In The News

The Rise of the Robots

Robert Skidelsky February 21, 2013
Automation and technology, along with a do-it-yourself culture, contribute to greater productivity and fewer jobs, with some developments more disruptive for labor and select industries than others. Countries, particularly the most developed, must consider the prospect of running out of jobs, and not just for the low-skilled, writes political economist Robert Skidelsky for Project Syndicate....

Will China Ever Be No. 1?

Graham Allison, Robert D. Blackwill February 20, 2013
Speculating on economic growth of nations has become a sporting event – with diplomats, policymakers and investors “placing their bets,” suggest Graham Allison and Robert Blackwill in a Foreign Policy essay, introducing the thesis of their book about Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. As prime minister from 1959 to 1990, Lee monitored and advised Chinese and US leaders. Lee contends that China’s rapid...

Vietnam’s Economy Needs Reoriented Foreign Policy

David Brown February 20, 2013
After the Vietnam War ended in 1975, the country’s Communist Party embraced a Soviet-style economic model. By the mid-1980s, the country’s elites could not help but compare results of Soviet and Chinese economic models and undertook Chinese-style reforms to enjoy globalization’s benefits. The surge of foreign investment capital since has led to reckless credit expansion and inflation. Businesses...

WNSA: “We’d Rather Be Called Re-Emerging Powers”

February 18, 2013
Some officials in Asia are bristling at the label “emerging,” especially when used by western media to describe nations like India and China with their long histories. Instead, “these countries [are]in the process of restoring the historical norm in the international hierarchy and distribution of power,” notes the Hindu Times. According to the report, India’s National Security Advisor Shivshankar...

An Interview with John Dramani Mahama

John Dramani Mahama February 18, 2013
In an interview with Nayan Chanda, Ghana's Vice President John Dramani Mahama, now President, says how stigma of homosexuality hampers fighting AIDS, talks about the role of telecommunication in political transformation, voices concern about NATO attacks on Libya, and Ghana's effort to avoid the curse of wealth from natural resources. – YaleGlobal

Heading South?

Niveen Wahish February 15, 2013
A thriving national economy requires a political system that’s supported, or at least tolerated, by citizens. Political instability is threatening the Egyptian economy, driving inflation and deterring foreign investment. Currency woes contribute to shortages of basic commodities that could add to more unrest. “People needing to change hard currency into Egyptian pounds are now going to the black...

Is China Choking on Success?

Robert A. Manning February 15, 2013
China’s citizens are paying a steep price for rapid economic growth. The government struggles to mask environmental problems, yet China is home to seven of the world’s 10 most polluted cities. Smog often blankets the nation’s cities. Robert A. Manning, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center for International Security and former US State Department official, points out that...