In The News

Looking Beyond Iraq – Part II

Pratap Bhanu Mehta February 23, 2007
The decade after the end of the Cold War was a remarkably stable moment in international relations. American hegemony was uncontested because it was relatively benign – and even worked to strengthen international institutions and multilateralism. That has changed. In the second article of a two-part series, analyst Pratap Bhanu Mehta examines how Washington’s failure to recognize the limits of...

Looking Beyond Iraq – Part I

Strobe Talbott February 21, 2007
The Bush administration – known for its “go it alone” approach in foreign policy – has less than two years left in office. As that chapter in history comes to a close, the world anticipates a new direction in US policy, an end to the war in Iraq and perhaps a new balance of power. This two-part series analyzes foreign-policy challenges confronting the world today and the resistance the US faces...

A Battle Over the Costs of Global Warming

David Leonhardt February 21, 2007
Now that environmentalists and scientists are unanimous that human activities cause global warming, the debate has shifted to the cost and pace of slowing it down. Two sides have emerged among economists: those who support immediate action versus those who support gradual steps. Sir Nicholas Stern of the UK released a 700-page report in late 2006 that suggests global warming could rival World...

Inequality and Globalization

Ben Bernanke February 21, 2007
The US strives to provide equal opportunity for all individuals, but does not guarantee equal economic outcomes, explained US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a recent speech. Still, new competition or inventions like the computer can make some workers’ skills obsolete, warns Benanke, and if the nation does not provide a support system for such workers, thus limiting some of the risks,...

Climate Change: Scientists Warn It May Be Too Late to Save the Ice Caps

David Adam February 20, 2007
New studies of ice in Greenland and Antarctica show that ice is melting faster than scientists had expected. Melting ice would raise sea levels by 6 meters and sharply reduce the world’s supply of fresh-water. Low-lying areas – from Bangladesh to London and New York – can expect major flooding. Scientists estimate a 50 percent chance that the planet’s ice caps will melt, regardless of what...

Globalization Forces a Health-Check of US Auto Industry

Susan Froetschel February 19, 2007
Of the top six automobile-manufacturing countries in the world, the US and China are the only ones that lack universal government-backed health care. US workers expect employers like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to provide cradle-to-grave health coverage, a significant cost burden not shared by competitors. The problem is exacerbated by health plans for retired employees – every plant...

Conservatives Assail North Korea Accord

Glenn Kessler February 16, 2007
Conservatives in the US do not trust the Kim Jong Il regime in North Korea and expect proof that the country has “stopped sponsoring terrorism” before removing it from a US terror list. Conservatives who promote a tough stance toward terrorists and nations that sponsor terror resent what they view as a new pragmatic approach emerging from the Bush administration, reports Glenn Kessler in “The...