Whenever anyone brings up the rising military power of China, Russia and other U.S. rivals, some pundit usually pops up to remind us that America is still overwhelmingly dominant both in terms of military capability and spending. The pundit will generally offer you a chart like this one, which shows American military spending dwarfing everyone else’s. The message, of course, is that the U.S. outspends all its rivals, ensuring its continued military dominance.But there are several problems with t

Graphic footage of Ray Rice beating his wife has finally forced the Baltimore Ravens and National Football League to stop their campaign to blame the victim. Unfortunately, the public has no such mandate.Janay Rice has released a statement on her Instagram account lamenting her husband’s punishment and accusing the press of revictimizing her by posting and discussing the video. This, coupled with her repeated apologies for her role in the incident, have caused many to ask the exact wrong questio

The progressive constitutional revolution of the New Deal has proved itself to be an economic, political and institutional failure insofar as it is no longer able to sustain either strong economic growth or full employment. Paradoxically, the way out from the current malaise requires a return to the fundamental principles of our constitutional framers on two key topics: federalism and individual rights.The traditional form of federalism worked hard to preserve strong domains for the exclusive st

President Barack Obama’s first-term foreign policy was epitomized by success in fulfilling his campaign promise to end the U.S. role in Iraq and by the stunning U.S. Special Forces killing of Osama bin Laden.Obama’s second term, however, seems increasingly exemplified by last year’s withdrawn promise to bomb Syria for using chemical weapons and his all-too-public inability to develop and implement a strategy to halt the advance of the transnational Islamic State.For many critics, Obama had it wr

U.S. President is headed to Europe this week. There used to be a time prior to his election when he would travel to Europe and inspire the masses ― mostly on the strength of their own idealistic projections. But now, never has a Nobel Peace Prize laureate seen so many global conflicts erupt on his watch, while mostly standing there slack-jawed like a spectator at a fireworks display.Stopping first in Estonia, then in Wales for the NATO leaders’ summit, Barack Obama has already nicely sidestepped

Finally and as expected, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has named his military-school classmate Thanasak Patimaprakorn the new foreign minister. Thanasak is also the supreme commander of the Thai Armed Forces.The appointment comes amid growing geopolitical tensions in many parts of the world, including this region. Major world and regional powers are competing to secure their places in a new and fast-changing political landscape. Countries in Southeast Asia are engaged in disputes with th

I’m often asked what needs to be done for the Philippines to achieve inclusive growth, or economic growth with widest participation and whose attendant benefits are felt by all. We all know the Philippine economy has lately been growing faster than most in the region, but having that growth come from a broader base and uplift the lives of the least endowed among us remains elusive.What will bring about more inclusive growth in the economy? We need more of our economy’s growth to come from sector

Nepal’s fast increasing literacy is definitely something to be proud of. In 2008, just over half of the population was literate ― the literacy rate stood at 55.6 percent. Since then, the rate has increased by leaps and bounds. According to the 2011 Census, Nepal’s literacy rate was 65.9 percent. In the three years since, the rate has increased to a staggering 84 per cent, according to the government. If all goes well, the government looks set to achieve its ambitious goal of “total literacy” ― a