In The News

Across Latin America, Mandarin Is in the Air

Juan Forero September 26, 2006
As a major customer of Latin America’s agricultural, energy and mineral resources, China has become a target of interest throughout South America. As a result, more business people in Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Chile study Chinese language. The US is the leading investor in South America, and English still stands as the second language of choice. Still, China funds all manner of Asian studies...

China’s Neighbors Worry About its Growing Military Strength

September 22, 2006
The latest poll by the Pew Research Center reveals an intense distrust in Asia, not only between traditional rivals like Japan and China, but also between China and India as well as Japan and Pakistan. The public opinion survey, part of the Pew Global Attitudes Project, was conducted in China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, and the US. Its results confirm that Chinese hostility toward Japan...

On India’s Farms, a Plague of Suicide

Somini Sengupta September 19, 2006
More than 17,000 farmers in India committed suicide in 2003, and the government admits that, from all appearances, the despair continues to rise. Market-oriented economic reforms in recent years gave farmers access to global competition and genetically modified seeds that withstand extreme drought or pests. But the new seeds are costly, and lenders charge 5 percent monthly interest and take...

Wolfowitz Corruption Drive Rattles World Bank

Steven R. Weisman September 15, 2006
The World Bank’s goal is to alleviate poverty by providing low-interest loans to some of the poorest countries in the world. Yet those poorest countries also have high rates of corruption. Critics of World Bank leadership question whether the fight against corruption will take priority over the fight against poverty, eventually diminishing assistance to the countries most in need. Critics express...

Chávez-China Oil Deal May Produce Unsuspected Winners

Trevor Houser September 7, 2006
The Venezuelan president announced plans to increase oil exports to China tenfold over the next five years, with the expectation that China will invest in the nation’s oil infrastructure, particularly in developing the reserves of the Orinoco Belt. The heavy tar-like reserves, which require special technology to extract, amount to about 20 percent of the global oil supply. But any agreement...

Don't Be Fooled by This Reform: The IMF Is Still the Rich World's Viceroy

George Monbiot September 7, 2006
The IMF has proposed giving a greater voting percentage to China, Turkey, Mexico and South Korea – all strong and emerging economies. Yet the body of 184 members would remain in control of its strongest members: The US controls 17 percent of the vote; Japan, Germany, the UK and France control 22 percent; while the 80 poorest countries control 10 percent. IMF decisions, most of which require an...

We Should Be Wary of a Nuclear Reaction

Andrew Davies September 6, 2006
The only viable alternative to oil and gas for energy purposes is nuclear power at this point in time. But analyst Andrew Davies cautions against resolving the threat of diminishing fossil fuels that contribute to global warming with another energy source that poses a separate set of dangers. Australia is a major exporter of yellow-cake uranium and, as the world searches for new sources of fuel,...