On November 18, President Obama announced his nomination of former CNN chairman Walter Isaacson as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. He will also submit nominations for the full complement of seven members of the bipartisan board, including Bush Administration spokesperson Dana Perino as one of the Republicans. Read More

The schadenfreude surrounding Dubai World’s request for a partial debt standstill is understandable, however lamentable. Dubai has the unfortunate timing of having experienced its tremendous evolution, and subsequent stumble, at the peak of populist displeasure with leveraged driven growth. The lack of specifics surrounding the crisis is partially Dubai’s fault. Read More

APDS Blogger: John Nahas Numerous initiatives, programs and events seek to foster democracy and democratic reforms in the Middle East. Some hit, most miss. Read More

Now that the big Asia trip is history, it’s natural to judge it on the basis of known results from its biggest portion — Obama’s three days in China. For the American president, there were no obvious breakthroughs on exchange rates or trade, climate or human rights, so maybe this visit was not the most successful. On the other hand, viewed in the context of America’s recent history with East Asia, there was a certain welcome absence of drama. Expectations were managed, there was no brinkmanship. Maybe that could be considered an achievement. Read More