In The News

Do the Awakening Giants Have Feet of Clay? – Part I

Pranab Bardhan April 19, 2010
China and India have made impressive strides in recent decades, expanding their economies and middle classes. This two-part series examines and tests the claims made by economist Pranab Bardhan in his book “Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India.” In the book, Bardhan points out that while the two nations have lifted millions out of poverty, both continue...

China: Defending its Core Interest in the World – Part I

Orville Schell April 5, 2010
China has shown increasing intransigence towards the world in the defense of what it considers its core interest. This two-part series analyzes how China’s hard line policy may not have helped its best interest. Recent developments in the US-China relationship – both in politics, with the rocky start between presidents Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, and in business with Google’s partial retreat from...

Xinjiang – Where China’s Worry Intersects the World

Christopher M. Clarke March 19, 2010
The recent killing of a Uighur terrorist in Afghanistan has brought new focus on the ethnic group in China’s western border region.of Xinjiang. The situation of the Uighurs – an ethnic Turkic, Muslim minority – reveals much about China’s internal conduct and external worries, according to China expert Christopher M. Clarke. Hailing from Xinjiang province, Uighurs have seen their majority in that...

New Thai Immigration Rules Come Under Fire

Patrick Barta March 3, 2010
In Thailand, tensions are mounting as the state has introduced a more rigorous registration process for foreigners that includes proving one's home country. Around half of the country's 1.5 million migrant laborers have refused to come forward to register, which human rights activists reason is due to Thailand's history of immigrant abuse and a fear of retribution. On the other...

Free Trade, Loss of Support Systems Crippling Food Production in Africa

February 18, 2010
Free trade and privatization, two hallmarks of development strategy in the last few decades, have not produced the intended benefits in developing countries. In fact, these policies increased poverty and decreased food production, exacerbating food shortages in the developing world like the one in 2008, according to a multi-university study. The problem is that free trade is not really free and...

Sands Shifting for Africa's Nomadic Herders

February 12, 2010
A recent study undertaken by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) found that African pastoralists produce goods more efficiently than their peers who practice “modern” farming techniques. For example, while cattle ranchers specialize solely in meat, pastoralists utilize their cattle's milk and blood, and produce manure from their excrement. Moreover,...

English or Hinglish - Does It Matter What Indian Students Are Learning?

Anjoo Mohun January 29, 2010
In India's bustling cities, language-mixing between English and India's other dozens of languages has led to the emergence of a culture that uses “Hinglish” – or Hindi mixed with English – in everything from casual conversation to Bollywood films. While “proper” English remains the language of job possibilities, Hinglish reveals how languages adapt to the societies where they spread,...