In The News

Hoosier Honda

Douglas Brinkley July 25, 2006
As the largest US auto-makers cut jobs and close factories, foreign car companies expand production in the American heartland, and the expansion wins them friends in towns where not too long ago driving a Japanese car would have been anathema. Foreign firms steer clear of Detroit and head to communities that offer incentives for factories built in their towns; Indiana state officials, for example...

Time for a New Approach to Pyongyang?

Richard Halloran July 24, 2006
Ever since North Korea’s missile launch, the world has focused on diplomacy, sanctions and even hints of military action – all deemed ineffective or impractical. The Triple-I Strategy – ignore, isolate and implode – could be a worthy replacement. Led by the US, this action entails ending all official communications with North Korea, imposing substantial economic sanctions, and imposing military...

A Driven President Faces a World of Crises

Michael Abramowitz July 20, 2006
From North Korea to Iran, Somalia to Afghanistan and places in between, the US government faces a barrage of conflicts that could hinder the Bush administration’s stated foreign policy goal of democracy building. Committing so many resources in Iraq has limited US flexibility in responding to other crises, and some observers from both political parties in the US express pessimism about the...

The Village That Refused to Die

Jonathan Watts July 19, 2006
Hydro-engineers making their way to the Chezhou village in rural China didn’t expect a warm welcome, but never imagined they would be held hostage by villagers angry about the construction of a dam that will force them to abandon their homeland. The government has proposed a dam for one of China’s most ecologically diverse and beautiful areas – the Tiger Leaping Gorge. While villagers have staged...

North Korea’s Missiles Backfire

Shim Jae Hoon July 18, 2006
North Korea’s missile launches in early July, despite repeated pleas by all, enraged an international community worried about a growing threat to global security. The launches even provoked North Korea’s longtime allies, China and Russia, prompting both parties to sign on to the UN resolution calling for sanctions. South Korea, which favored negotiations and reconciliation with the North, now...

Communist Party at Crossroads

Chua Chin Hon July 11, 2006
The Chinese Communist Party has maintained its grip on power in China for 85 years, and by many estimates, is still going strong. Abroad, China’s influence continues to grow, while at home, membership in the party and its local organizations has also increased. Observers point out, however, a myriad of domestic problems facing the CCP that could erode its power: environmental problems, ongoing...

Effect of Climate Change on Oceans Gaining Attention

Tom Paulson July 11, 2006
Richard Feely of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has long reported on how carbon emissions increase acidity of the world’s oceans. In June, a panel of scientists confirmed his findings about the destruction of ocean habitat in a federal report. The report recommends more fieldwork about the effect of carbon dioxide in acidifying the ocean. The oceans have long absorbed...