In The News

China Targets Greenland for Mining

Will Hickey April 18, 2013
Tight profit margins in the mining industry – along with consolidation among large multinationals, huge capital investments, high-tech automation and rigid equipment maintenance contracts – have reduced job creation for nations with natural resources. Greenland, with 57,000 citizens, mostly indigenous, has vast deposits of minerals. A logical move would be for Greenlanders to rely on Danish...

Of the Party, For the Party

Nayan Chanda April 17, 2013
China’s new leadership has emphasized political reform in early speeches, but went one step further, promising “self-imposed revolution.” President Xi Jinping and other leaders have pledged “to fight red tape, conspicuous consumption by officials and … corruption,” reports Nayan Chanda in his column for Businessworld. “Not only will the size of the government be reduced, but ostentatious...

US Could Be World’s Most Populous Country

Joseph Chamie April 15, 2013
Nations that manage to satisfy a large population politically, economically, socially can become beacons of hope for the rest of the world. The US is the world’s third most populated country, trailing China and India, but could aim to become most populated by the end of the century: An eightfold increase in annual immigration would lead to a fivefold increase in the US population, explains...

UN Passes Landmark Arms Treaty

Andre de Nesnera April 15, 2013
The United Nations has approved a landmark treaty that sets international standards for trade in conventional weapons, by a vote of 154 to 3, with 23 abstentions. Big traders in arms including the US, Russia, China and India participated in the seven years of negotiations, reports Andre de Nesnera for Voice of America. The treaty establishes international standards and annual reporting on weapons...

Winning Without a Fight in the South China Sea

Marvin Ott April 10, 2013
China has the largest military in Asia, and expenditures on Chinese navy, coast guard and air force are second only to that of the United States. Still, China is pressing new forces into protecting sweeping claims in the South China Sea – cruise ships and tourists. For decades Chinese maps have shown a U-shaped swathe with dotted lines suggesting maritime claims cutting into 200-mile offshore...

What's in the Business-Labor Deal on Immigration?

Matthew Yglesias April 5, 2013
In the 2012 US presidential election, Latino voters threw their growing weight behind democrats and President Barack Obama. Chastened Republicans have now joined a new bipartisan push for immigration reform. US legislators, once polarized over immigration, must satisfy numerous groups: Americans who worry about competition for jobs; farmers, ranchers and managers in need of workers; and...

One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison

Nayan Chanda April 4, 2013
Advice on recipe substitutions is common in cookbooks, but diners don’t like big surprises. The food scandal in Europe exposed the ease at adding less expensive horse for beef in processed meals and the attraction of low-cost, processed foods for the poor. Europe’s horsemeat scandal won’t “reverse the global supply chain that has evolved over the last decade, bringing in efficiency and expanded...