In The News

Crisis and Response – Part II

Bertil Lintner May 21, 2008
When natural disasters strike citizens expect government – authoritarian or democratic – to provide fast, efficient relief using all means possible. This YaleGlobal series explores various responses to two crises, the fierce cyclone that struck the Irrawaddy Delta of Burma and the earthquake that hit the Sichuan province of China. Burmese generals have been slow to admit the need for assistance,...

In India, Death to Global Business

Manjeet Kripalani May 10, 2008
Insurgents attacked an iron-ore processing plant in India, setting equipment, buses and trucks on fire – and warned the officials in Chhattisgarh to stop shipping local resources out of state. The Naxalites, who abide by a Maoist philosophy and resent ownership and capitalism, resort to violence to disrupt state and corporate activities. The movement began in one village in 1967 and since spread...

Pakistan’s New Tack on Fighting Terror

Ashley J. Tellis May 9, 2008
Elections and changes in Pakistan’s government have set a new direction for what US President George Bush calls a “war on terror.” Washington is wary about plans by the government of Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani to seek a balanced approach on dealing with extremism, combining force with dialogue. Some hardliners in the US dismiss this policy as tantamount to giving terrorist groups time to re-group....

The Threat of Global Food Shortages – Part II

Mira Kamdar May 7, 2008
The temptation is great to find a quick fix for the shortages and high prices associated with the global food crisis. Indeed, radical changes are needed in how the world produces and distributes food, otherwise substantial numbers will go hungry later this century. That is the grim conclusion of an international report initiated by the World Bank and the UN Food and Agricultural Organization....

Myanmar Death Toll Rises to 22,000; Thousands Missing

Rattaphol Onsanit May 6, 2008
A tropical storm surged through the Bay of Bengal and slammed into Myanmar. The death toll exceeds 20,000 and tens of thousands more are missing. The small impoverished nation is ruled by a military junta, and severe damage from flooding, power outages and food shortages will only increase the misery of Myanmar’s people. The international community is torn between wanting to extend assistance to...

A Small Stove With Big Ambitions

Margot Cohen April 7, 2008
The invention of a tiny stove in India demonstrates the link between reduced carbon emissions and improved health – and how technology can contribute to slowing climate change. Global energy giant BP is producing and marketing Oorja, which means energy in Hindi, a small pellet stove that produces substantially fewer emissions than the traditional wood-burning stoves so common throughout India. In...

World Banker and His Cash Return Home

Jason DeParle March 24, 2008
Remittances, once treated as an insignificant rounding error, eclipse the world’s combined foreign aid by threefold. A migration scholar with the World Bank, Dilip Ratha, calculated the magnitude of remittances and brought them to the world’s attention. Critics suggest that “behind every remittance is a separated family” and argue that remittances contribute to consumption rather than development...