Globalisation

Can the World Afford A Middle Class? Moisés Naím. Foreign Policy, March/April 2008. pp. 96-97. The middle class in poor countries is the fastest-growing segment of the world's population. The middle class will almost double in the poor countries where sustained economic growth is lifting people above the poverty line fast. The new consumers of the emerging global middle class are driving up food prices everywhere. Milk prices were up more than 29% last year, while wheat and soybeans increased by almost 80% and 90%, respectively. Changes in migration, urbanization, and income distribution will be widespread. And expect growing demands for better housing, healthcare, education, and, inevitably, political participation. READ MORE

Thinking Locally before Acting Globally: The Rise of Selective Provincialism. Zach Messitte. World Literature Today,. March/April 2008. pp. 34-38. Politicians, economists, and ever the average citizen are in consensus: globalization, love it or hate it, is here to stay. Can local communities give globalization a run for its money? In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the world may be getting flatter, civilizations could be clashing, McWorld might be struggling with Jihad, and the end of history is still possible. Yet despite the past two decades of popular globalization theories and rapid advances in communication, most people's lives remain fundamentally rooted in the local. READ MORE

Iraq: Five Years Later

INVASIVE PROCEDURES. Ian Bremmer, National Interest, March-April 2008, var. pages. "The governments of Iraq and Afghanistan, two countries of vital interest to the United States, are in danger of collapse. Whatever optimistic policy makers and presidential candidates may say, Washington has few remaining tools with which to minimize real risks of state failure. The coming year will be critical for the survival of both governments. READ MORE

IRAQ FIVE YEARS ON: BEYOND THE DEMONS. Laith Kubba, The World Today, March 2008, pp. 4-6. "Five years after the invasion of Iraq, 'shock and awe' has quite different connotations. Ruthless power blocs now hold the country at their mercy. The only way forward is to put the pieces back together in a different pattern, involving regional states in the solution rather than the problem." READ MORE

IRAQ: WHAT IF WE WIN? Anonymous, The American Interest, March/April 2008, var. pages. "Thanks to a fragile but real improvement in the security situation in Iraq, it has become possible to imagine the United States and its allies achieving what could plausibly be described as a win. But a win how defined, and with what implications? We asked a diverse group of observers to ponder these questions." READ MORE

REAL LEADERS DO SOFT POWER: LEARNING THE LESSONS OF IRAQ. James B. Steinberg, The Washington Quarterly, Spring 2008, pp. 155–164. "Policymaking is an inherently imprecise science. History does not permit us to stage controlled experiments, to test the outcomes of the 'what if.' Yet, the Bush administration’s decision to pursue a bold policy departure from mainstream U.S. national security strategy does offer a kind of laboratory to examine why policy choices matter and to understand the nature of the international system at the beginning of the twenty-first century as well as the appropriate role for U.S. leadership within that system." READ MORE

The Power of Green

BRINGING GREEN HOMES WITHIN REACH: HEALTHIER HOUSING FOR MORE PEOPLE. Charles W Schmidt, Environmental Health Perspectives, Jan 2008, pp. 24-33. New green homes jumped in number by 30% between 2005 and 2006 and could include up to 5% of the entire U.S. housing market within five years, predicts McGrawHill Construction, an industry information provider. That makes green homes bright spots in an otherwise dismal housing market facing its worst slump in decades." READ MORE

BUYING GREEN: DOES IT REALLY HELP THE ENVIRONMENT? Jennifer Weeks, The CQ Researcher, Feb. 29, 2008, pp. 193-216. "Americans will spend an estimated $500 billion this year on products and services that claim to be good for the environment because they contain non-toxic ingredients or produce little pollution and waste. While some shoppers buy green to help save the planet, others are concerned about personal health and safety. Whatever their motives, eco-consumers are reshaping U.S. markets. Even if green marketing delivers on its pledges, many environmentalists say that sustainability is not a matter of buying green but of buying less." READ MORE

STATES ON STEROIDS: THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL ODYSSEY OF AMERICAN CLIMATE POLICY. Barry G. Rabe, Review of Policy Research, March 2008, pp. 105-128. "Climate change has conventionally been framed as an issue that would be addressed by an international regime established through negotiation among nation-states. The experience of policy development in the decade following the signing of the Kyoto Protocol indicates that climate change also needs to be examined as a challenge of multilevel governance. The increasingly central role of state governments in American climate policy formation squares with recent experience in other Western democracies that share authority across governmental levels." READ MORE

On Terrorism

IRAN, TERRORISM, AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. Daniel Byman, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, March 2008, pp. 169-181. This article reviews Iran's past and current use of terrorism and assesses why U.S. attempts to halt Iran's efforts have met with little success. With this assessment in mind, it argues that Iran is not likely transfer chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons to terrorist groups for several reasons. READ MORE

THE NEXT GENERATION OF TERROR. Marc Sageman, Foreign Policy, Mar/Apr 2008, pp. 37-42. "Today's new generation of terrorists constitutes the third wave of radicals stirred to battle by the ideology of global jihad. Any strategy to fight these terrorists must be based on an understanding of why they believe what they believe. The explanation for their behavior is found not in how they think, but rather in how they feel." READ MORE

PREVENTION OF TERRORISM IN POST-9/11 AMERICA: NEWS COVERAGE, PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS, AND THE POLITICS OF HOMELAND SECURITY. Brigitte Nacos, et al., Terrorism and Political Violence, January 2008 , pp. 1-25. "This study finds that the issue of preventing terrorist attacks has received surprisingly little attention by decision-makers and the news media, and only sporadic interest by pollsters. When it comes to homeland security, how to protect the nation and its people from actual attacks takes a back seat to press coverage of threats and other aspects of terrorism, particularly the administration's arguments for fighting the 'war on terrorism' abroad as a means to prevent further terrorism at home. This inattention to the difficult task of preventing further catastrophic terror attacks by taking measures at home may affect the nation's vigilance as time has passed since 9/11." READ MORE

Elections

How Hillary did it. Stephen, Andrew. New Statesman, March 2008. pp. 12-13. In this article the author examines the political campaign of senator Hillary Clinton as she sought the Democratic Party nomination for the 2008 presidential election. Clinton victories in primary elections in Ohio and Texas are examined and their impact on her campaign is assessed. The campaign of Clinton rival Barack Obama is also examined. READ MORE

Look Who's Afraid of Free Trade. Gordon, John Steele. Commentary, February 2008, pp. 20-25. The article discusses the United States Democratic Party and its move away from embracing a free trade policy. The author states that the 2008 presidential elections have seen Democratic candidates advocate for less trade with other nations due to its impact on the American working classes. The author chronicles the history of this development throughout American history. READ MORE