Russia’s Oprichnik Economy
Owning a business in Russia today is a hazardous affair: each year thousands of companies close after their owners are accused of ‘economic crimes’ and face either prison or protection payments to government officials.
Talking to the other side
Humanitarian engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan will become crucial. Aid agency engagement with the Taliban will be critical to ensuring they can still operate after 2014. Research published by ODI explores Taliban attitudes toward aid work and the approaches used by aid agencies to gain access to Taliban-held areas.
The unmaking of Syria
Everything about Syria is steeped in miasma: is this conflict politically and sociologically definable as a civil war? Has it become a sectarian war? How strong and widespread is the Salafist (and global Jihadi) presence?
Ground the Drones in 2013
The Chairman of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf political party and former captain of the national cricket team, Imran Khan, is leading a popular campaign against the indiscriminate brutality of US drone strikes in Pakistan that are “driving fear into every living soul in the tribal areas”.
Turkey’s Energy Challenges
Ankara will soon be confronted with some difficult foreign policy decisions that could affect its long-term energy interests. The discovery of vast reserves of natural gas off the coasts of Cyprus and Israel could oblige Turkey to resolve longstanding disputes with its neighbours.
Mark Mazower: Governing the World
A thought-provoking and eminently readable history of an idea: “governing the world” traced from its visionary roots in the 19th century up to the founding of the UN, the World Bank and the IMF.
China’s Dream Team
China’s recent leadership transition was widely depicted as a triumph for conservative hard-liners and a setback for the cause of reform – a characterization that has deepened the gloominess that pervades Western perceptions of China. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
The Power of Hakkari 72:0
Founded by a dynamic young Kurdish woman, the Hakkari Power women’s football team from south-eastern Turkey has an enviable score record and a growing number of players. Currently at the top of the second division, the team has broken down taboos in a traditionally conservative region.
The Credit Rating Enigma
Credit rating agencies are among the most puzzling institutions of our times. Formerly largely unknown, the raters have become a focus of political and media attention since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.
Israel’s legitimacy, Palestine’s UN bid, and the ICC
Palestine’s newly accorded observer status at the UN General Assembly is only the latest move in an ambitious gamble to maneuver the ICC in the quest for statehood.