In The News

Democratic Hysteria

Pranab Bardhan September 8, 2011
Democracy requires an educated and well-informed citizenry, and to paraphrase former US President Thomas Jefferson, a nation cannot expect to be both ignorant and free, living in a state of civilization. Two intelligent leaders, Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh, are being sidelined by ignorant and passionate debates, observes economist Pranab Bardhan in an essay for Project Syndicate. In a quest...

A Dispatch Disaster in Six Acts

Christian Stöcker September 2, 2011
More than 250,000 US State Department cables were released to WikiLeaks and, starting in November 2010, gradually published in newspapers around the globe with the understanding that sensitive details, including names of informants, would be redacted. Under the threat of denial-of-service attacks and censorship, WikiLeaks staff released password-protected copies of the cables to supporters. Not...

Torture in Bahrain Aided by Nokia Siemens

Vernon Silver, Ben Elgin August 31, 2011
Torture victims in Bahrain report that interrogators confronted them with detailed transcripts of mobile phone conversations. Surveillance equipment in Bahrain was sold by Siemens AG and maintained by Nokia Siemens Networks and Trovicor, according to company employees who requested anonymity. “The use of the system for interrogation in Bahrain illustrates how Western-produced surveillance...

Making the Desert Bloom

August 30, 2011
The North American Free Trade Agreement of 1994 gave Mexico great potential, but the country also became among the hardest hit in the Americas by the global debt crisis, notes the Economist. Some analysts urge ongoing diversification of trade partners to strengthen the economy: “The Inter-American Development Bank, the biggest lender in the region, describes a ‘two speed’ Latin America, in which...

The Real Foreign Hand Backing Anna

Rajiv Kumar August 25, 2011
One man’s protest against corruption has caught India’s attention, ignited by trends of mass protests abroad, argues Rajiv Kumar in an opinion essay for the Hindu BusinessLine: With fewer opportunities in the West, investors flock toward emerging economies like India, bringing along new demands for transparency and accountability; fewer escape routes exist for India’s elite to flee corruption;...

Globalizing Insurgency in Somalia

Christopher Anzalone August 23, 2011
The Somali Al Qaeda–linked insurgent movement al-Shabab has ruled most of southern and central Somalia, including the capital city of Mogadishu, since mid-2008. Originating as the most radical wing of the military arm of the Islamic Courts Union coalition, the movement delivered relative law and order and peace to Somalia in 2006. Since then, al-Shabab has moved ideologically closer to the...

Anna Hazare's Fight for Change Has Inspired Millions of Indians

Chetan Bhagat August 19, 2011
Millions of Indians are questioning power’s corrupting influence, after Anna Hazare, 74, launched a hunger strike this week. His demand: parliamentary consideration of a bill to establish an ombudsman’s office for investigating and punishing corrupt politicians and government employees. “Archaic laws, designed for autocratic, colonial rulers with no accountability (yes, blame the British for...