In The News

US, Japan Tweak Marine Exit Plan

Masami Ito May 2, 2012
The US military presence in Japan is a reminder of a complicated history of bitter opponents during World War II who eventually became the strongest of allies. History bears heavily on any US military plans in Japan, including a recent US decision to relocate 9,000 Marines from Okinawa, with some going to Guam in Hawaii, but others scheduled to relocate to a more remote area in north Okinawa....

US Battle to Revive Manufacturing – Part II

Clyde Prestowitz April 13, 2012
Jobs remain a central concern for the US voters and the 2012 presidential campaign. Candidates of opposing parties, and even insiders of the Obama administration, debate whether government intervention, including subsidies for particular industries, helps or hurts companies. This YaleGlobal series analyzes the US effort to jumpstart manufacturing, and in the second article, Clyde Prestowitz,...

Will Bo’s Fall Presage Rise of China’s Reformers?

Frank Ching April 9, 2012
The processes behind the selection of the Chinese Communist Party’s top leaders – the nine-member standing committee of the Politburo – are long, deliberative and secretive. The veil of secrecy was lifted briefly when Bo Xilai, who had seemed destined to make the standing committee team, was unceremoniously removed for excessive ambition. The ousted Chongqing party secretary’s campaign for...

US Foundations Boost Chinese Government, Not NGOs

Anthony J. Spires March 28, 2012
The number of NGOs continues to multiply worldwide, and competition for funding is intense. US-based foundations that contribute to international endeavors tend to promote human rights and democracy. But recipient programs in China are tightly monitored and controlled by the government, explains Anthony J. Spires, sociology professor with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, adding that “major...

World Momentum Builds for Universal Health Coverage

Yanzhong Huang March 9, 2012
The US may resist universal health care coverage, but less wealthy emerging economies are investing in providing health care to all. Despite the economic recession, nearly 100 countries are studying how to institute government-funded programs, aiming to offer affordable basic care for all citizens and control costs, reports Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on...

Through the Eyes of Asia’s Tiger Cubs

Mark L. Clifford February 20, 2012
Asia’s post–Cold War generation of young professionals have a decidedly optimistic outlook on the future – as revealed by the Asia’s Challenge 2020 essay competion organized by the Asia Business Council, Time magazine and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Mark L. Clifford, executive director of the Hong Kong-based Asia Business Council, co-authored...

China: Hard Power at Home, Soft Power Abroad

Frank Ching February 8, 2012
China’s hard-edged regime, struggling to wield soft power, is concerned by the dominating influence of Western media and culture. China’s government is taking steps to remedy the problem, explains journalist Frank Ching. One success story is the establishment of more than 300 Confucius Institutes, many linked with universities, teaching Chinese language and culture in nearly 100 countries....