In The News

The Tale of Globalization’s Exiles

Richard Lapper August 30, 2007
Media and government reports focus on hedge funds and other mechanisms of finance that move money around the globe. But individuals also shift funds, including small amounts sent in envelopes or by wire, from immigrant workers in wealthy nations to poor relatives back home. For some poor nations, the total of such remittances outweigh foreign aid or revenues earned from leading agricultural...

If Iraq Falls

Josef Joffe August 29, 2007
More than 30 years ago, US officials warned that communism would sweep through Asia if the US walked away from its mission in Vietnam. The US did leave Vietnam, the North Vietnamese took control of the nation, and communism did not sweep the continent. But with oil and some ruthless neighbors, Iraq has geopolitical significance. “The world's worst political and religious pathologies combine...

Health Care Costs to Squeeze Capitalism

Kenneth Rogoff August 21, 2007
Heath-care costs are becoming a higher proportion of national economies in western countries. Former senior official of the IMF, Kenneth Rogoff says when governments provide for health services that constitute one third of national incomes, health-care socialism becomes plain Marxism – based on the principle ‘to each according to his needs”. As the aging population increasingly requires...

The New Myth About Climate Change

Idean Salehyan August 17, 2007
Global warming is a serious problem and could result in a decline of basic resources such as water or food in some regions of the world. But Idean Salehyan rejects the notion that climate change will necessarily lead to civil wars, uncontrollable immigration and global violence. “Dire scenarios like these may sound convincing, but they are misleading,” writes Idean Salehyan for Foreign Policy. “...

Pakistan's Anniversary Wish – Justice

Ahmed Rashid August 16, 2007
Following a bitter split and violence, Britain's colonial rule over India ended 60 years ago this week, resulting in two independent nations, the Islamic state of Pakistan and the secular state of India. The division left many boundary issues unresolved and institutions in disarray, resulting in fierce nationalism, bitterness and wars. Those challenges, combined with military rule,...

All at Sea Over Resources in East Asia

Barry Wain August 14, 2007
As Asia celebrates ongoing economic growth, the nations that ring the South China Sea cannot resolve their dispute over geographic features that dot the sea. The waters could cover rich reserves of oil and gas, and more than half the world’s merchant fleet sails across every year. Nations that prove claims to islands and rocks hope to collect those resources. Six countries claim the Spratly...

Pakistan at the Crossroads – Part II

Nayan Chanda August 9, 2007
General Pervez Musharraf has been a key ally in the US war on terror, but opposition parties demand free elections as scheduled, even as Pakistan churns with political instability and street violence. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, in exile, is among the candidates ready to return to Pakistan and work for stability and moderation. In an exclusive interview with Bhutto – the second part of...