In The News

Africa After the Music Stops

Susan E. Rice August 2, 2005
From the Live 8 concerts to the lofty agenda of the G-8 summit, the world's wealthiest nations have been charged with the daunting task of combating African poverty. On the surface, writes Brookings scholar Susan E. Rice, the Gleneagles Summit accomplished more than many expected. Member nations pledged to double African aid, provide debt relief for certain countries, and address the...

Bush's UN Agenda Is Well Under Way

Steven R. Weisman August 2, 2005
President Bush's decision to appoint John Bolton to the post of UN Ambassador during the US Senate's recess sparked ire among those who see the appointment as a sign of the administration's disdain for the UN. But these objections may be moot: Bush's plan for UN reform was in the works prior to yesterday's appointment, and is already close to fruition. Highlights of the...

The Crossover Queen

July 25, 2005
Most Latino singers who succeed in the lucrative English-language pop market abandon their origins and cease to cater to the Latin marketplace. Shakira, however, recently broke the industry’s conventional wisdom by returning to the Spanish-language market after selling 13 million copies of her first English album – “Laundry Service” – in 2001. Exercising an unusual level of control over her own...

The World Is Still Round

Robert J. Samuelson July 21, 2005
The onslaught of globalization seems to be the issue on everyone's minds today: If proponents like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman are to be believed, national borders are becoming irrelevant as constant improvements in transportation and communications transform the world into a single market. Contradicting Friedman's thesis, however, Newsweek columnist Robert J. Samuelson...

Global Revolution

Arindam Bhattacharya July 19, 2005
According to Boston Consulting Group leaders Arindam Bhattacharya and Arun Maira, the so-called "third wave" of globalization is giving unprecedented opportunity to emerging markets to reshape the global economy in their own image. Whereas the first and second phases of globalization cemented the dominance of the "triad" of North America, Europe, and Japan, the third step is...

Russia Eyes Stronger Clout In Caspian Region

Sergei Blagov July 18, 2005
Russian President Vladimir Putin used the opportunity of a Caspian security conference on July 14 to recommend a return to Moscow’s prior level of influence in the Caspian region. Recently, Russia has strengthened its Caspian military presence. Putin wants to strengthen it further, using the heightened force of Russia’s already established Caspian Sea Flotilla to right terrorism and narcotics...

With New Clue to How SARS Kills, Scientists Work on Treatment

Elisabeth Rosenthal July 15, 2005
In 2003, the SARS virus killed almost 800 people and reminded the world of our vulnerability to epidemic disease. Two years later, scientists may have learned why the virus is so deadly. A team of scientists from Europe and Asia seem to have discovered how SARS fills the lungs with fluid, initiating acute respiratory distress syndrome. Their findings could lead to a new treatment that would...