In The News

Westward Ho: Asians March Into Africa – Part I

Johan Lagerkvist March 16, 2011
New trade routes are taking hold, linking Africa’s rich resources with the industrial needs in Asia and South America, and this two-part YaleGlobal series analyzes the emerging economic, political and security partnerships. The 2008 global economic crisis and slow recovery for the US and Europe have only reinforced the South-South partnerships, shifting trade relations and fueling economic growth...

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

Keith Bradsher, Hiroko Tabuchi March 16, 2011
In a disaster, society often depends on a few courageous individuals who risk their lives to stabilize equipment and minimize damage. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan battered the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, adding new dangers to operations that had already carried ample risks. Most staff was evacuated, but a small crew volunteered to stay behind, working with flashlights and last...

A Tale of Two Ports

Christophe Jaffrelot January 7, 2011
A common strategy in geopolitical rivalries is to accrue alliances, strengthen positions and counter competitors. Of course, Asia is rich with historic rivalries: India and China, Pakistan and India, Iran and Pakistan, Iran and the US, the US and China. Two ports in the Arabian Sea, one in Iran and another Pakistan, demonstrate an emerging contest for power in the Arabian Sea, explains...

The Issue of Celebrities and Aid Is Deceptively Complex

Madeleine Bunting December 23, 2010
Nonprofits and charities increasingly rely on the goodwill of celebrities to promote worthy causes. In the past, celebrities have focused early attention on causes deemed unpopular including AIDS. Some suggest that use of celebrities provides a shortcut in reaching masses to secure funding, but critics question whether the excessive celebrity attention diminishes serious policy analysis or...

Clinton Urges Cambodia to Strike a Balance With China

John Pomfret November 16, 2010
Recent multi-stop visits to Asia by US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demonstrate newfound US respect for the entire continent. The previous administration’s secretary of state last scheduled meetings in Asia in 2003, reports John Pomfret for the Washington Post. Clinton’s visit was her sixth. Her goal was “to reinforce a central plank of foreign policy in the Obama...

Food Production: Agriculture Wars

Javier Blas, Leslie Hook September 13, 2010
A hostile bid for the world’s largest listed fertilizer company highlights the role of food production in a world experiencing population growth. For decades, an illusion of overabundance prevailed. But the global fertilizer sector has been a focus of merger-and-acquisition activity this year, as alarms over food scarcity, punctuated by short-term price hikes, renew interest in food production....

The Burden of Thirst

Tina Rosenberg August 25, 2010
Information flows to every corner of the world much like movements of the water cycle, connecting people more than ever before. But nothing separates us more than the inequality that exists in access to water. Nearly 900 million people lack access to clean water, and more than 3.3 million – most children under age five – die each year as a result. In many developing countries, the brunt of the...