In The News

North Korean Purges Threaten Relations with China

Shim Jae Hoon December 18, 2013
The exercise of power is bizarre and tenuous in North Korea. Jang Song Thaek, second in command and uncle to dictator Kim Jong Un, was abruptly purged and executed. “Prospects of continuing purges loom, wiping out any lingering hopes that the Kim regime will follow the Chinese model and embark on economic reform,” explains journalist Shim Jae Hoon. The region, resentful about its desperate...

Mandela's Miraculous Capacity for Forgiveness a Carefully Calibrated Strategy

Stephanie Nolen December 6, 2013
Nelson Mandela became a global leader while serving a life sentence in prison for opposing South Africa’s cruel system of apartheid. Sacrificing much, initially labeled terrorist, Mandela never gave up fighting for justice, and went on to become South Africa’s first president in a new era, publicly forgiving his political opponents – and urging lasting reconciliation in large ways by working with...

Energy Subsidies Don’t Work, But Don’t Try Telling the Poor

Tion Kwa December 4, 2013
Every facet of modern life requires energy. Tion Kwa, assistant editor of The National in UAE, analyzes the energy costs for struggling nations. “The dilemma for Nepal and other poor countries, including Egypt and Jordan, is that while the state can’t afford to keep underwriting the cost of fuel, citizens already can’t even afford the subsidised rates.” Economists discourage subsidies for...

Swiss Voters Reject High-Pay Initiative

Neil MacLucas November 26, 2013
Swiss leaders in government and business vehemently opposed a ballot initiative restricting executive salaries to no more than 12 times that of the lowest paid employee, suggesting the reduced wages would reduce foreign investment, job growth and Swiss competitiveness in recruiting corporate staff. Voters agreed, with two thirds soundly rejecting the measure. “Earlier this year, Swiss voters...

After-School Activities Make Educational Inequality Even Worse

Hilary Levey Friedman November 25, 2013
Leisure activities – the exposure to new ideas, projects, adults and ways of working within teams – can contribute to a child’s later status. “While we talk a lot about inequalities between the rich and the poor, and the role school quality plays in perpetuating class divisions, one often overlooked factor is the opportunities middle- and upper-middle-class kids get to strengthen their life...

The Kennedy Temptation

Ian Buruma November 14, 2013
Assassinations of popular leaders prompt many to speculate what might have been had they lived. Citizens mourn that a violent killer or a small group of extremists can dash the hopes and choice of many as was the case with US President John F. Kennedy. “America’s national politics is so poisoned by provincial partisanship – especially among Republicans, who have hated Obama from the beginning –...

Trade: Into Uncharted Waters

Shawn Donnan October 31, 2013
The pace of global trade has slowed. “For the past three decades, trade has regularly grown at twice the rate of world gross domestic product,” writes Shawn Donnan for the Financial Times. “This year, trade is expected to grow just 2.5 per cent, compared with GDP growth of 2.9 per cent.” Economists debate whether the dip is temporary or signals structural change in global trade and supply chains...