Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
China used the Beijing Olympics as a showcase for its new found economic clout and ascendancy as a leading member of the international community. Although the resounding success of the Games has bolstered China's authoritarian regime and shielded it from the scrutiny it deserves on human rights issues, China deserves praise for embracing the world.
As U.S.-Russia relations continue to sour over the Russia-Georgia conflict, it is unclear how the two nations will be able to rebuild their relationship. Although the conflict led to the current deterioration in relations, problems between the two countries were present before. Despite strong rhetoric from Washington, there is a need for an improved dialogue between the United States and Russia.
Russia’s military campaign in Georgia is Vladimir Putin’s boldest move to reassert Russian dominance across its borders. Robert Kagan explains, “This is the culmination of Putin’s efforts to pull Georgia back within Russia’s sphere and exert control over it... There won’t be a pro-Western Georgian government who wants to join NATO by the time that Putin is finished with this.”
The Olympic Games cap a decade of Chinese re-engagement with the world and demonstrate China's newfound confidence on the world stage. Despite these investments, the government has not done a good job of fulfilling its basic responsibilities regarding environmental quality and improved healthcare for citizens.
After seven years of meticulous and costly preparation, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics transpired without issue. In the eyes of the Chinese people and their government, the event – attended by 86 heads of state – was all about respect and acceptance into the world community.
With only days to go before the Olympic Games, Minxin Pei joined a panel of experts on the Diane Rehm Show to discuss what the Chinese government hopes to gain from hosting one of the biggest spectacles in sports.
Carnegie's Thomas Carothers gives an in-depth interview on the proposed "League of Democracies" with Dallas’ NPR-affiliate, KERA. Carothers discusses the problems a league or concert of democracies would face in defining and selecting democratic member states—further undermining the credibility of U.S. democracy promotion efforts around the world.
Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour discusses the popularity of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of the 2009 presidential elections with NPR's Mike Shuster.
Masha Lipman joined Gary Younge of the Guardian and Rami Khouri of the Daily Star on NPR's Talk of the Nation to discuss how people around the globe are following the US presidential election, and what is being said about the candidates overseas.
The pro-western government in Lebanon has struck a deal with the opposition, 18 months after the Hezbollah led-leadership resigned from the cabinet. Paul Salem, the director of the Carnegie Endowment's Middle East Center in Beruit, talks with Michele Norris about key parts of the deal.