In The News

The IPCC: The Science Is In on Climate Change

April 21, 2008
Rajendra K. Pachauri, director-general of the Energy Research Institute, was elected chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2002. For that work, he was co-awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace. In this interview with Nayan Chanda, Pachauri explains the IPCC’s purpose of collecting and disseminating science. Climate change affects countries in many different ways, and...

New Freedom, and Peril, in Online Criticism of China

Ariana Eunjung Cha April 17, 2008
China has more internet users than any other country – and the government has no problem with an angry, rapid-response approach to any Chinese citizen who shows the slightest opposition to government policies. What the Washington Post calls an “internet mob” attacked a 20-year-old student attending Duke University in the US, after she attempted to mediate between campus protesters who pressed...

The Health Insurance Mafia

Jonathan Kellerman April 14, 2008
Advocates of health-care reform in the US look to universal insurance coverage as means to improve the health care system. However, Jonathan Keller, professor of pediatrics and psychology at University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine argues that the real problem is the nature of the insurance industry’s business model. Insurers bet against the ill health of their consumers,...

China’s Crackdown on Tibet Divides Europe

Shada Islam April 14, 2008
Restricting trade is often a tool for governments that want to show their commitment to human rights. But Europe is divided over the relative importance of human rights versus economic growth or the value of trade in promoting those rights. On one hand, trade with China helps to lift millions out of poverty and benefits European consumers. However, China’s suppression of human rights, as...

How to Win in Iraq Without Losing to Iran

Dilip Hiro April 11, 2008
The US approach on stabilizing Iraq has often been criticized as being too cavalier for failing to take into consideration the region’s history or political and religious make-up. US foreign policy contributed to the current catch-22, contends author Dilip Hiro. As a result, the US confronts two basic choices: ongoing costly intervention, which could trigger increasing discontent among US voters...

Pro-Tibet Groups Targeted In Cyberspace

Thomas Claburn April 9, 2008
Accusations fly about internet tactics, as pro-Chinese supporters clash with supporters of Tibet independence. Messages expressing support of Tibet independence include some sophisticated surveillance tools, reports Thomas Claburn for InformationWeek.com. Political activists are reporting internet interference and spyware accompanying what appear to be supportive e-mails from trusted sources. The...

Democrats Threaten NAFTA, But Pact Is Here to Stay

Andrew C. Schneider April 7, 2008
Candidates promise to re-open a free-trade agreement like NAFTA – to attract voters from states with high unemployment rate, where concern about the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs is rampant. “Renegotiation would cause more problems than it would solve,” explains Andrew Schneider, associate editor of the Kiplinger Letter. In reopening the agreement, the US would not be alone in demanding...