In The News

Greek Crisis and the Future of the European Union – Part II

Jean-Pierre Lehmann May 7, 2010
Internal divisions can endanger any union more than external threats. Mistrust – a lack of shared basic values or vision – can decimate cooperation, explains Jean-Pierre Lehmann, professor of political economy, in the second article of a two-part series analyzing the Greek debt crisis. Lehmann describes Greece’s immense debt load, the history of corruption, and their effect on the European Union...

Greek Crisis and the Future of the European Union – Part I

Jonathan Fenby May 5, 2010
Membership in the 16-nation euro zone was supposed to boost Europe’s wealth – but the debt crisis in Greece reveals how a weak link in the chain could also risk spreading misery. Deeming Greece, a nation of 10 million, “too big to fail,” EU members scramble to put together a bailout package. Meanwhile, Greeks take to the streets, burning EU flags and protesting austerity measures, with three...

How To Get Rid of Nuclear Weapons

May 5, 2010
As signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty gather to review its forty years’ performance, the danger posed by nuclear weapons remains undiminished. Gareth Evans, Co-Chairman of an International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, interviewed by Nayan Chanda, Editor of YaleGlobal Online, discusses the threat and urgent tasks ahead for the international community...

Globalization Helps Spread 'Exotic' Diseases

Muiris Houston May 5, 2010
Globalization means increased travel and tourism for many people in the developed world. But when travelers return home, they can bring more than photographs and memories. Often unbeknownst to them, pathogens travel on their bodies and with belongings. In recent years, Europe has seen the outbreak of a handful of diseases traditionally associated with the tropical world. Northern Italy saw...

Listening to (and Saving) the World’s Languages

Sam Roberts May 4, 2010
Immigrants in New York City have made it a place of remarkable linguistic diversity. There are an estimated 800 languages spoken, meaning that globalization has allowed languages born in every corner of the world to gather in New York City. As globalization places a priority on a handful of major languages in the world for business purposes, other languages have become rare and are dying out. But...

Silicon Sweatshops: An illness in Suzhou

Kathleen E. McLaughlin March 19, 2010
A large number of workers at a plant in China that makes components for Apple products have become sick from handling a chemical used to clean the glass screens for products like the iPod and iPhone. The company doesn't have the necessary permits to use the chemical, n-hexane, but continues to do so to shave a few seconds off its production time. Apple, meanwhile, refuses to answer questions...

Adieu, Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna?

Alex David Rogers March 17, 2010
The Atlantic blue fin tuna risks extinction thanks to overfishing and poor global governance, according ocean expert Alex David Rogers. To add insult to injury, recent proposals to ban all international trade in the fish are being rejected by Japan, the largest consumer. Japan’s decision could significantly undermine the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and deal a...