So says Gustavo De Las Casas, in an article for Foreign Policy. Basically, the argument is that if the West were to totally decimate the Al-Qaeda network, the global Jihadist movement would disperse, and the local cells that emerged would be that much harder to accurately track, and stop. It’s an intriguing thesis, and certainly […]
This film is visually stunning. Filmed in 70mm in 24 countries, it is one long montage of scenes. The viewer has to be in the right frame of mind to watch “Baraka” – there is no dialogue or narration. All of the images are set to New Age music. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/XO1nSVy8q8I” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] […]
President Obama has departed for a trip to Asia that will provide his first opportunity to put his stamp on U.S.-China relations. Security, the environment, and the economy will also be on his agenda as he visits Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Our relationship with China has always been complex and even contradictory at times […]
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer reported last night about the 10th anniversary of East Timor’s independence. Following Portuguese decolonization of Portuguese Timor in 1974, East Timor declared independence, and was subsequently invaded by Indonesia. East Timor battled Indonesia for independence for the next two decades, eventually winning in the late 1990’s. One particular line of […]
Not so fast. President Medvedev has resounded the main themes of reform for some time now, without his government (or, rather, Putin’s) following through. See a NYTimes article from yesterday on President Medvedev’s annual address to the Russian nation, as well as a report on the matter below in a CSFB Emerging Markets report. Reducing Russia’s humiliating […]
At almost the same time that the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report lamenting the many barriers that women face to accessing health care, the United States Congress threw up another such barrier in the form of the Stupak amendment blocking access to abortion. Fittingly, the WHO report noted that “The obstacles that stand […]
An overseas trip by a U.S. president is always costly, logistically challenging, and full of colorful backdrops. President Obama’s trip to Japan, Singapore, China and Korea is no exception. If anything, there will be more excitement than usual, since it is his first trip to the region as President and there is still tremendous foreign […]
Fooling Some of the People All of the Time is the gripping chronicle of that revealing saga. Page by page, it delves deep inside Wall Street, showing how the $6 billion hedge fund Greenlight Capital conducts its investment research detailing the maneuvers of unscrupulous companies, greed-laden executives and the previaling orthodoxies of Wall Street leading up to the precipitation of the 2008 financial crisis. It is a compelling read.
How the Fort Hood crime is prosecuted depends on how the word ‘terrorism’ is defined. However, as Slate notes: There’s no precise, internationally accepted definition of terrorism or who qualifies as a terrorist. One 1988 study identified 109 definitions for terrorism, and it’s a safe bet there are now many more. The U.S. Code contains […]
China’s industrial production and trade surplus posted robust double-digit gains in October, indicating a strengthening recovery in the world’s third-largest economy. China, unlike the U.S. and other western industrial nations, has managed well in the advance of the global economic crisis.
FAO: World ripe for another food crisis More international aid to combat higher food prices and insufficient production in developing countries is needed to stave off another food crisis, warns Jacques Diouf, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization. “There is a lack of priority in fighting hunger and poverty at the highest political […]
This past weekend the US Congress passed a bill to reform the country’s health care system. It must now be merged with legislation in the Senate and pass through an additional vote in that house. One aspect of the bill rarely mentioned in the past week, but which attracted scrutiny, is health care coverage for […]
As Asia starts down the path to recovery, it is going to have to tackle two issues which are constraining its long-term growth potential: firms that save but do not invest and wealthy households that are reluctant to consume.
I’m taking a moment to honor Veterans Day. Originally established by President Woodrow Wilson to mark the end of World War I the day now recognizes the service and sacrifice of veterans of all our wars. The VA website has a nice historical overview if you would like to learn more. As a “military brat” […]
The World Bank is sponsoring this global competition to find the best “100 Ideas to Save the Planet.” The 100 ideas on display now at the World Bank headquarters in Washington were chosen from among 1,755 proposals. From Argentina to Vanuatu, there are some wonderful ideas: bioculture to enhance the value of maize in Mexico; […]