REFERENCE UPDATE

Reference Update February/March 2008

ECONOMIC AND TRADE

1. A Decade after the Asian Financial Crisis: Regionalism and International Architecture in a Globalized World
Donald C. Hellmann. Asian Survey. November/December 2007, 16 pages.
While concerns about global economic institutions and about Asia virtually disappeared from the foreign policy agenda of the West in general and from the United States in particular, within East Asia the crisis continues to reach the status of an international landmark that has fundamentally shaped the foreign policies of virtually all countries over the past decade. This retrospective on the Asian financial crisis of 1997–98 focuses on the effect the crisis has had on both global and regional multilateral institutions.

2. Disruptions and Potential in the Global Economy
Jeffrey Sachs. Current History, January 2008, 5 pages.
The author suggests that troubles in the U.S. subprime housing market could trigger a global recession and that tax cuts have increased the U.S. budget deficit. He discusses how national financial crises can affect the global economy and whether Asian economies can protect the world economy from the disruptions in the United States.

3.Avian Flu Pandemic: Potential Impact of Trade Disruptions
Danielle Langton. CRS Report for Congress, January 3, 2008, 6 pages.
The possibility of an avian flu pandemic with consequences for global trade is a concern that has received attention recently, although experts disagree on the likelihood of an avian flu pandemic developing at all. This report examines scenarios in which international trade could be heavily controlled or limited due to an avian flu pandemic, including possible impacts on trade between the United States and countries and regions that have reported avian influenza infections.

4. The World's Biggest Myth
Pankaj Ghemawat. Foreign Policy, November/December 2007, 4 pages.
Discussing issues surrounding the globalization of trade, the author notes that those in favor and those against the practice do have a single area of common ground, the notion that globalization increases market share for a small number of entities.  The author argues, however, that they are mistaken.

5.Globalization 3.0
Martin Walker. The Wilson Quarterly, Autumn 2007, 9 pages.
The process of globalization throughout the twentieth century is discussed in the article with the author outlining a conceptual framework for understanding the economic globalization taking place in the 21st century.  In doing so he, focuses on the role of international trade in the growth of a global economy.

6. Economic Freedom, Corruption, and Growth
Mushfiq us Swaleheen and Dean Stansel. CATO Journal, Fall 2007, 16 pages.
This article analyzes the relationship between corruption and economic growth and its impact on economic freedom.  The author reveals that his findings contradict the generally accepted view that corruption is harmful to growth. 

7. Cheap No More
The Economist, December 8, 2007, 3 pages.
The article discusses the global increase of food prices since 2007, citing a number of factors, including the elevated demand for meat resulting from new prosperity in China and India; the slowing growth in America and Europe; population increases in developing countries; and the conversion of grain to ethanol.

REGIONAL SECURITY

8.Mapping Change in the Asia-Pacific Region: Geopolitics, Economics, and Diplomacy.
East-West Center Senior Policy Seminar. 2008, 40 pages.
This paper provides a retrospective on the ongoing tectonic shifts in various dimensions of power within the Asia-Pacific region in view of the profound changes that have been occurring in the Asia Pacific region over recent years and in anticipation of a 2008 presidential election in the United States that will shape the nature of the next U.S. administration,. The evolution of regional institutions, community-building, and the specific position and role of the United States in the region are discussed.

9.The United States and Asia in 2007: A Region in Transition
Robert A Scalapino. Asian Survey, February 2008, 8 pages.
The author notes that the year 2007 illustrates in a variety of ways the combination of positive and negative features, advances and challenges in Asia that are an inevitable product of the revolutionary age. He examines the economic and political conditions in Asia, as well as Asian nations’ relations with the United States. Three forces -- internationalism, nationalism, and communalism -- rising in Asia are discussed.

10. Global Progress Report, 2008
Alan Sorensen and Lucien Crowder. Current History, January 2008, 10 pages.
As the world enters a new year, economic growth has slowed, and so has the pace of democratization. The author discusses global progress in areas such as politics, economics and security, noting that norms favoring political rights, free markets, and international cooperation continue quietly to spread.

11. Washington's Eastern Sunset
Jason T. Shaplen and James Laney. Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007, 16 pages.
The article examines the shifting balance of power in Northeast Asia--China, Japan, and North and South Korea--and its implications for U.S. foreign policy.  The traditional U.S. bilateral alliances in the region are no longer adequate in an era when the economic influence of the United States and Japan is receding, while that of China and South Korea is growing.

12. Security Cooperation: A Key to the Challenges of the 21st Century
Gregory J. Dyekman. Carlisle Papers in Security Strategy, November 2007, 20 pages.
According to the author, there will always be tension between balancing military readiness with security cooperation.  Most experts believe that military readiness is the most important priority for the Defense Department, but some argue that security cooperation builds partners and prevents conflicts.  This paper examines the role of security cooperation and outlines the challenges the United States must overcome to strike a balance.

13.Can the War on Terror Be Won?
Philip H. Gordon. Foreign Affairs, November-December 2007, 14 pages.
The author says the right question to ask about the war on terrorism is how people will recognize that the war has been won or lost, as it is impossible to win a war without knowing its goal.  This article discusses workable U.S. approaches to the war on terror. The author recommends to first define victory more clearly, which involves accepting that the terrorist threat can never be eradicated completely.

GLOBAL ISSUES AND ENVIRONMENT

14.Health and Human Rights
Maura A. Ryan. Theological Studies, March 2008, 20 pages.
The AIDS pandemic has brought renewed attention on the relationship between the promotion of health and the protection of human rights. In this article, the author argues for increased health promotion and human rights initiatives within global affairs, particularly in addressing the AIDS epidemic and bioethics. Both the promises and the limits of a human rights framework for bioethics are highlighted.

15. A Changing Climate: The Road Ahead for the United States
Todd Stern and William Antholis. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2007-08, 14 pages.
The article proposes several approaches that the next elected U.S. president should consider relative to the country's stance on addressing global climate changes.  The authors discuss a layered, diplomatic approach that the next president could use in establishing its strategic priorities in international forums on climate change.

16. Paper or Plastic
Shawn Query. E Magazine: The Environmental Magazine, November/December 2007, 3 pages.
The article offers information on the ban of plastic bags in various cities of the United States and concerns regarding the adoption of paper bags as an alternative.  City governments want to ban plastic bags, due to their potential in damaging the environment, including clogging storm drains and threatening marine wildlife.  However, paper bags and bio degradable products also have a major disadvantage in that their production cost is higher.

17. Bright Lights, Big Cities
Matthew Quirk. The Atlantic, December 2007, 2 pages.
In 2008, the number of people living in urban areas will surpass those living in rural areas.  The author discusses the global increase of slums, as well as also ties migration to cities with economic improvement.  A commentary on poverty in urban areas and efforts in many countries to slow rural-urban migration is also presented.

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

18.Sharing Visual Arts Images for Educational Use: Finding a New Angle of Repose
Gretchen Wagner. Educause Review, November/December 2007, 9 pages.
One of the current constructs most profoundly challenged by technological advances is that of copyright law. The author argues that educational institutions should be actively rethinking how they are accessing and using copyrighted visual arts images and they should be exploring an approach that seeks to address copyright owners' interests, as well as users' needs, in an environment that encourages increased, shared access to these images for teaching and study.

19. Joining the Conversation
Emily Yahr. American Journalism Review, February/March 2008, 2 pages.
This article discusses the use of blogs by newspapers in the United States. The author focuses on how newspaper editors have used blogs to achieve greater intimacy and contact with readers, to offer additional details on top news stories, to clarify the paper's ethics guidelines, and to field questions from readers on any topic.

20. The Value of Fair Use
George H. Pike. Information Today, December 2007, 2 pages.
This article discusses the growing threat to the fair use of copyrighted material in the United States as online and digital content continues to grow.  According to the author, the ease in which digital content can be copied, published, and distributed works against the principles underlying the fair use doctrine.

U.S. SOCIETY AND CULTURE

21.Who's Cheating Whom?
Alfie Kohn. Education Digest, January 2008, 8 pages.
According to the author, students are most likely to cheat when they do not perceive that the teacher cares about them, when the work seems irrelevant, and when the workload is overwhelming. This article examines cheating in education and the social environment in schools which are the underlying cause of cheating. The influence of grading systems on cheating is explored and the need to develop an interest in learning among students is discussed.

22. Community Colleges as Gateways and Gatekeepers: Moving beyond the Access Saga toward Outcome Equity
Alicia C. Dowd. Harvard Educational Review, Winter 2007, 13 pages.
Community colleges are essential - though often overlooked - institutions of higher education. The author explores the challenges facing community colleges as they seek to balance their multiple missions as both gateways and gatekeepers, which include meeting the diverse needs of students at the postsecondary level and responding to the changing educational and economic needs of U.S. society.

23. The Beginner's Mind
Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner and Chris Maser. USA Today, November 2007, 2 pages.
Educators influence on young people often is second only to that of family.  Therefore, the impact of actions that a teacher and his or her students take is like dropping a pebble into a quiet pool of water.  This article discusses the importance of teachers in making our young people better individuals.

24. Looking Back: A Nation at Risk and National Standards
Lee Meadows. The Science Teacher, November 2007, 2 pages.
The article discusses, A Nation at Risk, a report published by the National Commission on Excellence in Education (NCEE).  Focusing on the report’s prediction on the need for national standards in education, the author suggests that science education will be the key to developing a workforce able to deal with the global economy.

25. Reading the Candidates
David Greenberg. Dissent, Fall 2007, 10 pages.
The author reflects on a new strategy being used by political candidates to get the attention of electorates: book writing.  The article mentions some of the former candidates who have used the approach to grab election wins, including Barack Obama.  The author discusses some of the present candidates who are employing the approach, and compares each the character of their literature.

26. The National Security Election
Kurt M. Campbell and Derek Chollet. The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2007-08, 9 pages.
The authors opine that the 2008 presidential election is gearing up to be an election of national security as candidates are focusing more on the security and military policy of the country.  They analyze the trends in the political campaigns of presidential hopefuls in preparation for the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, and examine how the national security issues will impact the upcoming primaries and the general election.

TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS

27.USA Elections in brief
Free and fair elections are the keystone of any democracy. They are essential for the peaceful transfer of power.
The Following articles from Media Making Change - an electronic journal from The Bureau of International Information Programs:

28.New Technology, New Voices
Patrick Butler, Vice President for Programs, International Center for Journalists Citizens of the online world use high-technology tools to influence social and political change.

29.From Citizen Journalism to User-Generated Content
Bertrand Pecquerie, Director of the World Editors Forum, and Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, World Association of Newspapers.
Establishment media organizations recognize the benefits that user-generated content can bring their publications, at the same time they carry the material with caution.

30.Every Citizen as a Reporter
OhmyNews.com is a pioneer in citizen journalism with more than 60,000 reporters worldwide.

31.Governments, Companies Impede Free Internet Expression
Erica Razook, Legal Fellow, Business and Human Rights Program, Amnesty International USA
This human rights organization questions the relationships between repressive governments and technology companies trying to establish themselves in new markets.

32.Journalism Rises and Stumbles in the Republic of Georgia
Karl Idsvoog, International Media Trainer and Professor, Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communications
The Rose Revolution brought government and economic reforms to this former satellite nation of the Soviet Union, but the media still work under restraints.

33.The New Media and U.S. Politics
Thomas B. Edsall, Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore Professor of National Affairs Reporting, Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
Sophisticated users of information technologies are bringing new scrutiny and influence to U.S. elections.