Commentary / World Nov 19, 2013

How Beijing shapes outside perception of China

Beijing uses visa denials and censorship to pressure foreign media and academics to portray China in a favorable light.

Commentary / World Nov 8, 2013

Anxiety replacing confidence for many Chinese

Billionaires as well as the new middle class are hedging their bets on China. Some joke that the president's slogan of "a Chinese dream" refers to getting your kids into an American university.

Commentary / World Jun 6, 2013

Xi Jinping's 'Chinese dream' and the rule of law

When Xi Jinping accepted the designation as China's leader in March, his speech left analysts guessing about what sort of national "rejuvenation" he had in mind.

Commentary / Japan Feb 22, 2013

Abe's new agenda: better ties with U.S.

As the U.S. seeks to contend with a rising China, the ability of Japan to contribute, and to serve as a positive democratic role model, matters a great deal.

Commentary / World Feb 14, 2013

Danger is mounting in Asia

The cliche that the 21st century will be a Pacific century may still prove out. But the Asia-Pacific of late has become a zone of frightening confrontation.

Commentary / World Jan 23, 2013

Woman's tragedy speaks to Indian aspirations

It's common these days for people to compare India with China and conclude that maybe democracy isn't all it's cracked up to be. In India, they note, power shortages force factories to rely on generators, and investors may spend years trying to gain title to ...

Commentary / World Dec 20, 2012

Putin turns back the clock in Russia

Habits instilled by fear are slow to fade but can be rapidly relearned. That is one lesson Vladimir Putin is teaching us. Roaming through Russia just after the Soviet Union dissolved, I kept in my pocket a copy of the new U.S.-Russia treaty that opened ...

Commentary / World Sep 5, 2012

U.S. candidates can't ignore war in Afghanistan

As Republicans gathered in Tampa on Aug. 27, a 25-year-old Army sergeant serving his third tour in Afghanistan, Christopher J. Birdwell of Windsor, Colorado, was killed in action. "Everybody loved him," his brother, Dustin, 23, told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. "He was a really fun ...

Commentary / World Jul 5, 2012

Aung San Suu Kyi and the art of compromise

Chief Justice John Roberts last week did something that, in polarized Washington, may turn out to be more important than saving Obamacare. He showed that compromise can be consistent with principle. More than that: He showed that compromise, for someone who respects and knows how ...

Commentary / World Jun 7, 2012

Who has the spine to fix America's finances?

Who is more likely to fix the nation's finances, a second-term President Barack Obama or a first-term President Mitt Romney? This may be the most consequential question of the campaign, not because government exists to balance its budget, but because it won't be able to ...