In The News

U.S.-China Ideological Rivalry Heats Up

Eric Teo Chu Cheow January 6, 2006
While the US relies on free markets and free societies as the basis for contemporary socioeconomic and political movement, China focuses on stability as the essence of its foreign policy. The Anglo-Saxon model, which has fueled globalization, stems from a collection of neo-liberal practices called the “Washington Consensus,” whereas the Chinese model, based on a dual economy of private and public...

HIV/AIDS: A Truly Global Response Needed For a Global Scourge

Michael Merson November 29, 2005
Two years after its first appearance in 1981, the AIDS virus had spread to 60 countries. It rapidly became a global epidemic that clearly required a global response. Organizing such a response, however, has proved to be difficult. The first fifteen years of the global struggle against AIDS were marred by low funding, political infighting and controversy over prevention methods. The new...

International Cooperation at a Crossroads

September 7, 2005
This month, world leaders will gather to review progress since the 2000 Millennium Declaration, a pledge to eliminate global poverty. Though much progress has been made, according to the United Nations 2005 Human Development Report, much work remains – particularly in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The report focuses on three "pillars of cooperation,"...

The Descent of Man

Dennis Lim August 3, 2005
Darwin's Nightmare, Hubert Sauper's new documentary released in the United States this week, chronicles an evolutionary and globalization-related predicament. Decades ago, the Nile perch was introduced to the waters of Lake Victoria in Tanzania, with the aim of replenishing over-fished waters. In the years since, the six-foot fish have proved a lucrative export for Tanzania, but a...

Africa After the Music Stops

Susan E. Rice August 2, 2005
From the Live 8 concerts to the lofty agenda of the G-8 summit, the world's wealthiest nations have been charged with the daunting task of combating African poverty. On the surface, writes Brookings scholar Susan E. Rice, the Gleneagles Summit accomplished more than many expected. Member nations pledged to double African aid, provide debt relief for certain countries, and address the...

A Place Where Women Rule

Emily Wax July 9, 2005
The small community of Umoja, Kenya, is a unique experiment in social progress and gender equality. The town serves as a refuge for women and does not admit men, much to the chagrin of the latter. Umoja represents a new awareness among African women about AIDS, rape, spousal abuse, and the gaps in legal codes that allow such violations to go unpunished. Women are increasingly banding together and...

Unlike Africa, Crisis in Asia Not Yet on Political Radar

Eric Johnston July 6, 2005
As the recent Live 8 concerts and G-8 summit shed light on Africa's lingering problems, Asia's AIDS crisis is struggling to attract public attention. With the media focused on Africa, the 7th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held last weekend in Japan, failed to raise the profile of the crisis in Asia, leading some to criticize the bad timing of the conference....