WASHINGTON ― The Turkish-Israeli relationship became so poisonous early last year that the Turkish government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have disclosed to Iranian intelligence the identities of up to 10 Iranians who had been meeting inside Turkey with their Mossad case officers. Knowledgeable sources describe the Turkish action as a “significant” loss of intelligence and “an effort to slap the Israelis.” The incident, disclosed here for the first time, illustrates the bitt

If the world needs another reason to get serious about combating elephant poaching, here’s one: The attack by terrorists on Westgate Mall in Nairobi. Income from illegal ivory trafficking is a substantial funding source for the Shabab, the group that claimed responsibility for the attack.The connection between terrorism and wildlife smuggling is clear. An 18-month undercover investigation conducted by our groups found an indisputable financial trail between the illicit trade in ivory and rhino h

In less than two months’ time, a brand new sports complex in Naypyidaw will play host to the opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games, the country’s first in 44 years.Hotels and restaurants are springing up in Myanmar’s capital, barely 8 years old, to cater to visitors from nine other ASEAN countries in what officials see as a test run for Myanmar’s debut chairmanship of the regional grouping from January 2014. But Naypyidaw lacks direct international flights, and Internet connectivity is w

The Chinese nation has a tradition of respecting and caring for the aged. Nowadays, China faces greater-than-ever pressures to take care of its elderly people, thanks to the practical need to brace itself for an aging society.This can best explain why the national legislature decided in December to set the ninth day of every lunar September as Seniors Day, although the country already has its Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival, which falls on the same day as a reminder of the homage th

Former Australian cattle station manager Michael Sheehy has some singular advice for the Indonesian government if it wants to achieve self-sufficiency in beef: Follow the model of the booming palm oil industry and put cattle raising in corporate hands.As with most of Indonesia’s agriculture, the livestock industry is largely confined to low-technology operations ― backyard feedlots that mean a higher cost of production and higher prices for consumers as a result.The Indonesian government has use

The awarding of a Nobel Prize to three economists with divergent views on the working of markets highlights a troubling truth about the state of the discipline: We still don’t know nearly enough about why the prices of stocks, bonds and other assets move the way they do.If the economics profession wants to help the world avert ― or at least better survive ― financial crises, it will have to be more open to new ways of looking at this question.The recipients of this year’s Sveriges Riksbank Prize

NEWPORT BEACH ― The U.S. Federal Reserve sparked a global ― and now month-long ― guessing game with its decision on Sept. 18 not to “taper” its monthly purchases of long-term securities. The Fed does not surprise markets often, and this has been especially true of the Ben Bernanke-led Fed, which has devoted enormous time and effort to better communication, greater transparency, and timely management of expectations. Now that President Barack Obama has nominated Fed Vice Chair Janet L. Yellen to

In a negotiation, you might well have more power if you are powerless. Strength can be weakness, and weakness can be strength. Since 2011, these principles have been playing a significant role in conflicts between President Barack Obama and the House of Representatives.To see the general point, suppose that you are a malpractice lawyer, representing a patient in a suit against a doctor. Your client believes that the doctor made a big mistake. He is very angry. He knows a trial wouldn’t be a lot

ANTALYA, Turkey ― When President Richard Nixon visited Syria in 1974, Syrians lined the streets of Damascus to greet him. Not all were delighted by his visit, though. “Isn’t that Nixon the same one you have been telling us for years is an evil man who is completely in the control of the Zionists and our enemies?” an eight-year-old boy asked his father. “How could you welcome him and shake his hand?”Today, that boy is president of Syria.Though the United States is currently focused on destroying

WASHINGTON ― Syria’s chemical-weapons arsenal has rightly galvanized international attention. The chemical attacks against civilians have prompted Russia and the United States to put aside diplomatic tensions to devise a plan to eliminate the Syrian regime’s stockpiles. And the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which has been tasked with executing the Russian-U.S. plan, has just been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.Obviously, the dangers that such weapons pose do not en