In The News

Designing Asia

Ellen L. Frost May 12, 2008
Growing Chinese economic clout combined with a sympathetic diplomatic posture has helped reorient the power structure of Southeast Asia toward China. A China-led Pacific trade network of port cities, stretching from Australia to India, echoes “pre-colonial 'Maritime Asia,'” explains author Ellen Frost. The re-emergence of maritime Asia is not without challenges – for example, such a...

People of Faith Seek New Dialogue on Immigration

Jim Wallis May 9, 2008
Illegal immigration is a hot-button topic in the US presidential election: Voters in some states key for the US presidential election demand immigration reform; farmers need workers willing to plant or harvest crops on a seasonal basis; communities worry about paying for public services to undocumented workers; and ethnic and religious groups demand compassion. Meanwhile, politicians drag their...

Immigration Issues End a Pennsylvania Grower’s Season

Paul Vitello May 9, 2008
Crackdowns on illegal immigrants have discouraged migrants from seeking farm work throughout the US. Few Americans are willing to take on the seasonal employment that requires long hours in the hot sun. As a result, farmers avoid planting crops, like tomatoes or strawberries that require hand picking. A political climate that resents illegal immigrants contributes to higher food prices and some...

So Clinton Was Right About Beijing and Jello

Richard McGregor May 8, 2008
Spreading rumors about the dangers of outside forces is easy – and even intelligent and warm people fall prey by reading and joining online attacks. In the 1990s, former US President Bill Clinton compared attempts to control political talk on the internet to “nailing Jello to a wall.” Unfortunately, anyone who hopes to promote accurate discourse faces similar challenges as rumors associated with...

Olympic Torch Protests Pose Dilemma for Host Nations

Barbara Demick May 5, 2008
In planning for an unprecedented 20-nation relay for the Olympic torch, China did not expect to create a flashpoint for protest against its violations of human rights and international law. Attempting to stem a public-relations disaster, China expects other governments to limit protests. Large demonstrations in Paris prompted a grassroots effort at boycotting a large French retailer and even...

China Ascendant – Part II

Pranab Bardhan April 28, 2008
Hosting the Olympics in August is an opportunity for China to display its economic and social success along with its ancient culture to the world. But there’s a fine line between the display of patriotism and nationalism, warns economist Pranab Bardhan in the second article of a YaleGlobal series on China’s rise. The Chinese Communist Party has carefully nurtured – and enforced – homogeneous...

Games Tensions on Slippery Track

Jason Dean April 28, 2008
Criticism of China’s human-rights record and Tibet policy has provoked an active defense among Chinese people. Without government direction, a strong wave of nationalist sentiment has driven boycotts of Western multinational corporations whose shareholders support the Free Tibet movement, as well as protests outside media outlets deemed to have reported on the issue with bias. In a year that the...