Can the West Get Out of Its (Self-Made) Cul-de-Sac?
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
In recent years, the limits on America’s ability to shape important outcomes in the Middle East unilaterally—or even with a few European partners—have been dramatically underscored by strategically failed interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. Last year, President Obama’s inability to act on his declared intention to attack Syria after chemical weapons were used there in August made clear that Washington can no longer credibly threaten the effective use of force in the region. Still, American and other Western elites persist in thinking they can dictate the Middle East’s future by helping armed insurgents overthrow Syria’s recognised government. If Western powers don’t drop their insistence that President Bashar al-Assad leave power—even though he retains the support of a majority of Syrians and is winning his fight against opposition forces—and get serious about facilitating a political settlement between Assad and parts of the opposition, they will do further damage to their own already distressed position in the Middle East.
A Brand Culture Approach to Chinese Branding in the Global Marketplace
By Wu Zhiyan, Janet Borgerson & Jonathan Schroeder
Global brand literacy is expanding rapidly, as is the appeal of brand identity, for a growing number of brand conscious Chinese consumers. Below, Wu Zhiyan, Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder examine how Chinese branding efforts express significant aspects of Chinese brand culture, and explore the possibilities and processes of constructing global Chinese brands.
Turning a Blind Eye to the Political Promise of the Financial Crisis
By Adrian Parr and Brad Evans
The financial crisis of 2008 catapulted the world into one of the worst financial upheavals since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Below, Adrian Parr and Brad Evans suggest that the opportunities for new economic alternatives and equitable forms of social organisation are rapidly declining, and address the importance of putting the political back into the discussion of the ongoing financial crises.
Our Digital Culture Threatened by Loss
By Oliver Grau
Media art is the art form that uses the technologies that fundamentally change our societies, and plays an important role in the reflection of our time. Below, Oliver Grau argues that with current museum policy funding and grant policies, there is a threat of losing this culture and its related research archives.
The Future of Manufacturing
By Fred Stahl
How can American manufacturing recapture its former dominance in the globalized industrial economy? The answer is Worker Leadership, a revolutionary concept for organizing and managing production that creates highly productive jobs loaded with responsibility and authority. Workers love these jobs precisely because they offer big opportunities to be creative and productive. Enterprise managers and capitalists love the profits. And revitalized unions love the shared responsibility with management for growth and profitability. Below, Fred Stahl argues that Worker Leadership is the future of manufacturing.
Is the Light of International Criminal Justice Fading?
By Mark Ellis
Prosecuting individuals for war crimes and other atrocities remains an “historical anomaly.” Below, Mark Ellis looks at several fissures in the international criminal justice system and asks whether our commitment to justice is commensurate with the institutions and principles we set forth moving into the 21st century.
EDITOR'S PICK OF THE WEEK
China’s Challenging Search for a New Model of Economic Growth
By Danny Leipziger
China cannot continue to rely on exports to drive its growth, but what are the alternatives?
China ran a $1.2 trillion trade surplus last year, and despite admonitions from the IMF to rely...
