In The News

“Fed, We Have a Problem”

Jeffrey Garten September 12, 2007
Governments with checks and balances are accustomed to internal quarrels over the best ways to solve problems. Such is the case for the US in confronting a sub-prime mortgage crisis that threatens consumer spending, credit availability and jobs around the globe. Firms and investors facing immediate losses from the crisis urge the chairman of the US Federal Reserve System, Ben Bernanke, to lower...

Russia is Building Up Its Power on Feet of Clay

Joschka Fischer September 10, 2007
Russia spans two continents, making it a geostrategic giant. With some of the world’s largest reserves of fossil fuel, the nation is a volatile economic hard hitter. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian politicians have opened to more trade and global negotiations with the US and Europe, but strains of authoritarianism run deep. Europe, concerned about intrusion or bullying, would prefer...

In Post-9/11 World, US President Has the Loneliest Job

Bruce Stokes September 10, 2007
That fateful day in September six years ago brought about a changed world for the US and a new world view of the US. The world is weary of the Iraq war, missed opportunities in diplomacy, unilateralism and a general belligerence associated with the Bush administration. The Pew Global Attitudes Survey suggests that anti-Americanism stands at an all-time high, even within nations that count among...

The Great Leap Backward?

Elizabeth C. Economy September 7, 2007
China has become a leading polluter in the world, with its citizens suffering from air pollution, decreasing supplies of potable water and reckless development. Consumers around the world buy inexpensive goods from China, but do not pay the true costs. The country has environmental laws, but businesses and local leaders ignore them in order to increase jobs and profits. The nation is capable of...

Storm Surge

Bjorn Lomborg September 7, 2007
Extreme weather events spur public worries about global warming, and costs associated with such events have increased steadily in recent years. Yet the high costs are linked to increased development in low-lying coastal areas more so than climate change, suggests author Bjorn Lomborg. Governments have developed a “blinkered focus” regarding ways to slow costs associated with extreme storms and...

This Is a War for Credibility

Martin Woollacott September 6, 2007
US President Bush has compared the Iraq War to many wars. Until recently, he avoided comparisons with the Vietnam War, regarded a failed effort on the part of the US. Despite the deaths of more than 50,000 US troops, the US did not achieve its goal – preventing the spread of communism. After US withdrawal and the deaths of millions in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, South Vietnam fell to communist...

Wars That Defy Categorization

Dilip Hiro September 6, 2007
Some events have background stories that encompass centuries of history, offering immense complexity. Such is the case with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the September 11 attacks of 2001 and the ongoing war in Iraq, suggests author Dilip Hiro. Analysts of the West underestimate how resentment and religion motivate people to reject democracy, reform or stability, acting in ways that may go...