In The News

Will Ballots Win Over Bullets in Pakistan?

Paula R. Newberg February 15, 2008
The world holds low expectations for fair elections in Pakistan. Tightening military rule and removing civil liberties in recent years have not restored stability in the terrorism-plagued country that is also a nuclear power. After a turbulent 2007 – including bitter conflict between courts and the current president and assassination of a leading candidate, Benazir Bhutto – uncertainty prevails...

Europe’s Philosophy of Failure

Stefan Theil February 14, 2008
Two of the world’s most advanced industrial democracies use textbooks with biased and distorted lessons against capitalism, suggests an analysis by Newsweek economics editor Stefan Theil. Even as France and Germany’s political leaders attempt to open their countries’ economies to the free market and give citizens incentives to create new jobs instead of relying on the government, the schools...

Seeking a Path in Democracy’s Dead End

C.J. Chivers February 4, 2008
While sending US troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush administration also urged democracy throughout Central Asia, including the former satellites of the Soviet Union. Citizens in Georgia and Ukraine responded, but elsewhere dictators cling to power, relying on violence, corruption and charges of “terrorism” against opponents. The administration was forced to recalibrate its goals, reports C....

Beware the Internet's Looming Class Divide

Johann Hari February 1, 2008
Instant knowledge and connections via the internet can allow individuals to make better decisions in almost any sphere. “It is increasingly clear that the internet is going to be a transformative moment in human history as significant as the printing press,” writes columnist Johann Hari for the Independent. While the internet allows for interaction, a researcher warns that the tool – relatively...

A New Day for a Divided Peninsula

Shim Jae Hoon January 16, 2008
Since taking control of North Korea, Kim Jong Il has isolated his nation, devastated its economy and pursued a nuclear-weapons program that has alarmed the world. In attempting to dissuade the Kim regime from its self-destructive ways, South Korea opted for what became known as a “sunshine policy,” promoting engagement, patience and ample aid. But South Koreans grew weary of shoveling billions at...

Redder Than the Real Thing

Ian Williams January 7, 2008
To secure Chinese favor, the United States has devalued Taiwan’s quest for democracy. America’s official stance is pro-China, despite the inequality and injustice propagated by the Chinese government, says the author. Ironically, the superior form of governance is the form practiced by Taiwan, and that is the European-style social democracy, which America should appreciate more, logically...

The Invisible Hand of Globalization

Susan Froetschel January 3, 2008
Despite exponentially-advancing understanding of economic forces over the 20th century, Adam Smith’s invisible hand continues to elude. In his recently published book none other than former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan essentially throws up his hands. Every time a financial crisis hits the world, like the current turmoil caused by sub-prime mortgage lending in the US, calls...