Indeed, if engagement is supposed to result in political change, US engagement with Cuba is most likely doomed to fail, writes Jorge G. Castañeda. After all, trade and investment have done nothing to bring about a democratic opening in Vietnam over the last 20 years.
The Conversation
Obama in Cuba:
The Closing of the Academic Mind
Any denial of academic freedom is a blow struck against the meaning of a university. The irony today is that some of the most worrying attacks on academic freedom have been coming from inside university.
The Agony of Hillary Clinton
This impressive, remarkably intelligent woman just doesn’t have the feel for politics that is demanded at the highest levels. For one thing, she’s simply not a very good politician.
Why Is International Law Failing to Protect Sharks?
A key meeting this month on migratory sharks represent an important opportunity for advancing regulations to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of endangered shark species.
Terrorism Isn’t the Biggest Threat Facing America. It’s Barely a Threat at All.
Ignorance, misplaced fear, irresponsible media and blustering presidential candidates have made more of terrorism than it deserves while sidelining the one weapon at America’s disposal in the fight: smarts.
Low Gas Prices Are Great For You and Me. For World Security? Not So Much.
Banditry, corruption and tyranny from Saudi Arabia to Iraq to Russia depends on high oil prices. As prices fall, the bandits in charge will quarrel more among themselves – and with their neighbors.
Did Goebbels Win? Nazis Are Gone (Mostly), But Deadly Propaganda Is Thriving
It’s not just ISIS: the increasingly sophisticated use of hate speech directed against minorities and migrants has been a worrisome trend in Europe and the United States. Bombs and bullets alone cannot defeat political poison.
Taking the Pulse of Crazy: The Election Season on Eve of Iowa and New Hampshire
The electorate is angrier and more fearful than in recent presidential contests, and both Trump and Cruz are capitalizing on it, but as the field narrows, Trump’s appeal may not be as lasting.
How to Defeat Islamist Extremists in 2016
We should think of the Middle East and Islam as being in a process of transition, with the West helping it along: the Middle East toward rule-based and religiously tolerant societies, and Islam toward its rightful place as a faith of progress and humanity, argues Tony Blair.
The Real Enemy: Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism, Mother to al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Taliban
If you want to know who inspired the Taliban, al-Qaeda and ISIS, look further than America’s “friend” and ally, Saudi Arabia, which has been financing the spread of Wahhabism’s lethal adulteration of Islam for years.