In The News

Sadanand Dhume October 22, 2004
This week's inauguration of a new Indonesian president, elected with a strong mandate, has again shown that Islam is compatible with democracy. Coming shortly after the second anniversary of the Bali club bombings, the peaceful change in leadership provides some comfort to those concerned about the fate of the world's largest Muslim nation. However, as Indonesia-based journalist and...
Joseph S. Nye October 21, 2004
As nations feel culturally threatened by globalization, anti-Americanism grows. Yet it is modernization - not Americanization - that is changing cultures, argues former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye. Cultures are not stagnant, and the adaptation of Japan demonstrates that countries can modernize while remaining unique. Although t-shirt logos and soft drink brands may grow more...
Alan Bisbort October 20, 2004
Environmentalists all over the world may be aghast at the US lack of concern about global warming, but the American electorate has been left blissfully undisturbed. This year's presidential candidates have been almost entirely silent when it comes to the environment, a politically divisive issue that – contrary to public belief in the United States – remains globally relevant. According to...
Rami G. Khouri October 20, 2004
As the American public bears down for its presidential election, the frenzy of debate in the US is met with a general lack of interest in the Middle East. On the issues of concern, primarily the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq, Middle Easterners see little difference between the two main candidates. The gap between American policies and Arab interests is widening, says The...
Hilton Root October 13, 2004
Many of the world's leading economists have issued dire warnings that US deficit spending is dangerous not only to its domestic economy - but may actually knock the entire global economy off kilter. Economist Hilton Root suggests that such concerns may be overinflated, if not misdirected. The relative stability of US social and political institutions - in spite of the cavernous deficit -...
Keith Bradsher October 13, 2004
Hong Kong's version of Disneyland, slated to open in the next year, will contain many cultural aspects created specifically with Chinese visitors in mind. The management is taking pains to incorporate indigenous interests into what is generally recognized as an American enterprise: selling local foods, repositioning the park for feng shui agreement, and operating in English, Mandarin, and...