In The News

This Is Not Time to Slap Iran

Trudy Rubin August 12, 2013
A vote in the US House of Representatives in favor of harsher economic sanctions for Iran, days before the president’s inauguration, could be counterproductive, explains Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer. She urges the US should try negotiations before the Senate votes, considering that sanctions have only hurt the Iranian economy and not deterred the nuclear program. Critics suggest that...

Japan Says Fukushima Leak Worse Than Thought, Government Joins Clean-Up

Mari Saito, Antoni Slodkowski August 9, 2013
More than two years after the Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed by an earthquake and tsunami, the utility company in charge still struggles to contain the radiation. Groundwater flowing through the plant’s basement is radioactive, with about 300 tons assumed to be escaping each day and heading for the Pacific Ocean. “The revelation amounted to an acknowledgement that plant operator Tokyo...

The Asian Overhang

Nayan Chanda August 8, 2013
Investors in search of high returns move quickly in selecting economic winners and losers – and they have become wary about the potential for growth in emerging markets. The International Monetary Fund has pared early projections of global growth. “China’s failure to come to grips with its debt overhang and India’s fatal attraction to populist economic policies could combine to drag the world...

Low Fertility Rates – Just a Phase?

Michael S. Teitelbaum, Jay Winter July 9, 2013
The phenomenon of women delaying childbirth and limiting family size to two children or less is gaining traction worldwide. Low fertility rates can deliver prosperity for individuals, but disrupt patterns of economic growth. Some countries compensate for low fertility rates with immigration, which brings its own set of worries. Changing population patterns influence the world in complex ways for...

Biggest Protests in 20 years Sweep Brazil

Todd Benson, Asher Levine July 3, 2013
"The people have awakened" is one slogan of the massive demonstrations underway in Brazil. About 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil's biggest cities, organized mostly through social media campaigns. Corruption, poor public services, rising prices and lackluster growth during the past two years are among the widespread complaints. While billions are spent on...

Get Ready for the Next China

Stephen S. Roach July 2, 2013
Foreign investors and governments must prepare to deal with China's new economic goals. Under new leaders, China is shifting toward a stable consumer-led growth model, away from production and rapid growth, writes Stephen S. Roach, Yale professor, author and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia. New policies emphasize discipline in politics and finance. Also, the country’s service sector...

Climate Change and Financial Instability Seen as Top Global Threats

June 28, 2013
The Pew Research Center survey assessed global attitudes in 39 nations and identified climate change seen as a threat by 54 percent, financial stability by 52 percent, Islamic extremism by 49 percent and nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran by less than 40 percent of more than 37,000 respondents. Concern about climate change was highest in Latin America at 65 percent. Top concerns of...