Synopses & Reviews
This Twenty-Fourth Edition of ANNUAL EDITIONS: GLOBAL ISSUES provides convenient, inexpensive access to current articles selected from the best of the public press. Organizational features include: an annotated listing of selected World Wide Web sites; an annotated table of contents; a topic guide; a general introduction; brief overviews for each section; a topical index; and an instructors resource guide with testing materials. USING ANNUAL EDITIONS IN THE CLASSROOM, ISBN 0073301906, is offered as a practical guide for instructors. ANNUAL EDITIONS titles are supported by our student website, www.mhcls.com/online.
Table of Contents
UNIT 1. Global Issues in the Twenty First Century: An Overview
1. 21521 A Special Moment in History, Bill McKibben, The Atlantic Monthly, May 1998
The interconnected dangers of overpopulation, climate change, and pollution have been in the headlines for years, but doomsday has not yet arrived. Bill McKibben examines two important questions: What if we already have inflicted serious damage on the planet? What if there are only a few decades left to salvage a stable environment?
2. 41772 Its 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.
3. 41983 Can Extreme Poverty Be Eliminated?, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Scientific American, September 2005
One of the United Nations Millennium Projects 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.
4. 47250 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.
5. 45389 Feminists and Fundamentalists, Kavita Ramdas, Current History, March 2006
The womens 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. 47251 Unipolar Stability, William Wohlforth, Harvard International Review, Spring 2007
There is considerable speculation about the future of the United States dominance of the international political system (defined as unipolarity). Some argue that the brief unipolar period between the Cold War (bipolarity) and the emergence of a multipolar international system is already drawing to a close. The author provides useful rules for evaluating these historic trends and examines built-in, self-reinforcing mechanisms that are resistant to change and therefore will perpetuate unipolarity.
UNIT 2. Population and Food Production
7. 45390 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. 47252 Africas Restless Youth, Michelle Gavin, Current History, May 2007
While much of the worlds population is aging, Africa is in the midst of a demographic youth bulge. The social and political consequences of this are described.
9. 47253 Continuing the Green Revolution, Norman E. Borlaug, The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2007
Norman Borlaug is one of five people awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. In this essay, he summarizes the impact of biotechnology and discusses the future of technology and food production.
10. 33490 Bittersweet Harvest, Honor Hsin, Harvard International Review, Spring 2002
In this essay, the growing debate over genetically modified crops is described with specific examples of both pro and con perspectives. Honor Hsin concludes that careful scientific research must be seriously considered in this debate rather than just corporate interests or public fears.
UNIT 3. The Global Environment and Natural resources
11. 39269 Deflating the Worlds Bubble Economy, Lester R. Brown, USA Today Magazine, November 2003
Lester Brown is one of the leading commentators on global environmental issues. In this article, he argues that unless damaging trends are reversed, depleted aquifers and exhausted soils could lead to the abandonment of rich agricultural areas. Brown also provides case studies of a number of successful transitions to sustainable practices.
12. 47254 The Great Leap Backward?, Elizabeth C. Economy, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2007
Chinas rapid economic growth is resulting in deteriorating environmental conditions. These consequences are described along with the governments ambitious targets for environmental protection which are often ignored by local officials.
13. 45392 Water Is Running Out, Moureen Lamonge, October 23, 2006
Many countries are in a state of water shortage or scarcity, and some experts forecast that future wars will be fought over water, not oil.
14. 47255 Plastic Bags Are Killing Us, Katharine Mieszkowski, Salon.com, August 10, 2007
The problems with plastic waste and especially the ubiquitous plastic bag are described, including impacts on marine life. Plastic bags have been banned in some countries and efforts are underway in some U.S. cities to do the same. Plastic bags present special problems for recycling.
15. 47256 Cry of the Wild, Sharon Begley, Newsweek, August 15, 2007
Hunting, including protected animals, is a multimillion-dollar business. The impact on endangered species is described along with efforts to protect the worlds vanishing wildlife.
UNIT 4. Political Economy
Part A. Globalization Debate
16. 41988 Globalization and Its Contents, Peter Marber, World Policy Journal, Winter 2004/2005
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 process 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.
17. 47257 Why the World Isnt 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 doesnt exist.”
Part B. General Case Studies
18. 45395 The Lost Continent, Moisés Naím, Foreign Policy, November/December 2006
The author observes that the role of Latin America in the world has been declining for decades. He examines the reasons for this diminished role with a special focus on political culture.
19. 41990 Political Graft: The Russian Way, Marshall I. Goldman, Current History, October 2005
Corruption is typically an attempt by government officials to extort money from the private sector. In Russia, officials go further and take over a business for themselves.
20. 47258 Promises and Poverty, Tom Knudson, The Sacramento Bee, September 23, 2007
Companies often market their products by boasting about what they do for the environment. Starbucks eco-friendly approach is examined with a special focus on the complex story of coffee in East Africa.
21. 39274 Where the Money Went, James S. Henry, Across the Board, March/April 2004
In the literature on international economics, little attention is devoted to corruption and other illegal activities. Scandals bring short-term attention to these issues, but systematic study of corruption is difficult and dangerous. The author focuses on broad structural processes that transfer wealth from poor countries to richmagnifying underdevelopment and debt.
Part C. Global Energy Case Studies
22. 45398 Ensuring Energy Security, Daniel Yergin, Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006
Daniel Yergin is a leading expert on global energy politics. He provides a comprehensive overview of changing energy markets and U.S. national security. New consumers, such as India and China, have changed the supply and demand equation. Increasingly complex systems of shipping oil have further compounded the political-economy of global energy.
23. 40238 Nuclear Now!, Peter Schwartz and Spencer Reiss, Wired, February 2005
The argument that nuclear power is an environmentally friendly alternative to oil and coal is presented along with a discussion of “interim storage” and the recycling of nuclear waste. Numerous references are made to the role of nuclear power in Europe and Japan, which provides an international context to the discussion.
24. 41992 Looking into the Sun, David H. Freedman, Inc., July 2005
New technologies in solar energy are examined in the context of energy costs and alternatives. This article serves as an excellent counterpoint to the article on nuclear power.
UNIT 5. Conflict
25. 47260 Terrorist Rivals: Beyond the State-Centric Model, Louise Richardson, Harvard International Review, Spring 2007
An examination of the traditional way of viewing international politics reveals an interesting conclusion: “That a country with secure borders, a formidable nuclear deterrent, and no military rivals . . . feels vulnerable, speaks to the inadequacies of the traditional formulation of the balance of power.” In addressing the threat of terrorism, the author offers six principles for guiding U.S. policy in the future.
26. 47261 State of Denial, Bob Woodward, Simon and Schuster, 2006
This excerpt from Woodwards book on the Iraq war provides interesting insights into the world view and foreign policy strategy of the Bush administration.
27. 47262 The Long March to Be a Superpower, The Economist, August 4, 2007
The Chinese military is rapidly modernizing by purchasing Russian equipment and developing new missiles and other weapon systems. The capability of the Peoples Liberation Army to challenge the United States is assessed along with a discussion of the ability to wage asymmetrical warfare.
28. 47263 North Korea Takes on the World, Charles K. Armstrong, Current History, September 2007
The future for Korean denuclearization and the normalization U.S.-North Korean relations is likely to be difficult and unpredictable.
29. 39287 Lifting the Veil, 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.
30. 45399 Changing Course on Nuclear Talks, Philip E. Coyle, The Sacramento Bee, October 22, 2006
In the aftermath of North Koreas testing of a nuclear weapon, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense examines the potential for a nuclear arms race and critically examines the contradictions in U.S. foreign efforts to provide leadership in future arms control talks.
31. 45298 The Politics of Death in Darfur, Gérard Prunier, Current History, May 2006
A complex mix of tribal, ethnic, and religious cross-currents forms the backdrop for the unfolding crisis in the drought-prone Darfur region of Sudan. The French author describes the national and international political maneuvering that impedes a meaningful response to this humanitarian crisis.
32. 47264 Asias Forgotten Crisis, Michael Green and Derek Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007
In the past decade Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has gone from both an antidemocratic embarrassment and human rights disaster to a growing security threat to its neighbors. The lack of a coordinated response by the international community is described.
33. 47265 Men of Principle, The Economist, July 21, 2007
The domestic politics of Iran are described along with the internal and external pressures for change in this geo-politically important country.
34. 47266 Banning the Bomb, Ward Wilson, Dissent Magazine, Winter 2007
The military utility of nuclear weapons is challenged along with 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
35. 47267 Europe as a Global Player, Hans-Gert Poettering, Harvard International Review, Spring 2007
The evolution of the European Parliament is chronicled. This expansion of the legislative power and responsibility has resulted in significant changes in both the scope European Union policy and the increased integration of member countries.
36. 25663 The Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, Scientific American, November 1999
A small experiment, begun in Bangladesh to loan money to poor people as a way of helping them become more productive, has turned into a major new concept in the eradication of poverty.
37. 47269 The Search for Solutions, Mary Carmichael, Newsweek, October 1, 2007
Working separately and together, inspired individuals can take on and conquer major problems, including the search for a vaccine to prevent malaria.
38. 41995 Teamwork Urged on Bird Flu, David Brown, The Washington Post, November 8, 2005
The author indicates that, “Avian influenza is making the world a global villageor, more precisely, a global barnyardin a way that demands international cooperation to a degree not seen previously on a health issue.” Cooperative efforts from 100 countries are described, as efforts mount to prevent bird flu from becoming a human pandemic.
UNIT 7. Values and Visions
39. 41997 Humanitys Common Values, 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 are described along with behavior that supports the development of legal and ethical norms necessary for a positive global future.
40. 47270 The Politics of God, Mark Lilla, The New York Times Magazine, August 19, 2007
Institutions created over hundreds of years establish the legitimacy of North American and Western European leaders without referring to divine command. Building these institutions defined much of Euro-centered history. The author argues that this cultural uniqueness creates difficult challenges for Europe and North America in their foreign relations with countries that believe in the unity of religion and politics.
41. 41999 What Lurks in its Soul?, David A. Vise, The Washington Post, November 13, 2005
Googles well-known user-friendly features, according to the author, hide an appetite for radical changes that will fundamentally redefine the boundaries between people and the way they obtain information.
42. 45402 A Deeper Shade of Green, Bill McKibben, National Geographic, August 2006
The author observes that “Humans have never faced a civilization-scale challenge before.” The concept of environmentalism is being redefined by the magnitude of the challenges we face. McKibben observes the “environmentalists desperately need to learn how to celebrate community.”