In The News

For Better Planning, Watch Global Demographic Trends

Joseph Chamie December 12, 2012
An understanding of demographic trends can assist governments in targeting policies for the future and saving money for education, retirement, taxes, healthcare, distribution of natural resources, and more. More importantly, targeted policies can ease resentment emerging over demographic imbalances. The globe can anticipate an additional 1 billion people by 2025 – a total of 8 billion – and...

The Counterintuitive Jihad

Abukar Arman November 29, 2012
The concept of jihad is debated by many and largely misunderstood or misinterpreted by those seeking to drive a wedge between Islam and the West. In setting out guidelines for adherents of the faith, the Prophet Mohammed was intent on transforming society in the 7th century, eliminating ignorance and developing a common code for conduct. Abukar Arman, Somalia special envoy to the United States,...

Inequality Breeds Resistance to Globalization

Pranab Bardhan November 27, 2012
Many critics point to globalization, its swirling influences over worldwide connections through trade, technology and communications, as a culprit behind growing inequality. Yet Pranab Bardhan, economist with the University of California, Berkeley, points out that the connections deliver both opportunities and challenges. Multiple forces contribute to entrenched economic inequality in so many...

Dark Side of Free Speech

John Morrison November 12, 2012
President Barack Obama will be the first US president to visit Burma, nestled between India and China, since renamed by its government as Myanmar, as well as Cambodia. The tour includes his attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with also a stop in Thailand. The trip emphasizes Burma’s steps toward democracy and improved relations even as the country struggles with sectarian...

Mongolia in Globalization’s Chokehold

Mark Juergensmeyer October 19, 2012
Landlocked Mongolia is in the heart of Asia, a land of great mineral resources and of rapid change since it abandoned communism in 1990 with the breakup of the Soviet Union. Mark Juergensmeyer, director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, visited shortly after that transition and more recently – ascribes many changes to the...

What’s the Bigger Challenge – Baby Boom or Bust?

Philip Bowring October 5, 2012
The Philippines stands out in East Asia for its high rates of fertility and poverty. A Reproductive Health Bill would allow public distribution of contraception advice and methods, but Catholic bishops are adamantly opposed. The clerics warn that contraception contributes to population decline and potential economic struggles of a small workforce supporting social protections for the aged....

Some Silicon Valley-Style Pioneers Head East

Saritha Rai October 3, 2012
Many Indians are wary of starting business on their own. With a poor economy in the West, many are giving up jobs in Silicon Valley to return home and organize their own startups. The emerging economy offers a huge test market along with low costs and dependable workers. The returnees offer “an unprecedented innovation boost,” reports Saritha Rai, but must first overcome “a seeming aversion...