Tag Archives: development
History Revisited, Argentina’s Nationalization of YPF
Latin America is no stranger to the nationalization of private industries. Nonetheless, President Kirchner’s recent decision to re-nationalize the oil company YPF has drawn considerable condemnation around the world. Against the backdrop of a large energy trade deficit and a …
Will the Kony2012 Campaign Help Central Africa?
A 2012 media blitz on Joseph Kony has taken the United States by storm. Invisible Children, an American NGO, are carrying out a social media campaign, Kony 2012, to raise awareness of the existence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) …
Behind the New Burma
A thaw in relations between Burma and the West is underway. U.S. Secretary of State, United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary and other high level government officials from the West have recently visited this former pariah state. Europe eased travel bans for …
A Kim of a Different Il: Possible effects of North Korean Succession
Introduction and History On December 17, 2011, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, died of a heart attack while on a train outside of Pyongyang. As a result, his youngest son, Great Successor Kim Jong-un, was left in control of …
Cuba Libre: The Liberalization of a Socialist Country
Bono: The Power of One
On World AIDS Day 2011, television viewers could turn on CNN and watch Bono thank profusely the U.S. for their commitment to ending the AIDS epidemic. In a New York Times editorial published that day, Bono wrote “The United States …
Going for Broke, Is Italy Next?
A huge government debt, a sluggish economy, and a divided political system are three of the biggest problems facing countries around the world. With a debt of 1.2 trillion Euros, a debt-to-GDP ratio of 120 percent, a government bond rate …
You Are One in Seven Billion
Introduction On October 31, 2011, the UN declared that the seven billionth person in the world had been born. This new population milestone comes just twelve years after the birth of the 6th billionth, Adnan Nevic, on October 12, 1999 in …
Solyndra’s Lessons: Challenges of the Global Energy Market
In September 2011, Solyndra, a US-based solar panelA collection of photovoltaic cells, usually encased in glass, used to generate electricity from solar energy. manufacturer, declared bankruptcy. The Solyndra case illustrates the complexity of developing renewable energies. Many globalization factors …
Armed and Dangerous: The Mexican Drug Wars
Violent outbursts, related to drug sales and distribution, have been a regular occurrence for many years in Mexico, annually taking the lives of thousands. While a passive approach was deemed permissible throughout the 1990’s and partially into the next …