Deforestation, climate change and other habitat destruction reduce biodiversity, bringing wild animals and humans closer along with infectious diseases. “The total number of disease outbreaks has more than tripled each decade since the 1980s,” reports Emma Newburger for CNBC. “More than two thirds...
It’s a mistake to judge a nation by its most vocal extremists. Iran, a country of 80 million, is young, diverse, urbanized and entrepreneurial. The literacy rate is 85 percent and many Iranians pursue advanced degrees. The country’s ranking for inequality is near that of the United States. “There...
Click here for the article in Spiegel Online.
正当世界各国正期待中国能以其强劲的经济实力力挽狂澜缓解全球金融危机之时，中国所面对的当务之急则是其自身庞大的美元储备。根据中国问题专家姜闻然博士的介绍，北京已经采取了应对措施来扭转目前的被动局势。尽管如此，中国现仍拥有超过一万亿美元的外汇存底，加上外贸交易和原物料资源的进口都要以美元来结算，目前中国所面临的美元疲软问题非一朝一夕所能解决，也一时没有什么立竿见影的灵丹妙药。为此，中国不得不采取多管其下的方法来降低其对美元的过度依赖，包括积极推动以人民币作为外贸合同结算和能源矿产类对外直接投资的支付货币。目前中国政府的应对措施在部分观察家看来步伐过于缓慢，但姜博士却持相左的意见，...
中国钢铁公司,湖南华菱钢铁有限公司投资了澳大利亚铁矿,使其所持股份多样化
爱德蒙顿，加拿大：世界经济持续低迷，美国一时也难以从谷底爬升，全球期待的目光都因此投射到了中国的身上。其今年6.5％的经济增长率和两万亿的外汇储备使这个亚洲强国俨然成了世界经济的救世主。但中国政府也有自己的难题要解决：如何防止其辛苦累积的外汇贬值。
正当世界各国期望中国能运用其庞大的外汇存底来刺激全球经济复苏之时，北京则更趋向于把它看作是高悬头上的达摩克利斯之剑。中国人似乎已坚信国际金融危机...
大型经济体内的投机泡沫和问题重重的治理可以快速扩散，影响其它经济体。本期上下两篇的耶鲁全球系列文章分析了中国所面临的全球性和地方性的挑战及其影响。在下篇中，瑞典前驻华大使雍博瑞写到，广东省乌坎村发生的反腐败抗议是以小见大，揭示了中国现存的问题。互联网让人们愈发紧密地联系在一起，这有助于暴露人们共同的抱怨不满，还有中国政府的反应模式，包括镇压和适应改良。雍博瑞指出，“简言之，乌坎事件以及在处理“群众事件”时的特别态度让人从根本上质疑政府的可靠性和管理能力。”九十年代以来对中国极权主意的研究大致分为三种学说：民主说、倾覆说和弹性极权主义说，后者近年来成为主流观点。雍博瑞总结到，...
斯德哥尔摩：从香港往东北方向200哩便是广东省乌坎村，该村在十二月下旬让自己登上了史册。村民愤怒地抗议土地被强征和政府腐败，一位村民领袖在被警方拘留期间猝死，这激起了村民的怒火，把共产党和政府官员赶出了村子，除非政府满足他们的要求，否则绝不妥协。
在某种意义上，乌坎事件没什么特别的，成千上万同样的事情在中国各地发生。然而，一叶知秋，乌坎事件让人们看到了中国这场不断演变的戏里的各种元素，并且认真地提醒着人们，党和人民之间的距离越来越大。随着抗议事件扩散到其它城镇，而且全世界都在注视，...
The world has inequalities of many kinds, and retirement is no exception. Government-sponsored pensionable retirement programs are popular worldwide, regarded as essential in the wealthiest economies. “Retirement programs are similar in purpose, yet differ considerably in scope, coverage,...
Retiring difficulty: Analysts eye income levels, health habits and lifestyles to determine reasons behind varying life-expectancy rates; seniors in a California facility exercise in chairs, and Japanese elderly work hard to stay in shape
NEW YORK: A...
India failed to anticipate China’s aggression along the shared border and now must respond to a deadly clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and, by some reports, twice as many Chinese – along with China’s claim to Galwan Valley. Both sides have engaged in road-building and moved troops in the...
Ukraine, battling separatists and demands for autonomy in its eastern regions, confronts a debt crisis. The International Monetary Fund approved $17.5 billion over four years and also called for another debt operation. After five months of negotiations, Ukraine received another $15.3 billion,...
Time for a bailout: IMF’s Christine Lagarde with Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, top; Ukraine’s ailing industry and illusory growth
NEW HAVEN: Ukraine’s war with pro-Russian separatists in its easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk,...
In response to mounting concerns about terrorism, as well as the attacks of July 7, Chatham House, an independent think-tank, has commissioned a report on counter-terrorism and security policy options for the UK as part of its New Security Challenges program. Frank Gregory and Paul Wilkinson...
Click here for the report in PDF format.
