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The Case for US Global Leadership

July 19, 2018
Since the conclusion of the Second World War, the United States and its allies have led in building multiple international institutions that promote trade, security and diplomacy – including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and NATO. Yet too many Americans do not understand the...

Multinational Corporations: A Key to Global Poverty Reduction – Part II

January 5, 2006
To combat a growing image problem, multinational corporations must capitalize on their enormous potential for reducing poverty. MNCs can and do change the very conditions that create poverty, yet lack presence in the world’s poorest countries. More recently, NGO leaders and development...

Asian Values

September 27, 2018
Countries that join together through multilateral organizations, whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or the United Nations, must determine the values required for pursuit of common goals. Yet there is stark contrast between Asian and western values – with Asia generally focused on...

Is Islam Compatible with Democracy and Modernity?

September 4, 2003
Claims that Islam is incompatible with democracy and modernity are terribly off-base, says Asghar Ali Engineer, a scholar and author at the Institute of Islamic Studies in Mumbai. The observation that science and democracy are not found in contemporary Islamic countries is fair, he says, but the...

US Foundations Boost Chinese Government, Not NGOs

March 28, 2012
The number of NGOs continues to multiply worldwide, and competition for funding is intense. US-based foundations that contribute to international endeavors tend to promote human rights and democracy. But recipient programs in China are tightly monitored and controlled by the government, explains...

Multinational Corporations: A Key to Global Poverty Reduction – Part I

January 2, 2006
The legitimacy of multinational corporations has been increasingly questioned in recent years. In this two-part series, Harvard professor George C. Lodge and International Finance Corporation economist Craig Wilson argue that multinational corporations (MNCs) have contributed enormously to...

Multinational Corporations: Pro or Con?

October 29, 2003
India's love-hate relationship with multi-national corporations (MNCs) is more complicated than simple fear of big, faceless companies. MNCs bring jobs (but also "hire-and-fire" policies), consumer choice (that push traditional foods out of the market), and brand-name products (...

Our Vanishing Night

October 20, 2008
The growth of cities across the globe has obscured the line between night and day. Artificial lights that regularly brighten the night sky for human activity in metropolises and their suburbs has repercussions on humans and other living organisms that are only now beginning to be understood....
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