In The News

India Not Shining Any More

Ashok Malik December 20, 2011
The world’s largest democracy wages constant battle against entrenched special interests and the lure of socialistic protectionism. The most recent skirmish was on India’s plan to allow limited foreign direct investment in the retail trade. Critics rallied, raising doubts about the government’s ability to protect small traders against giants like Walmart, Carrefour and other foreign retailers....

“Playing Baseball Without a Bat”

Thomas. L. Friedman November 9, 2011
In an interview with YaleGlobal editor Nayan Chanda, Thomas. L. Friedman talks about his book "That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back," co-written with Michael Mandelbaum. He explains the reasons for the slow decline of the United States, especially its failure to adapt to the hyper-connected world it helped to create, four...

The 19th-Century World-System

Immanuel Wallerstein October 31, 2011
Sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein, the originator of the modern world-system theory, published volume four of his opus, which examines the development of centrist liberalism during the 19th century and its inevitable imbalances. Centrist liberalism, encompassing enlightened conservatives and pragmatic radicals, supported the expansion of state powers. The powerful feared the exercise of popular...

Attention Buffetts 'Round the World

Mark Bloomfield October 11, 2011
After US billionaire Warren Buffet wrote in an opinion piece that the wealthy should pay higher taxes to boost the US economy, the suggestion triggered a global domino effect, explains economic policy expert Mark Bloomfield in an essay for Politico. Wealthy counterparts in France and Germany joined the chorus, but Bloomfield cautions against generating more funds for flawed systems: “The U.S. has...

Overthrow of Tunisian President Jolts Arab Region

Liz Sly, Leila Fadel January 19, 2011
Depending on one’s position, the protests that drove the Tunisian president from power inspire either hope or fear about a domino effect. Citizens living under brutal authoritarian regimes throughout the Middle East, from Algeria to Yemen, resent corruption, limited political participation and dismal economic conditions have responded with a burst of anger unnerving leaders and their foreign...

The Post-WikiLeaks World – Part II

Rebecca Wexler December 17, 2010
After WikiLeaks released secret diplomatic cables, the US government strives to apologize for sensitive breaches in confidences and punish all involved. Internet privacy is elusive for both individuals and powerful institutions, and this two-part series examines responses to leaks from governments and internet chat forums. The second article describes a motley group of strangers who apply...

The WikiLeaks Ravage – Part I

Shyam Saran December 6, 2010
WikiLeaks has set out to display 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables, dated 1966 to 2010, exposing blunt US assessments, tactics and conjecture. For the well read, the cables reveal much hypocrisy, but few surprises. This two-part YaleGlobal series explores the consequences of the unprecedented leak from the points of view of diplomacy and internet freedom. The latest release about vital US...