In The News

Jamsheed K. Choksy and Carol E.B. Choksy May 18, 2010
Politicians try to rile or sooth citizens as needed with a few select details of globalization. Yet with the speed and far-reaching nature of modern trade, travel and communication, these attempts to corral bits and pieces of globalization are futile. A savvy public – young or old – comes to understand other intricate connections and recognize the attempts as distractions from far more serious...
Jesse Washington May 14, 2010
As father, husband, financial analyst and US citizen, Faisal Shahzad surprised some profilers, amateur and professional, with his attempt to explode a car bomb in New York’s Times Square. With instant communication and complaints raging over the internet, “Globalization is competing fiercely with assimilation,” writes Jesse Washington for the Associated Press. “Blind to the faults of Islamic...
S.L. Bachman May 10, 2010
Natural disasters are as old as the planet, but new technologies are making a difference. Social-media networks that thrive on cell phones, other mobile devices and the internet – including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and more – have reduced the waiting time for news, relief and fundraising after any natural disaster. The response after three major earthquakes this year on three...
Evgeny Morozov April 29, 2010
The Internet was once seen as a force for tremendous good around the world, promoting commerce, peace, human rights, and democracy. But none of those promises have come fully true. The transnational networks created by the Internet can be as much a force for ill as for good. Twitter and other social networking media may be useful for activists but they are also useful for repressive governments....
Michael Kimmelman April 23, 2010
Discussions of globalization often focus on how it is a homogenizing process, portraying Western culture as a hegemonic force that penetrates new markets and kills off traditional culture and local customs. Yet, argues New York Times columnist Michael Kimmelman, such a "dubious concept" of globalization fails to acknowledge that individuals can utilize its technological and...
Rana Foroohar April 16, 2010
In countries and conflict zones where female voices are traditionally stifled, women have proven to be some of the most active dissidents. This tendency is not limited to the ranks of activists as female participation in politics and business has grown dramatically worldwide. In the developing world, the levels of basic education for women are rising. There are now as many girls as boys in...
Nick Miroff April 12, 2010
Yoani Sanchez, the Cuban blogger who was been recognized internationally for her Generation Y blog, hosts a Blogger Academy to teach other Cubans the skills required to participate in social media, including Twitter, blogging, and Wikipedia. While the Cuban government has not shown any intentions to shut down the Blogger Academy, it continues to view Sanchez as “part of an aggressive US foreign...