In The News

How Not to Repeat the Mistakes of the Kyoto Protocol

Scott Barrett November 14, 2007
Most countries recognize the need for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. But for any climate treaty to succeed at reducing emissions, all countries – especially the big emitters – must participate. Otherwise, trade leakage will result, as emitting industries concentrate in the nations with the fewest restrictions. For such reasons, the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on...

Emergency for Pakistan – and the World

Ahmed Rashid November 12, 2007
The United States has long considered Pakistani President-General Pervez Musharraf an essential ally in its war on terror and provides more than $1 billion in annual foreign aid, most of which goes to the military for fighting terrorism. But Pakistan’s constitution prohibits Musharraf, who took office by coup in 1999, from serving another term as president while also serving as army chief. With...

Kosovo’s Independence Could Mean a New Conflict

Humphrey Hawksley November 5, 2007
After World War II, Kosovo became a province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo, with its majority of ethnic Albanians, enjoyed near-autonomy until 1989 and the oppressive rule of Slobodan Milosevic. The Albanians resisted throughout the 1990s, atrocities ensued, leading finally to intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1999. Yugoslavia splintered...

Bhutto’s Return Brings Pakistani Politics to a Boil

Carlotta Gall October 31, 2007
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan, ready to run for office, force General Pervez Musharraf to share power and combat terrorism. Crowds of passionate supporters greeted her when she arrived in mid-October, along with a bomb blast that killed 140 people. Confusion and questions have emerged since her return to a country divided about its relationship with the US. Opponents...

Consumer Mouse That Is Roaring

Peter Kell October 29, 2007
The marketing of some products, particularly those targeting children, is irresponsible. Some firms make outlandish claims, all to make a profit. As a result, global consumer trust has declined both in rich and poor countries. Still, some countries regulate products and marketing more heavily than others. "As consumers we face the reality that product standards in other countries can have a...

Iran Condemns “Doomed” Sanctions

Ewen MacAskill October 27, 2007
The US has imposed strict sanctions on Iran, suggesting that segments of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard contribute to destabilizing neighboring Iraq, increasing availability of weapons of mass destruction, and supporting Islamic fundamentalist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. “Any business continuing to trade with Iran risks US reprisals,” report Ewen MacAskill and Fred Attewil for the...

Surviving the Great Capital Flood

Simon Johnson October 23, 2007
Countries must set policies to handle global conditions, and one condition is large piles of money in some parts of the world. The countries and investors that hold large chunks of capital search for good investment opportunities – and increasingly the capital flows to emerging economies rather than developed nations. With the help of strong economic and political institutions, countries on the...