In The News

Matthew Goldstein, Danny Hakim and Jan Hoffman September 10, 2019
The United States strives to bring an end to the opioids crisis, preventing addition and punishing pharmaceutical companies, distributors and physicians that doled out pills in alarming numbers. Purdue Pharma is in negotiations with litigators, but the owners “want to keep selling OxyContin and other drugs abroad for as many as seven more years, through another company they own, Mundipharma,...
Jane Lubchenco, D. James Baker and Kathryn D. Sullivan September 10, 2019
Accurate weather forecasting saves countless lives and prevents property damage. The agriculture, defense, transportation, energy, travel and other industries rely on accurate forecasts and an expensive infrastructure of observational equipment, supercomputers and models, and researchers. Also, the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contribute to global...
Lindsay Wise September 8, 2019
Skilled foreigners with US job offers obtain green card approvals, but wait years for permanent status. “The logjam stems from U.S. rules that limit any one country to 7% of all employment-based green cards,” reports Lindsay Wise for the Wall Street Journal. “More than 660,000 of those approved but waiting are from India.” US Congress, polarized over comprehensive immigration reform, generally...
Dirk Kurbjuweit September 6, 2019
The rise of antagonistic nationalism triggered World War II – and a wake of destruction with more than 60 million dead worldwide. Fears emerge that another wave of nationalism, with disregard for minorities and democratic institutions and emphasis on competition, could put an end to 75 relatively peaceful years. Writing for Spiegel Online, Dirk Kurbjuweit summarizes the events leading to the...
Bob Berwyn September 5, 2019
Climate scientists have warned that climate change is picking up pace, with warmer temperatures, more rainfall and systems that linger over coastal areas damage. For example, Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas on September 1, slowing to 1 mile per hour with a storm surge of 23 feet and sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, reports Bob Berwyn for InsideClimate News. A study from NASA and...
September 4, 2019
Immanuel Wallerstein, a long-time contributor to YaleGlobal Online, died August 31, 2019, at the age of 88. He was also a member of the faculty of the Sociology Department at Yale. A prolific writer of many books and essays, he also developed world-system theory, suggesting the world has been caught up for centuries in a system of dominant and dependent nations and communities. “Wallerstein...
Jean Pisani-Ferry September 3, 2019
The world is more connected and informed on global events than ever before, and possibly more competitive over limited resources. Conflicts over sovereignty – the right for nations to do as they please, disregarding the interests of the world at large – could become more common. A quarrel between the presidents of France and Brazil over reflects a larger battle over national sovereignty: Emmanuel...