In The News

G-20 to Push Current Balance Guidelines

Kim Yon-se November 12, 2010
The G-20 meeting in South Korea closed with assurances that leaders of the world's largest economies would set up a warning system on excessive current-account imbalances. The leaders rejected US proposals that would have placed specific caps on surpluses or deficits. The G-20 also agreed to refrain from currency manipulations and to allow the markets to direct currency values; pursue stable...

US in Asia: Seeking Partners at a Troubled Time – Part II

Bruce Stokes November 12, 2010
Asia is seen as a pivotal region for US foreign policy, as demonstrated by US President Barack Obama's travels to India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. Despite setbacks for Obama's party in mid-term elections, he continues to win high public-approval ratings in many Asian nations, notes Bruce Stokes, contributing editor for the National Journal. With US voters expressing anger over...

Only the Weak Survive

Nouriel Roubini November 12, 2010
Export giant China has resisted revaluation of the renminbi. Eager for exports, nations follow China’s lead, increasingly engaging in competitive currency devaluations. These maneuvers exacerbate global imbalances already huge. “A world where over-spending countries need to reduce domestic demand and boost net exports, while over-saving countries are unwilling to reduce their reliance on export-...

US in Asia: Seeking Partners at a Troubled Time – Part I

Ashok Malik November 10, 2010
As US President Barack Obama travels in Asia, this YaleGlobal series analyzes US foreign-policy initiatives emerging from a packed schedule with stops in four nations. The tour began in India. In the first article of the series, Ashok Malik explains how Obama shares the goals of his predecessor, George W. Bush, for a strategic partnership with India as a strong rising power, even though the two...

A Quick Fix for Climate Change?

Michael Richardson November 8, 2010
Spewing particles into the skies to block sunlight, releasing chemicals into the oceans to encourage plankton growth and carbon absorption, are just two examples of how geoengineering technologies might ease impacts of climate change. The interventions, still being tested, would be temporary and costly, warns Michael Richardson, senior research fellow with the Institute of South East Asian...

Qualms Arise Over Outsourcing Of Electronic Medical Records

Amol Sharma, Ben Worthen November 8, 2010
Digitizing health records improves care, reduces errors and saves money in redundant testing or treatment. In an effort to reduce costs, the US health care reform law includes incentives, with billions in government funding, for providers and hospitals to rely on electronic medical records. Only 20 percent of US hospitals now rely on electronic records. Analysts anticipate that hospitals will not...

UN Report Warns of Threat to Human Progress From Climate Change

Larry Elliott, Mark Tran November 5, 2010
The United Nations' annual human development report mixes good news with bad. Despite global financial crisis, the vast majority of nations have made progress in poverty elimination, jobs, education continues, and only three – the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe – show declines in human development since 1990. Fast-growing emerging economies in Asia demonstrated the most progress. However, a...