In The News

Anders Breivik's Roots in Right-Wing Populism

Frank Patalong July 25, 2011
A bombing-shooting attack in Norway has left more than 70 people dead, mostly teenagers, and prompts nations to reflect on rising right-wing extremism and resentment. Populist opposition to immigration, a fast-changing culture and globalization of the economy is a potent political force. The impact of this cocktail can be seen in a 1500-page online manifesto, largely quoting other right-wing...

Why My Father Hated India

Aatish Taseer July 19, 2011
Resentment lingers since Pakistan’s 1947 birth and partition from India, with an ongoing rivalry that embroils the closest of personal relationships and endangers international security. “In the absence of a true national identity, Pakistan defined itself by its opposition to India,” explains novelist Aatish Taseer, son of a Pakistani father, recently killed by militants, and an Indian Sikh...

Keepin' It Cool: How the Air Conditioner Made Modern America

Rebecca J. Rosen July 18, 2011
The world’s wealthiest can easily ignore rising temperatures by turning up their air conditioners. “But the effects of air conditioners reach far beyond atmospherics to the ways we build our houses, where in the country we live, and how we spend our time,” explains Rebecca J. Rosen of the Atlantic. “Air conditioners are the enablers of modern American life.” The 1902 invention transformed...

Water Challenges Asia’s Rising Powers – Part II

Rohini Nilekani July 14, 2011
India and China account for one third of the world’s population; each consumes more freshwater than other nations. Per inhabitant per year, though, India uses less than half what’s used in the US, China uses less than one third. This YaleGlobal series examines India and China’s water use, their expectations for rising demand and recognition that shortages will disrupt economic progress. The...

The Fall of the House of Murdoch

Jonathan Schell July 11, 2011
A scandal at the News of the World – particularly a report that the newspaper oversaw hacking and erasing phone messages of a 13-year-old abduction victim, later found murdered – has outraged Britons. The Guardian uncovered that the News of the World, before closure, targeted 4000 voicemail accounts of celebrities, crime victims and soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, reports researcher...

People on the Move – Part II

Steven Borowiec June 16, 2011
Poorer nations drive the world’s population growth while developed nations with aging populations are in need of young labor. Strategic policies on immigration can fill the gaps, but social, economic and diplomatic challenges emerge when the immigrants are treated as less than equal partners. With a low birth rate, South Korea seeks immigrants to work in construction, manufacturing and agri-...

Nation of the Forest

Cathy Shufro May 30, 2011
Urbanization’s many pressures make it easier for people to alter long-held customs. For example, in Bhutan, city dwellers didn’t protest a rule aimed at protecting forests by reducing the number of prayer flags to mourn a loved one’s death, explains Cathy Shufro in an article for Yale Alumni Magazine. “Bhutanese have formulated guidelines, infused with Buddhist values, for how to reconcile old...