In The News

Salmon Fishers Demand a Seal Cull

Henry McDonald August 29, 2008
Seals are a protected species in Ireland, and some fishermen blame them and even cormorants and other birds for a decline in salmon populations. Salmon swim the oceans and then return to the rivers where their own lives began to reproduce. There, humans and other predators wait to pick off the fish. Ecologists dismiss fishermen’s complaints, pointing to over-fishing by humans as the leading...

Population Woes

Salama A. Salama June 27, 2008
Tragedy unfolds in countries that fail to emphasize family planning or discourage people from having children they cannot afford – and economic hardship compounds the tragedy. Preaching and advertising fail to engage the poor in developing nations, particularly when large numbers are illiterate, argues Salama A. Salama for Al-Ahram Weekly. For some cultures, a large family represents economic...

Nuclear Weapons: The Greatest Peril to Civilization

March 25, 2008
Ted Turner started a global broadcasting network well before globalization became a common currency. His philanthropic efforts have since demonstrated both his global vision and blunt assessments of the challenges facing the world. As such, Turner is a master of globalization. As co-founder of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Turner delivered the keynote address at a Yale Center for the Study of...

Can the World Afford a Middle Class?

Moisés Naím February 28, 2008
Population adds pressure not only to the global environment, but also for societies and economies. Sustained growth in developing nations like China and India rapidly lifts people from poverty and the world must adjust, warns Moisés Naím, editor in chief of Foreign Policy. A growing middle class around the world is already increasing demand for meat, milk and other foods, thus increasing the...

Developing Countries Worse Off Than Once Thought – Part I

Branko Milanovic February 11, 2008
Reducing poverty has long been a goal for leaders, both national and international. Undertaking the task requires an understanding of the nature of poverty and its specific locations as well as programs that target economic and cultural causes, suggests this two-part series. The first article in the series, by economist Branko Milanovic, explains how detailed reports on prices throughout the...

China's Celebrities “Buy” Extra Children

Tania Branigan January 22, 2008
China, the most populous nation in the world, has a strict policy limiting families to one child. But growing numbers of wealthy Chinese bypass rules by paying the penalties. The penalty in the capital city is estimated at five times the average Beijing salary, a sum inconsequential for the rich and devastating for the poor. Bitterness over inequality has emerged in a country that remains...

In Singapore, A Local Switzerland for Asia's Wealthy

Wayne Arnold January 11, 2008
Singapore’s authoritarian order and highly regulated environment attracts foreign investors who value banking secrecy. Coupling a pro-business stance with amenities that appeal to the wealthy, Singapore has become a haven for private banking. While suppression of free speech and artistic expression is bothersome, Wayne Arnold reports for the International Herald Tribune that internal security...