In The News

Africa Plays the Rice Card

G. Pascal Zachary May 12, 2008
With food prices jumping, governments no longer taking their agriculture sectors for granted. In recent years, African governments eliminated duties on imported rice and assumed that wealthy countries would also curtail agricultural subsidies, explains G. Pascal Zachary for Foreign Policy. Many nations in Africa must import rice, but Uganda recognized that many countries subsidize their...

Designing Asia

Ellen L. Frost May 12, 2008
Growing Chinese economic clout combined with a sympathetic diplomatic posture has helped reorient the power structure of Southeast Asia toward China. A China-led Pacific trade network of port cities, stretching from Australia to India, echoes “pre-colonial 'Maritime Asia,'” explains author Ellen Frost. The re-emergence of maritime Asia is not without challenges – for example, such a...

In India, Death to Global Business

Manjeet Kripalani May 10, 2008
Insurgents attacked an iron-ore processing plant in India, setting equipment, buses and trucks on fire – and warned the officials in Chhattisgarh to stop shipping local resources out of state. The Naxalites, who abide by a Maoist philosophy and resent ownership and capitalism, resort to violence to disrupt state and corporate activities. The movement began in one village in 1967 and since spread...

Pakistan’s New Tack on Fighting Terror

Ashley J. Tellis May 9, 2008
Elections and changes in Pakistan’s government have set a new direction for what US President George Bush calls a “war on terror.” Washington is wary about plans by the government of Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani to seek a balanced approach on dealing with extremism, combining force with dialogue. Some hardliners in the US dismiss this policy as tantamount to giving terrorist groups time to re-group....

Immigration Issues End a Pennsylvania Grower’s Season

Paul Vitello May 9, 2008
Crackdowns on illegal immigrants have discouraged migrants from seeking farm work throughout the US. Few Americans are willing to take on the seasonal employment that requires long hours in the hot sun. As a result, farmers avoid planting crops, like tomatoes or strawberries that require hand picking. A political climate that resents illegal immigrants contributes to higher food prices and some...

People of Faith Seek New Dialogue on Immigration

Jim Wallis May 9, 2008
Illegal immigration is a hot-button topic in the US presidential election: Voters in some states key for the US presidential election demand immigration reform; farmers need workers willing to plant or harvest crops on a seasonal basis; communities worry about paying for public services to undocumented workers; and ethnic and religious groups demand compassion. Meanwhile, politicians drag their...

So Clinton Was Right About Beijing and Jello

Richard McGregor May 8, 2008
Spreading rumors about the dangers of outside forces is easy – and even intelligent and warm people fall prey by reading and joining online attacks. In the 1990s, former US President Bill Clinton compared attempts to control political talk on the internet to “nailing Jello to a wall.” Unfortunately, anyone who hopes to promote accurate discourse faces similar challenges as rumors associated with...