In The News

Burma in the US-China Great Game – Part I

David I. Steinberg December 5, 2011
The ice-breaking visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Naypyidaw ended 50 years of US-Burma estrangement. The Obama administration has signaled desire for US engagement with the pariah regime since 2009, and since March, Burma’s Thein Sein has strived to widen the military regime’s legitimacy both at home and abroad. Hope for reforms is in the air – and this YaleGlobal series analyzes...

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...

After the Arab Spring – Part I

Gustav Ranis September 21, 2011
The Palestinian-Israeli pressure cooker of complex mix of interests and injustices has long threatened to explode – an issue ready-made for extremists of all stripes to needle leaders in Israel, the Palestine Authority or the United States. Since the Arab Spring swept old regimes from power, notably in Egypt, Muslims everywhere are emboldened to demand democratic institutions and full...

Japan's Political Dysfunction

Todd Crowell September 2, 2011
Analyzing the rapid turnover in Japanese prime ministers in the Asia Sentinel, Todd Crowell questions whether constitutional changes imposed during the US occupation of Japan after World War II could be the cause. General Douglas MacArthur organized a constitution that retained the monarchy and relied on a parliamentary form of government. Crowell contends the powerful House of Councilors, which...

Colombia: Saving Dying Languages

John Otis August 29, 2011
Colombia currently ranks fourth in the world in the number of spoken indigenous languages, after Brazil, Mexico and Peru. Nevertheless, only three of those indigenous languages are spoken by more than 50,000 people, and most of the indigenous languages could vanish by the end of the century, reports John Otis for the GlobalPost. Increasingly more indigenous people choose to learn Spanish over...

The Problem With Fair Trade Coffee

Colleen Haight August 17, 2011
Europe and the US account for about 88 percent of the world’s coffee consumption, while most beans are grown in developing nations. Some industry representatives try to ensure what’s become known as “fair trade,” by certifying producers who meet specific labor, environmental and production standards. “Retailers explain that neither FLO – the Fairtrade Labelling Organization’s International...

Resist the Temptations of the Cloud!

Richard Stallman July 21, 2011
Because of ready internet access, personal computing increasingly depends on outside sources for software tools and data storage and analysis. However, companies that provide remote-computing or so-called “cloud” services can ultimately limit or track individual users’ access, allowing law-enforcement agencies or more nefarious parties to snoop around. “The abusiveness of proprietary software has...