In The News

Fewer Babies Pose Difficult Challenges for Europe

Joseph Chamie October 8, 2007
Over the next few decades, Europe's population level is expected to fall by nearly 70 million people, or 10 percent of its current level, even accounting for policies that promote immigration and reproduction. Birth rates have fallen significantly below replacement levels throughout Europe, and the continent's median age steadily climbs. As Joseph Chamie of the Center for Migration...

In Greenland, Potatoes Thrive as Seal Hunting Wanes

Colin Woodard October 8, 2007
Rising average temperatures may transform life for millions over the coming decades, and dramatic changes in Greenland, near the Arctic Circle, could foreshadow some of the turmoil for the rest of the world. For centuries, the island's residents lived off ice fishing and seal hunting, accessing resources by dog sledding across the frozen sea. Today, however, climate change has thinned the...

Trade and Security Trump Democracy in Burma – Part I

Bertil Lintner October 3, 2007
Burma, called Myanmar by its current rulers, is rich with natural resources, yet one of the poorest nations in Asia. All resources go toward keeping the current regime in power, and the military junta relies on violent repression to stop Buddhist monks and activists marching in protest to seek political and economic reform. This two-part YaleGlobal series analyzes the international response. In...

Burma's Brutal Crackdown Continues

October 3, 2007
Although the streets of Yangon, Burma's largest city are now quiet and empty of protesters, the killing has not stopped. Der Spiegel correspondents report that police forces have invaded monasteries in the area, imprisoning and executing dissenters under the cover of darkness. Although the world condemns violence against unarmed protesters, some authorities see cause for hope. British...

Beneath Booming Cities, China’s Future Is Drying Up

Jim Yardley October 2, 2007
China teeters on the edge of a water crisis. The country has five times the population of the United States, but less water, with the bulk of that supply in the south. Past policy mistakes, a dense population, climate change and galloping economic growth has shrunk China’s water supply. Agricultural irrigation accounts for most water usage, and pollution taints sources nationwide. The...

Rumble in the Graveyard

Margot Cohen October 1, 2007
Just two decades ago, gravestone suppliers based in India were poised to dominate the global market. But now, China imports colorful granite available only in Indian quarries, manufactures tombstones and sells them to the world. In the process, China undercuts prices from other producers, including those in India. As Sino-Indian trade reaches unprecedented levels, India’s trade deficit with China...

Let’s Have a Real Debate on Globalization

Matthew J. Slaughter September 28, 2007
Many workers in the US fear that the United Automobile Workers’ strike against General Motors signals that the domestic auto industry is “losing” at globalization. The strike has ended, but some workers urge the federal government to scale back US involvement in international trade, most notably with emerging markets like China. Economist Matthew Slaughter counters that globalization has netted...