In The News

When Crises Strike, China’s Leaders Adapt to Survive

Joseph Kahn May 4, 2003
The widespread usage of global media technologies such as the Internet and cell phones in China threaten to undermine the Communist Government’s control of information. The unchecked spread of SARS in China, and from China to other parts of the world, is a striking example of the administrative inefficiency within the Communist Government. Moreover, it threatens the Communist ideology as a...

Sars Gives China a Lesson in Globalization

Frank Ching May 2, 2003
China may have begun opening its economy 20 years ago, but Sars has shown that capitalist economic reforms aren't the only criteria for being part of the global economy. Control of the media is still seen as a basic function and right of the Chinese Communist Party, but it is precisely the party's obsessive control of information that helped fan the spread of Sars after its initial...

SARS Unmasks a Wider Scandal

Jasper Becker May 2, 2003
Writing from Beijing, Jasper Becker asks what lessons China will take from the Sars crisis? The crisis, he argues, reveals great flaws in the Chinese government's system of management in non-economic areas. "The half-baked reform of China's health system is nothing short of scandalous and the country is now paying for it," he says. "Peasants - who can least afford it -...

More SARS Cases Are Reported; Virus Found to Persist in Patients

Lawrence K. Altman May 2, 2003
More deaths, more new infections in Toronto, and the realization that Sars patients can suffer a relapse capped the bad news about Sars this week. The World Health Organization also reported that countries – including Canada and the US – are being slow about reporting new cases of Sars. New recommendations included treating in isolation patients who test positive for Sars. – YaleGlobal

Asean to Take Tough Joint Action

Bertha Henson April 30, 2003
SARS is taking its toll on Southeast Asian economies as travel advisories warn businessmen and tourists to steer clear of countries with high numbers of SARS cases. To combat further economic damage, ASEAN leaders convened in an emergency summit in Bangkok to agree on a unified strategy for containing the spread of SARS and reducing the panic that has been caused by it. In the proposal, people...

SARS Is the Spark for a Riot in China

Erik Eckholm April 29, 2003
Frustrated rural Chinese ransacked a junior high school on Sunday in the first reported case of popular protest against Beijing's handling of the Sars epidemic. As this article in the New York Times reports, "More conflict appears possible as China's government – used to treating the public, especially in rural areas, in a highhanded fashion – applies stringent measures to contain...

SARS Scare in Toronto

April 25, 2003
Toronto is the Western city most affected by Sars, with 140 cases reported so far. The World Health Organization recently warned travelers to stay away from the city, infuriating Toronto officials, who say Sars in Toronto can be traced to one carrier and is under control. The Centers for Disease Control in the US have not warned against travel to Toronto, further complicating the situation. In...