In The News

Spirit of the Wombles

Libby Brooks May 20, 2008
The anti-globalization movement captured world attention in the 1990s. But media coverage quickly shifted to terrorist attacks, wars, climate change and other problems, writes Libby Brooks for the Guardian. “Even if 9/11 hadn't happened, it's doubtful whether the anti-globalisation movement could have been sustained,” writes Brooks. “Its membership was too disparate, its aims too vague...

The World Can't Wait for “Indy”? It Won't Have To

William Booth May 19, 2008
When it comes to the release of mega-hit films, the world is impatient. Films, like “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” are “released on the same day in cities around the world, in a mass moment of pop culture consumption,” writes William Booth for the Washington Post. Much has changed since 1981, when the first Indiana Jones film, “Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released to less...

Crisis and Response – Part I

Ramesh Thakur May 19, 2008
In today’s connected world, news of human disaster anywhere brings immediate sympathy and offers of international assistance. The recent tragedy to hit Burma is no exception. What’s different is the attitude of the ruling military junta, which declined most assistance, denying entry to relief workers and insisting the country could manage the aftermath on its own. Nothing could show the contrast...

Deforestation: The Hidden Cause of Global Warming

Daniel Howden May 19, 2008
Deforestation accounts for about 25 percent of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Reducing slash-and-burn techniques in the world’s rainforests could substantially slow climate change, suggests Daniel Howden for the Independent, in explaining a report from the Global Canopy Programme, an alliance of 29 scientific institutions in 19 countries. “No new technology is needed, says...

For Talks to Succeed, China Must Admit to a Tibet Problem

Michael C. Davis May 16, 2008
China’s hard-line policy towards Tibet creates more problems than it solves. Beijing’s recent crackdown on Tibetan protesters has attracted condemnation from around the world, but did nothing to address the underlying problems in Tibet itself. If Beijing is serious about securing Tibet’s long-term future as part of China, it needs to put aside its past enmity towards the Dalai Lama – and...

Polar Bear to Be Designated As Threatened Species

Ian Talley May 15, 2008
The Bush administration has shown little fervor for environmental protection, and only recently acknowledges that climate change has imperiled earth’s ecosystems. By designating the polar bear as a “threatened" species, President George Bush also acknowledges that thinning sea ice poses a threat to the bears’ long-term prospects for survival. Though polar bears are not yet listed as “...

A Strategy to Promote Healthy Globalization

Lawrence Summers May 14, 2008
US workers and voters are impatient with globalization – and the highly skilled, productive workers in the West do not want any competition to dent their top wages. “[Workers’] effort is complemented by capital, broadly defined to include equipment, managerial expertise, corporate culture, infrastructure and the capacity for innovation,” writes Lawrence Summers, Harvard professor and former...