify because they compensate for weakness by projecting power. ++ Yet they struggle with inclusive development, demography, and financial transparency. ++ Small adaptable states are actually more likely to overtake performances
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To their disadvantage, Europe’s leaders are divided regarding China. ++ A visit from the Dali Lama to a European Parliament session has disgruntled one of Germany’s and most of Europe’s largest trading partners. ++ The presence of certain political figures at the Beijing games could convey mixed signals regarding Europe’s stance on human rights, as well as a dependence on China’s cheap
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The situation in Tibet is often depicted as a dictatorship repressing its people, but in reality, the majority of Chinese do not support the Tibetan cause. ++ The regime is not in opposition to its people. ++ Rather than a boycott of the Olympics, which is unwarranted and would have negative effects, private pressure should be used to urge the Chinese government to engage the Dalai Lama.
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The threats to US supremacy tend to be overstated. ++ China and Russia won’t achieve global domination while the post war arrangement goes on. ++ Yet to contain the progress of autocracy, protect and promote liberalism, and maintain its global power, the US should lead a democratic front within the framework of international institutions and cease discrediting its model with inappropriate
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Thanks to its massive
workforce and low labor costs, China
has become the twenty first century’s leading global production plant. Even for
German companies, China
has long been a fundamental market for supplies. Yet an inquiry released by
PricewaterhouseCoopers reveals some astonishing facts: for many businesses, China is not as
cheap as one may think. Indeed, on some products, there is a
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Tibet and Xinjiang are crucial for China. ++ They offer additional land, strategic geographic getaways, and essential resources. ++ If Chinese control brings wealth, development, and modernity, the promotion of Chineseness abolishes Buddhist and Muslim cultural authenticity. ++ Imperialism is
inexorable but lack of resistance may eventually allow interethnic dialogue and a more benevolent
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Since Africa is both a source of natural resources and an outlet for manufactures, it is an area where India and China’s needs overlap. ++ China’s
two-way trade with Africa is higher, yet it has been charged with neo imperialism and blamed for trading with dictators. ++ India is drawing nearer by dealing with Africa’s ethnic Indians and labeling its integration of the economy “contribution to
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The three largest Asian Powers China, India and Japan have good reason to hope for a Republican US President. ++ China and India see the world more in terms of classic balance-of-power equations. ++ Balancing a rising China is important to Japan. ++ India and China are especially interested in more free-trade oriented policies and were sympathetic to Bush’s pro-Indian strategic
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China is afraid of its unity being called into question. ++ Kosovo’s recent unilateral declaration of independence,
Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, and China’s short history as a united country are reasons for stringent behavior in Tibet. ++ China fears the West helping Tibet or Taiwan become sovereign countries. ++ China and the West must avoid exaggerated fears
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An increasing number
of governments are becoming global economic players - and this in the form of
state-controlled companies or gigantic sovereign wealth funds. The global
economy used to be dominated by the democratic West but the states that are now
gaining influence are primarily authoritarian nations. This shift towards a new
balance of power however does not necessarily indicate the
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China’s authoritarian-capitalist model fails to federalize society and accommodate minorities. ++ The authorities’ intolerance of separatism may lead the one-party state to collapse under the weight of its own contradictions. ++ Since Tibet’s quest for autonomy is no conspiracy but results from legitimate fear of cultural extinction, Hu needs to end the violence and accept the Dalai Lama as
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The protracted Six Party Talks dating back from 2003 enabled Kim Jong-il to gain time and repeatedly violate commitments. ++ If the instrumental support of Russia and China is secured, Bush should dedicate the next 10 months to rectifying concessions by exercising economic and international pressure on North Korea. ++ Nuclear weapons will still be a threat but this would salvage US original
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China should think twice before it uses excessive force on protesters in Tibet and generates an international outcry. ++ With the Beijing Olympics on the horizon, deaths in Lhasa could motivate many democracies to condemn China and withdraw from the competition. ++ China could best resolve the current crisis by inviting the Dalai Lama to talks, an action which would receive international applause.
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Uprising in Tibet is embarrassment for Beijing, especially in light of upcoming Olympics. ++ Instead of showing progress, the world sees how little has changed. ++ Instead of stepping up propaganda war, China should allow freedom of religion, end subsidies for Chinese settlers and forced relocation of Tibetan nomads, and have serious dialogue with the moderate Dalai Lama, who advocates autonomy,
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The development of modern western democracies in the last century linked economic growth with political and cultural modernization. ++ Russia and China seem to demonstrate there is a viable authoritarian alternative to democracy and the rule of law in a free market economy. ++ But both countries’ economies are ridden by intensifying corruption and deficiencies that could soon be a threat to world
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The US has failed to understand that China’s objectives do not complement America’s. ++ China does not want the US to play a role in Central and E | 
