In The News

Trade and Security Trump Democracy in Burma – Part I

Bertil Lintner October 3, 2007
Burma, called Myanmar by its current rulers, is rich with natural resources, yet one of the poorest nations in Asia. All resources go toward keeping the current regime in power, and the military junta relies on violent repression to stop Buddhist monks and activists marching in protest to seek political and economic reform. This two-part YaleGlobal series analyzes the international response. In...

Beneath Booming Cities, China’s Future Is Drying Up

Jim Yardley October 2, 2007
China teeters on the edge of a water crisis. The country has five times the population of the United States, but less water, with the bulk of that supply in the south. Past policy mistakes, a dense population, climate change and galloping economic growth has shrunk China’s water supply. Agricultural irrigation accounts for most water usage, and pollution taints sources nationwide. The...

Rumble in the Graveyard

Margot Cohen October 1, 2007
Just two decades ago, gravestone suppliers based in India were poised to dominate the global market. But now, China imports colorful granite available only in Indian quarries, manufactures tombstones and sells them to the world. In the process, China undercuts prices from other producers, including those in India. As Sino-Indian trade reaches unprecedented levels, India’s trade deficit with China...

Climate-Change Challenge for the Poor – Part II

Mira Kamdar September 28, 2007
Increased consumption by rich and newly rich nations combined with effects of climate change set the stage for a global food crisis. Decreased supplies of world dietary staples like wheat, corn and rice have already increased prices significantly this year, and a few nervous governments brace for possible social unrest by hungry citizens. In this second article of a two-part series that explores...

Let’s Have a Real Debate on Globalization

Matthew J. Slaughter September 28, 2007
Many workers in the US fear that the United Automobile Workers’ strike against General Motors signals that the domestic auto industry is “losing” at globalization. The strike has ended, but some workers urge the federal government to scale back US involvement in international trade, most notably with emerging markets like China. Economist Matthew Slaughter counters that globalization has netted...

India Tries Outsourcing Its Outsourcing

Anand Giridharadas September 26, 2007
India was an early leader in benefiting from the technology-driven globalization of the job market, but now positions such jobs all over the globe. A traditional recipient of outsourced labor, India has experienced rising worker wages and competition from other developing countries. As a result, writes journalist Anand Giridharadas, Indian firms have opened offices in countries such as Mexico,...

Climate-Change Challenge for the Poor – Part I

Chandrashekhar Dasgupta September 26, 2007
Although climate change has been brought about largely by development in industrialized rich nations, it will impose the most hardship on the poorest countries. In the first article of this two-part series, Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta of India argues that accelerated social and economic development may offer the only hope for poor nations who have a long way to go in adapting to climate...