The problem, of course, is that the world as it exists is not to be confused with a society within a country. There is no global court of law with real authority over matters of war and peace; the World Court (more formally the International Court of Justice) located in The Hague is in reality much more modest and technical in its scope. The Intern

There are important differences, in particular between the energy-rich nations (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan) and the countries that are poorer, less stable, and less connected to the world (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). What these countries (with the partial exception of Uzbekistan, which is introducing a number of economic and political reforms) have i

vertical proliferation, which means adding to their inventory or improving their capabilities.

All of this suggests a future for the Middle East that is like its past, defined by violence within and across borders, little freedom or democracy, and standards of living that lag behind much of the rest of the world.

There are other less obvious or visible barriers to free trade. One is subsidies, essentially economic grants, low-cost loans, or purchases made by governments to or from domestic companies or industries that offset part of their costs of production and thereby allow them to set lower prices than they normally could. This pricing ability allows the

More than 40 percent of the world’s countries and roughly the same percentage of the world’s people live in countries classified as free and democratic. India is the world’s most populous democracy, the United States the world’s second largest. Approximately one-third of the world’s people live in countries (including China) that are decidedly unfr

South Asia is also increasingly an important region in the context of China. The United States, Japan, Australia, and France are building stronger relationships with India partly to balance China. India is modernizing its military and has the world’s fourth-largest military budget, strengthening itself so that it can project power into the Indian O

New technologies have the potential to foster development. By the end of 2018, there were more than 7.5 billion mobile cellular subscriptions, averaging just over one for every person on the planet. The number of internet users reached 1 billion in 2005 and is now estimated to stand at 3.9 billion, or just over half the people on the planet. Such t

What could change things? As other economies grow and become more open, they may be both willing and able to take on the role of a reserve currency. China obviously comes to mind here. Change could also come about if the world comes to have concerns over the health or management of the U.S. economy. The large and growing pool of U.S. debt, now abov