In The News

Stop the Great Firewall of America

Rebecca MacKinnon November 25, 2011
Protection sometimes can go too far. Proposed US legislation that aims to prevent the theft of intellectual property could actually aid and abet censorship efforts, complementing those in China. “The bills would empower the attorney general to create a blacklist of sites to be blocked by Internet service providers, search engines, payment providers and advertising networks, all without a court...

Darkening Skies on the Road to Durban – Part II

Andrea Armeni November 23, 2011
In tackling climate change, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change must negotiate among parties that are poles apart and the equally vehement interests of developers and conservationists. This YaleGlobal series analyzes challenges awaiting the leaders headed for Durban, including the need for global cooperation and the cross-border nature of so many interests. In the second and final...

Latin America: Shift in Direction Fuels Growth Across Continent

John Paul Rathbone November 21, 2011
Latin America has remained largely immune to the global financial crisis sweeping through developed economies due to burgeoning trade ties with Asia, particularly China. In the last 10 years, trade between Latin America and China rose sixfold to $230 billion. China is the biggest trading partner for Brazil and Chile, according to the Inter-American Development Bank. This rapid rise is mainly...

“Playing Baseball Without a Bat”

Thomas. L. Friedman November 9, 2011
In an interview with YaleGlobal editor Nayan Chanda, Thomas. L. Friedman talks about his book "That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back," co-written with Michael Mandelbaum. He explains the reasons for the slow decline of the United States, especially its failure to adapt to the hyper-connected world it helped to create, four...

Denying Imbalances, G20 Risks Chaos – Part I

Shen Dingli November 4, 2011
After the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98, a group of developed and emerging economies came together as the G20 to stabilize global financial markets. With widening imbalances caused by huge trade surpluses on the part of some nations while others drown in debt, the global economy is perilously close to chaos. Now the eurozone – specifically and immediately, Greece and Italy – is in danger of...

Exotic Pets: Why Do Americans Keep Dangerous Animals?

Louis Theroux November 2, 2011
Keepers of exotic pets may imagine they’re protecting species. Yet too often owners do not reflect on the long-term needs or behaviors of wild animals. Manageable, adorable chimp, tiger and bear cubs quickly become aggressive adults, disposable and dangerous. Exotic animal ownership is rampant in the US, writes Louis Theroux in an essay for BBC News. Trade is booming in unregulated jurisdictions...

Where Did Global Warming Go?

Elisabeth Rosenthal October 31, 2011
As a political issue, climate change has fallen off the US policy agenda due to an economic downturn and dogged insistence by climate-change naysayers that science has not produced enough evidence on whether human activity contributes to global warming. The United States stands as the “one significant outlier” on responding to climate change, suggests an HSBC global research report, while other...