Synopses & Reviews
Annual Editions is a series of over 65 volumes, each designed to provide convenient, inexpensive access to a wide range of current articles from some of the most respected magazines, newspapers, and journals published today. Annual Editions are updated on a regular basis through a continuous monitoring of over 300 periodical sources. The articles selected are authored by prominent scholars, researchers, and commentators writing for a general audience. The Annual Editions volumes have a number of common organizational features designed to make them particularly useful in the classroom: a general introduction; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; and a brief overview for each section. Each volume also offers an online Instructor's Resource Guide with testing materials. Using Annual Editions in the Classroom is offered as a practical guide for instructors and is available in print or online. Visit www.mhcls.com for more details.
Synopsis
Annual Editions is a series of over 65 volumes, each designed to provide convenient, inexpensive access to a wide range of current articles from some of the most respected magazines, newspapers, and journals published today. Annual Editions are updated on a regular basis through a continuous monitoring of over 300 periodical sources. The articles selected are authored by prominent scholars, researchers, and commentators writing for a general audience. The Annual Editions volumes have a number of common organizational features designed to make them particularly useful in the classroom: a general introduction; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; and a brief overview for each section. Each volume also offers an online Instructor's Resource Guide with testing materials. Using Annual Editions in the Classroom is offered as a practical guide for instructors and is available in print or online. Visit www.mhcls.com for more details.
Table of Contents
Preliminary Table of Contents
Annual Editions: Global Issues 10/11
Preface
Correlation Guide
Topic Guide
Internet References
UNIT 1: Global Issues in the Twenty-First Century: An Overview
Unit Overview
1. Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, US National Intelligence Council, November 2008
This widely quoted report examines important change factors transforming the international political system from the structure established following WWII. The executive summary of the report is presented here.
2. Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?, Lester R. Brown, Scientific American, May 2009
Brown argues that global political stability is threatened by food crises in poor countries that could lead to an increased number of failed states. A major effort to address climate change, stabilize population, and replenish agricultural resources is necessary to avert this threat to civilization.
3. Navigating the Energy Transition, Michael T. Klare, Current History, January 2009
The transition from the current fossil fuel energy system to one based largely on renewables will be technically difficult and filled with political dangers. The reasons for these difficulties are described.
4. The Rise of the Rest, Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek, May 12, 2008
There is considerable speculation about the future role of the United States in the international economic system. The author discusses the growing political and economic importance of other countries and how the United States must learn to adapt if it is going to maintain its ability to lead.
5. Feminists and Fundamentalists, Kavita Ramdas, Current History, March 2006
The women's movement had great success during the twentieth century. Today, it faces a backlash. The new challenges facing women are discussed along with strategies to meet them.
6. Get Smart, Jamais Cascio, The Atlantic, July/August 2009
Given the list of doomsday scenarios of global warming, pandemics, food shortages, and the end of abundant fossil fuel, what are humans to do? The same thing as has been done before: evolve to meet the challenge. But this time we do not have to wait for natural evolution but can do it ourselves by harnessing technology and pharmacology to boost our intelligence.
UNIT 2: Population and Food Production
Unit Overview
7. The Century Ahead, Chris Wilson, Daedalus, Winter 2006
Rapid population growth was the dominant demographic trend in the twentieth century. The author argues that the twenty-first century is likely to be the century of aging. The implications of this demographic transition are examined in different regions of the world.
8. Population Sustainability, Robert Engelman, Scientific American, Summer 2009
Reversing the increase in human population is the most overlooked and essential strategy for achieving long-term balance with the environment. Contrary to widespread opinion, it does not require population control.
9. Why Migration Matters, Khalid Koser, Current History, April 2009
The increasing importance of migration derives from its growing scale and its widening global reach.
10. Pandemic Pandemonium, Josh N. Ruxin, National Journal, July/August 2008
A broad discussion of various diseases and the potential for pandemics is presented here. The article describes the efforts and challenges facing national and international health organizations as they confront the age-old threat to civilization.
11. The Next Breadbasket: How Africa Could Save the World and Itself, Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne, The Atlantic, September 2009
Addressing Africa's history of corruption, poor infrastructure and lack of market access may be the world's best bet for keeping food plentiful and cheap. The accompanying map summarizes global grain production and potential including the vital role Africa can play in a future of a more food-secure world.
UNIT 3: The Global Environment and Natural Resources Utilization
Unit Overview
12. Climate Change, Bill McKibben, Foreign Policy, January/February 2009
McKibben responds to the arguments that the underlying dynamics of climate change remain unclear and public policy options as a result are uncertain. He asserts that the science is settled, and the only real issue is whether we will stop playing political games and commit to the limited options remaining if we are to avert a climate catastrophe.
13. The Other Climate Changers, Jessica Seddon Wallack and Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2009
The most frequently discussed proposals to slow global warming focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Little attention is given to reducing "black carbon" even though doing so would be easier and cheaper and have an immediate effect.
14. Water of Life in Peril, Sharon Palmer, Today's Dietitian, October 2007
The author provides a comprehensive discussion of the strain on fresh water supplies, including inefficient, wasteful irrigation and food production systems. The article examines different efforts to increase efficiency, including recycling waste water.
15. Troubled Waters, The Economist, January 3, 2009
A broad overview of the health of the world's oceans is provided, including the impacts of human activities.
16. Acacia Avenue: How to Save Indonesia's Dwindling Rainforests, The Economist, September 12–18, 2009
The global impacts of cutting Indonesia's rainforest are described along with international efforts to slow the process.
17. Cry of the Wild, Sharon Begley, Newsweek, August 6, 2007
Hunting, including protected animals, is a multimillion-dollar business. The impact of hunting on endangered species is described along with the efforts to protect the world's vanishing wildlife.
UNIT 4: Political Economy
Unit Overview
Part A. Globalization Debate
18. Globalization and Its Contents, Peter Marber, World Policy Journal, Winter 2004/05
The term globalization has different meanings for different people, often depending on their political perspective. The debate about the positive and negative impacts of this situation is reviewed from a broad historical perspective. The author concludes that the evidence strongly suggests that human prosperity is improving as boundaries between people are lowered.
19. It's a Flat World, After All, Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times, April 3, 2005
Thomas Friedman is a well-known commentator who has contributed significantly to the debate about globalization. This article summarizes his latest book, The World Is Flat. He discusses a number of technological trends that are not only involving new participants in the global economy but also fundamentally changing the way people do business.
20. Why the World Isn't Flat, Pankaj Ghemawat, Foreign Policy, March/April 2007
The concept of globalization has defined much of the debate about international economic activity for the past twenty years. The author critically examines the basic assumptions of those that argue that this trend is dominant, and concludes that "the champions of globalization are describing a world that doesn't exist."
21. Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated?, Jeffery D. Sachs, Scientific American, September 2005
One of the United Nations Millennium Project's goals was reducing by half the level of extreme poverty by 2015. The director of the project describes how business as usual has to be replaced with programs that address the underlying causes of poverty by improving health, education, water, sanitation, food production, and roads.
22. The Ideology of Development, William Easterly, Foreign Policy, July/August 2007
The author critically evaluates both the economic and political assumptions of development theorists such as Jeffrey Sachs and Thomas Friedman. Easterly argues that the top down approach managed by international bureaucrats has done little to alleviate poverty while at the same time minimizing local solutions to economic challenges. This article is an excellent companion piece to other articles in this section, for it presents a distinctly different perspective.
Part B. General Case Studies
23. The Quiet Coup, Simon Johnson, The Atlantic, May 2009
According to the former chief The Economist of the International Monetary Fund, the 2008 financial crash laid bare unpleasant truths about the United States. The financial industry has effectively captured the US government, a situation typically found in emerging markets. Johnson argues that full recovery will fail unless this financial oligarchy is broken so that essential reform can take place.
24. The Case against the West: America and Europe in the Asian Century, Kishore Mahbubani, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008
The changing international, economic roles of both Asian and Western countries is described along with an evaluation of how the West is resisting the rise of the Asian countries. There is specific focus on the issues of nuclear nonproliferation, the Middle East, and trade.
25. `Chimerica" Is headed for a Divorce, Niall Ferguson, Newsweek, August 24 & 31, 2009
China's policy of purchasing American securities to offset both the trade deficit and the federal budget deficit was prompted by its own interests in terms of stimulating exports and keep China's currency from appreciating against the dollar. This relationship, which the author called `Chimerica', is under considerable stress as a result of the global financial crisis.
26. Promises and Poverty, Tom Knudson, Sacramento Bee, September 23, 2007
Companies often market their products by boasting about what they do for the environment. Starbuck's eco-friendly approach is examined with a special focus on the complex story of coffee in East Africa.
27. Not Your Father's Latin America, Duncan Currie, National Review, August 10, 2009
Latin America's problems continue, but progress to address structural problems in the region's large economies is significant.
Part C. Global Energy Case Studies
28. It's Still the One, Daniel Yergin, Foreign Policy, September/October 2009
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author and chairman of the Cambridge Energy Research Associates describes the contemporary political-economy of oil and the major trends likely to shape its supply and cost in the foreseeable future.
29. Seven Myths About Alternative Energy, Michael Grunwald, Foreign Policy, September/October 2009
As the search for alternatives to oil intensifies, energy sources such as biofuels, solar, and nuclear seem to be the answer, but the author argues they are not. Changes in consumer behavior in the developed world ultimately will be necessary.
UNIT 5: Conflict
Unit Overview
30. The Revenge of Geography, Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Policy, May/June 2009
The author revisits an old idea: People and ideas influence events, but geography largely determines them. To understand twenty-first century conflicts, Kaplan argues it is time to dust off the Victorian thinkers who knew the physical world best.
31. The Real War in Mexico, Shannon O'Neil, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2009
As Mexico's drug violence grows and spreads across the border, some American observers warn of the dangers of a failed state. O'Neil argues the rising violence is a product of Mexico's democratization process, and over the long run the only solution is to strengthen Mexico's democracy.
32. The Long March to Be a Superpower, The Economist, August 4, 2007
The Chinese military is rapidly modernizing itself by purchasing Russian equipment and developing new missiles and other weapons systems. The capability of the People's Liberation Army to challenge the United States is assessed along with a discussion of the ability to wage asymmetrical warfare.
33. What Russia Wants, Ivan Krastev, Foreign Policy, May/June 2008
The author examines the foreign policy of Russia and its assumptions about the future of the United States and Europe.
34. Lifting the Veil: Understanding the Roots of Islamic Militancy, Henry Munson, Harvard International Review, Winter 2004
This article explores the question, "Why do they hate us?" Using public opinion polls to examine attitudes in the Middle East, Professor Munson identifies two sources of anti-American militancy: U.S. support of Israel and a backlash to the strategy and tactics of the war on terrorism.
35. Tehran's Take, Moshen M. Milani, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2009
In the US, Iran's foreign policy is often portrayed in sensationalist terms. The author examines the underlying strategic logic of Tehran's foreign policy towards the US and its neighbors.
36. Banning the Bomb: A New Approach, Ward Wilson, Dissent, Winter 2007
The military utility of nuclear weapons is challenged along with the doctrine that has supported their development. The author argues that nuclear weapons have no real military value and proposes that they be banned, thereby eliminating the danger of them falling into the hands of terrorists and unstable leaders.
UNIT 6: Cooperation
Unit Overview
37. Europe as a Global Player: A Parliamentary Perspective, Hans-Gert Poettering, Harvard International Review, Spring 2007
The evolution of the European Parliament is chronicled in this article. This expansion of the legislative power and responsibility has resulted in significant changes in both the scope of European Union policy and the integration of member countries.
38. Geneva Conventions, Steven R. Ratner, Foreign Policy, March/April 2008
The author discusses the international law governing the treatment of soldiers and civilians during war with a focus on 21st century issues, including the War on Terror.
39. Is Bigger Better?, David Armstrong, Forbes, June 2, 2008
Using market incentives, the world's largest antipoverty group helped pull Bangladesh out of the ashes. Now it wants to take on Africa.
40. A World Enslaved, F. Benjamin Skinner, Foreign Policy, March/April 2008
The article reports on the growing problem of slavery in the sex trade, domestic work, and agricultural labor. The efforts of the U.S. State department to control the slave trade are described as are the human rights groups working to end it.
41. Chile Starts Early, Jimmy Langman, Newsweek International, August 10 & 17, 2009
Shakira, the Colombian pop singer, is a founder of a group known as ALAS. This coalition has brought together businesspeople, artists and celebrities to help end poverty in Latin America by ensuring that all kids under 6 have access to health care, education, and proper nutrition.
UNIT 7: Values and Visions
Unit Overview
42. Humanity's Common Values: Seeking a Positive Future, Wendell Bell, The Futurist, September/October 2004
The author argues that, "there is an emerging global ethic, a set of shared values." These have evolved and now shape and constrain behavior. Specific principles along with behavior that supports the development of legal and ethical norms necessary for a positive global future are described here.
43. Life, Religion and Everything, Laura Sevier, The Ecologist, September 2007
The author examines the renewed focus of all, major religious groups to view the land as alive and sacred with value beyond economic terms.
44. Don't Blame the Caveman, Sharon Begley, Newsweek, June 29, 2009
Why do we rape, kill and sleep around? The answer to this question is vigorously debated in academic circles. One's answer to the question is a fundamental underlying assumption to theories ranging from individual psychology to international relations. Begley reviews the academic debate surrounding this issue, including new research which argues that the answer is not in our ancestors' genetics but in us.
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