In The News

The Age of Peace

Carolyn O’Hara August 2, 2010
Much attention is directed to nations with low birth rates and aging populations, blamed for diminished economic growth and strained government budgets. Another magazine, Foreign Policy, once even labeled the demographic phenomenon as a “Gray Menace.” But every cloud has its silver lining – and economics is not the only measure for quality of life. Developing nations with “youth bulges,” such as...

Animosity Against English Teachers in Seoul

Jiyeon Lee February 9, 2010
Foreign English teachers in South Korea are coming under attack. The group “Citizens of Right Education” was formed to rid South Korea of unqualified foreign English teachers, involved in criminal or scandalous activities. Meanwhile, the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) claims that English teachers have been vilified in the news, frequently presented as being involved in sexual...

South Koreans Struggle With Race

Choe Sang-Hun November 3, 2009
South Korea's development in the past half-century is a testament to the opportunities for prosperity globalization affords. Yet, despite South Korea’s export-led growth and its populace's near-obsession with learning English (particularly from foreign-born, white speakers), many South Korean’s are hostile to foreigners living and seeking work among them. Such reactions are likely...

Japan’s Coming Election Could Mean Its Withdrawal from the World

Ko Mishima August 25, 2009
The result of Japan’s upcoming election could be more than a test of confidence for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It might determine the nature of the country’s engagement with the world. According to Professor Ko Mishima, the Japanese doubt the LDP has a handle on the nation’s economy, and thus a win by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) looks close to certain. Though...

Many in Denial Over Rising Population

Mark O'Connor January 2, 2009
As 2008 came to a close, government leaders fretted about ongoing conflicts and economic crisis. But few admit that a climbing population exacerbates any problems, argues Mark O’Connor in an essay for the Sydney Morning Herald. O’Connor’s essay focuses on Australia as one of the few developed nations that reports an above-average birth rate. A larger population results in more pressure for the...

Lump Together and Like It

November 10, 2008
The statistics on urbanization worldwide are startling – in the past 30 years alone, urban populations have gone from 1.6 to 3.3 billion people, while the next 30 years project additional growth of 2 billion people. The scale and speed of urbanization today is unprecedented in history, with projections of 2 billion slum-dwellers in 2030. Developing countries like Egypt, with more than 18 million...

Foreign Policy Challenges for the New US President – Part II

Joseph Chamie November 3, 2008
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained at center stage of the world's attention for a half century, with permanent resolution proving an elusive goal. In the second part of a two-part series examining foreign-policy challenges for the next US president, demographer Joseph Chamie shows how that conflict might present itself in the coming years based on population trends of Israel and...