In The News

WikiLeaks and the Long Haul

Clay Shirky December 14, 2010
WikiLeaks continues to surprise US allies and opponents alike on how foreign officials aided and informed US embassy staff. Of course, informants expected confidentiality, and the US government was unprepared for sudden exposure. “For negotiation to work, people’s stated positions have to change, but change is seen, almost universally, as weakness,” explains Professor Clay Shirky in an essay,...

The Meaning of Russia 2018

Peter Tasker December 14, 2010
International sporting events can ease or accentuate competition and cultural differences among nations. Major events like the World Cup have great symbolic and financial value, and scheduling is a competition in itself. Russia's selection for World Cup 2018, Qatar for 2022, demonstrates “the new post-credit-crisis geopolitical realities,” explains Peter Tasker for Newsweek, as “cash-rich...

Brace for Change as the Global Economic Order Crumbles

Jeffrey E. Garten December 13, 2010
Asia increasingly accounts for a greater share of global revenues and financial clout. Yet power in global institutions, like the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, is weighted toward the United States and other developed economies. Transition is underway in the global economic order. Jeffrey E. Garten, Yale University international trade and finance professor, warns that adjustment...

The WikiLeaks Ravage – Part II

Johan Lagerkvist December 8, 2010
WikiLeaks taunt the US government with a daily release of classified diplomatic cables. The US has reacted with fury – far more intense than during previous releases of military documents – and with unprecedented censorship that heightens curiosity and counters democratic values. US leaders simultaneously apologize to foreign counterparts whose confidentiality was compromised and pressure them...

The WikiLeaks Ravage – Part I

Shyam Saran December 6, 2010
WikiLeaks has set out to display 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables, dated 1966 to 2010, exposing blunt US assessments, tactics and conjecture. For the well read, the cables reveal much hypocrisy, but few surprises. This two-part YaleGlobal series explores the consequences of the unprecedented leak from the points of view of diplomacy and internet freedom. The latest release about vital US...

Merkel Leads on Climate Change

Hakan Altinay December 2, 2010
The vast majority of climate researchers contend that failing to take immediate steps to control emissions could ruin the world as we know it. They urge today’s generations to sacrifice, sharing the cost burden with future generations. But preventive steps taken today won’t take effect for 30 years or more. Politicians whose power depends on comforting citizens deny that change is underway or...

UK to Relax Immigration Rules for the Rich

James Boxell November 25, 2010
The rich are different, as noted by more than one literary figure. To assist a struggling economy and keep pace with Canada, the US and other nations, Great Britain will relax some immigration rules to entice wealthy families and entrepreneurs from emerging economies like China, India and the Middle East, reports the Financial Times. The price for fast-track permits is £10 million, reducing the...