In The News

The Food Crisis

Martin Walker September 10, 2010
The world’s food supply is based on limited natural resources. Any disruptions in water supplies or weather patterns – exacerbated by growing populations and increased development of land – can quickly lead to food shortages, high prices and unrest. Martin Walker, writing for UPI.com, predicts “pressure on food supplies for decades to come.” Climate change and a fast-mutating fungus Ug99 that...

The Two-Tier Internet: Fighting for Control of the Web's Future

Frank Dohmen, Martin U. Müller, Hilmar Schmundt August 27, 2010
Profit margins have shrunk for internet providers. Attracted by low prices and rapid growth, consumers rely on cloud computing, which uses central servers for storage of treasured documents – yet few understand internet technology or long-term maintenance needs. A recent release from Google and Verizon recommended regulations, calling “for governments to leave it up to the market to determine...

China Discovers World Expo Is No Olympics

Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom August 17, 2010
After the dazzling 2008 Olympics, China had hoped to draw attention once again with the World Expo, exceeding previous World’s Fair records with visiting nations, exhibitions and attendance. But even before the Expo, Shanghai and many other cities around the globe already carry significant international cachet, displaying futuristic trends, or what Maura Elizabeth Cunningham and Jeffrey N....

Global Brands Contend With Appreciation for the Local

Bryant Simon July 6, 2010
Fear of global brands is a powerful, universally recognized phenomenon. Just as powerful and less noticed is the consumer pushback against global brands and search for unique, local products, notes Bryant Simon, author and American Studies professor. “The spread of these branded symbols of globalization raises the value of the local,” he maintains, explaining how Starbucks deliberately set out...

Seizing the Moment for Clean Energy

Ann Florini July 1, 2010
Government and corporate helplessness to stop oil gushing from a broken pipe in the Gulf of Mexico is a depressing reminder of the world’s utter dependence on a limited supply of fossil fuel that poses so many environmental threats. US President Barack Obama suggested that the accident could transform the nation’s energy policy, much as the 9/11 attacks altered US approach to security. But the...

Global Migration: A World Ever More on the Move

Jason DeParle June 29, 2010
People’s movement around the globe – for work, wanderlust or safety – has long reordered the world in ways comprehended only decades, even centuries later, notes Jason DeParle for the New York Times. New arrivals influence trade, work habits, schools, culture and politics at all levels. Mobility is at historically high levels, and the United Nations estimates the globe has more than 200 million...

Beijing: A Global Leader With 'China First' Policy

David Shambaugh June 29, 2010
Observers have long hoped for new openness and cooperation from a confident China. They scan every international event, from the majestic Beijing Olympics of summer 2008 to the recent G-20 summit in Toronto, for indications of China’s policy direction. If any clear trend is visible, it is that the world’s second largest economy largely continues with a narrow, fluctuating foreign-policy approach...