This new, outspoken Saudi diaspora poses several problems for the kingdom. For one, Saudi Arabia spends millions of dollars on scholarships in order to lessen its dependency on foreign labor; it cannot then afford to lose its highly educated young citizens to exile abroad. The diaspora is also creating an image issue.
Annual survey by Beijing shows China’s migrant workers are less inclined to travel long distances for work, with governments offering grants to stay locally. The average age of migrant workers is rising, with a new generation of workers less content to work in factories or construction sites. Read Here – South China Morning Post
Pakistan has an army that cannot win the wars that it starts, and nuclear weapons that it cannot use, so it must demonstrate that India’s hegemonic goals are not unchallenged. This means that Pakistan must attack India through proxy actors under its nuclear umbrella, just to demonstrate that India has not defeated it or forced […]
Artificial Intelligence promises to bring both enormous benefits, in everything from health care to transportation, and huge risks. But those risks aren’t something out of science fiction; there’s no need to fear a robot uprising. The real threat will come from humans. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
For decades, Pakistan’s powerful military has been in control of the country’s politics whether directly, as during several decades of military dictatorships, or indirectly, as during attempts by civilian leaders to reassert their authority in the 1970s, 1990s, and after 2008. In their efforts to wrest control from the military, plenty of Pakistani politicians have […]
Experts play valuable and highly visible roles advising leaders in wealthy liberal democracies and international institutions. But far less is known about what they do—and to what effect—for authoritarian regimes and developing countries. That’s a problem, because autocratic leaders from China to Saudi Arabia increasingly rely on experts, especially from top consulting firms, universities, and think tanks […]
During the Cold War, the United States had strong interests in ensuring the Middle East was not dominated by the Soviet Union… But today, there is no threat to the region from any hegemon. Not only that, but also the world energy balance of power has shifted dramatically. With a vastly different geopolitical reality, U.S. […]
Washington has been loose with facts, analysis, and conclusions about China, and the American public has been far too gullible in its acceptance of this false narrative. The point is not to deny China’s role in promoting economic tensions, but to stress the need for objectivity and honesty in assigning blame – especially with so […]
Japan’s Emperor Akihito, who is abdicating after three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, has been much more of a global leader than a national one. That sets him apart from his father – and from many of the world’s current leaders. Read Here – Project Syndicate
No one who has been paying attention to the rise of jihadist terrorism in Sri Lanka was surprised by the Easter Sunday suicide bombings. The Middle East has come to this Asian island nation. Or, as Samuel Huntington might put it, Islam’s “bloody borders” are moving eastward. Read Here – The Hill
