Reference Update, Dec. 2008
December 2008
1. Can Asia Consume a Way out of Crisis?
Hugo Restall
Far Eastern Economic Review, November 2008, 5 pages
The author examines the prospects of Asian governments' efforts to jump start domestic demand to replace the declining external demand from the United States and Europe. The real problem for Asia -- both from the external shock and the bursting of an investment bubble domestically -- are explored.
2. Shifting Currents of U.S. and Asia Pacific Economics, Resources, and Security
Muthiah Alagappa, et al.
East West Center’s Senior Policy Seminar, July 7-8, 2008, 28 pages
The Senior Policy Seminar Series summarizes discussions and conclusions made at an annual meeting of senior security officials and analysts from countries of the Asia Pacific region sponsored by the East-West Center. This report examines the current turmoil in the United States and international economies, its impact on the region, and how these issues will impact the next U.S. administration.
3. Republic of the Central Banker
J. Bradford Delong
The American Prospect, November 2008, 4 pages
Delong opines that the fate of the U.S. economy depends much more on the Federal Reserve chairman than on the president. He examines the powerful implications of the Federal Reserve’s independence and discusses why he believes that Ben Bernanke may very well be the right person for his job at this juncture in U.S. economic history.
4. The U.S. Financial Crisis: The Global Dimension with Implications for U.S. Policy
Martin A. Weiss, et al.
CRS Report for Congress #RL34742, November 18, 2008, 88 pages
The impact of the U.S. financial crisis has rippled across the globe, prompting concerns about the growth of emerging markets, the future for developing countries, and the need for enhanced regulation and a new global financial architecture. The authors examine the global implications of the U.S. financial crisis by focusing on the global impact of the financial crisis and the Asian response, then exploring new challenges and policy in managing financial risk.
5. Vietnam: Country Outlook for 2009-10
Economist Intelligence Unit – ViewsWire, 6 November 2008, 2 pages pages
The article provides brief and updated information on Vietnam's development including economic growth, international relations, domestic politics and policy trends.
6. Asia's Challenges for Obama
Brian P. Klein
Far Eastern Economic Review, November 2008, 4 pages
The Obama administration will take office at a time of relative calm in East Asia. Cross-Strait relations are at a high point, territorial issues between China and Vietnam are being addressed amicably, and Japan-China relations are progressing smoothly with reciprocal military ports of call and strong trade ties. The author examines a detailed To Do in Asia list for President-elect Barack Obama.
7. Security Community and Southeast Asia: Australia, the U.S., and ASEAN's Counter-Terror Strategy
Andrew Chau
Asian Survey, July/August 2008, 24 pages
The author discusses counterterrorism policy developed by ASEAN as it relates to claims of an emerging security community among states in that region. He explores the contradiction between the ASEAN goal of regional integration and its diplomatic commitment to non-interference in domestic affairs.
8. America's Hard Sell
Bruce W. Jentleson and Steven Weber
Foreign Policy, November/December 2008, 8 pages
The authors argue that the public diplomacy strategies of the last century will not work as well in the 21st century, contending that ideology is the most important component of national powers, technology massively multiplies soft power, and the need for consistency between domestic values and international values. They also look at the leadership role performed by the United States, foreign policy failures of the administration of President George W. Bush and the use of military might as an instrument of international relations.
9. Arrested Development
J. Brian Atwood, et al.
Foreign Affairs, November/December 2008, 10 pages
The authors examine why effective foreign aid programs can and should be a significant aspect of U.S. foreign policy. They discuss the need for the next U.S. president to enact major institutional reforms and the downsizing of the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), reconstructing USAID, and devising a U.S. government policy on humanitarian and development programs.
10. U.S.–UN Relations: Briefing Memorandum to the 44th President of the United States
Benjamin Rivlin
American Foreign Policy Interests, September 2008, 7 pages
Among the thorniest issues the next administration will confront is the role of the United Nations in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. The author discusses the importance for the next administration to strengthen the U.S.-U.N. relations, and offers guidance for the next president to follow in order to formulate the policy toward the United Nations.
11. Can We Save the Planet and Rescue the Economy at the Same Time?
Al Gore
Mother Jones, November/December 2008, 2 pages
The former Vice President and once-presidential candidate discusses environmental issues in light of the 2008 U.S. financial crisis. He suggests that solving the problems of global warming and climate change will have a positive impact on the economic well-being of the United States.
12. Outlook 2009
The Futurist, November/December 2008, 9 pages
China will most likely become the world’s largest economy within the next three decades. Meanwhile, internet technology is enabling consumers to disseminate information on a whole new level. Read what the future will be like in the latest edition of the World Future Society’s Annual Outlook Report. The forecasts cover various topics including business and economics, environment and resources, technology and science.
13. Overload! Journalism’s Battle for Relevance in an Age of Too Much Information
Bree Nordenson
Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2008, 8 pages
The vast amount of information available on the internet, as well as the limited ability of human beings to consume it, are affecting the production, distribution and design of news. The author discusses how seemingly limitless freedom of choice becomes a burden that may change the role of news agencies and journalists from being gatekeepers to guides through the information glut.
14. Don't Blame the Journalism
Paul Farhi
American Journalism Review, October/November 2008, 2 pages
What is really driving newspapers' flagging economic situation? The author argues that newspapers' troubles are not related to the quality of the journalism, but purely economic and technological in origin. He examines the economic state of newspapers and how the internet has affected the entire industry.
15. A Nonprofit Model for News
Julie Kosterlitz
The National Journal, November 15, 2008, 7 pages
As newspaper owners and broadcasters cut back or abandon coverage in the face of competition from the internet and a dismal economy, a new model of news gathering is emerging: nonprofit ventures that operate with some degree of philanthropic support. The author discusses how the nonprofit sector can play a unique role in making sure that the public has continued access to in-depth reporting.
16. Wikipedia and the Meaning of Truth
Simson L. Garfinkel
Technology Review, November/December 2008, 3 pages
Many people have argued that Wikipedia's articles cannot be trusted because they are written and edited by volunteers who have never been vetted. Nevertheless, studies have found that the articles are remarkably accurate. The author discusses why the online encyclopedia's epistemology should worry those who care about traditional notions of accuracy.
17. Can Phishing Be Foiled?
Lorrie Faith Cranor
Scientific American, December 2008, 6 pages
Because human factors are a critical element in the success of phishing attacks, they also can be essential weapons to foil phishers. The author discusses the anti-phishing attempts and the critical human factors that phishers exploit for criminal gain. She also explores the best ways to educate internet users so that they recognize and avoid phishing scams.
18. Examining Longer-Term Teacher Effects on Asian American Student Achievement: A National Study
Meechai Orsuwan and Mun Sim Lai
Asian American Policy Review, 2008, 14 pages
The need for increasing accountability and results requires educational resources to improve cost efficiency, as well as to justify the long-term investments of taxpayers in education. The authors examine the impact of teacher characteristics on the long-term outcomes of Asian American students, focusing, in particular, on college entry, college completion, and earnings.
19. Bridging the Gap with Technology
Bob Coulter
Connect Magazine, November/December 2008, 2 pages
Schools face a daunting task as they seek to provide high-quality education to all students, regardless of the background from which they come. The author reflects on educational technology as an instrument in bridging the learning gap. He asserts that great effort is needed to bridge the digital divide and ensure that all students have the benefits of educational technology.
20. The New Liberalism
George Packer
The New Yorker, November 17, 2008, 8 pages
After looking back at presidential history, interviewing President-elect Obama's advisors, and reviewing Obama's words from his books and campaign speeches, the author tries to describe how Obama might lead the country. He examines liberalism and the election of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama by providing a historical comparison with the liberalism of U.S. president Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932.
21. Asia's Democracy Backlash
Joshua Kurlantzick
Current History, November 2008, 6 pages
Asia was once regarded as the vanguard of a global wave of democratization that, over the past three decades, has swept through southern Europe, Latin America, and Africa. In recent years, however, Asia has witnessed a democracy backlash. The author examines the political trends and conditions across Southeast Asia in the early 21st century, highlighting the authoritarian backlash against democratic movements.
22. Why Democracies Fail: Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy
Ethan Kapstein and Nathan Converse
Journal of Democracy, October 2008, 12 pages
Many of today’s developing-world and post-communist democracies are backsliding and at risk of reversal, if this has not already occurred. The authors study data from waves of democratization between 1960 and 2004, examining the causes of democratic collapse and the key factors to whether young democracies live or die. They suggest that certain conditions during the initial phases seem to predict whether the democracy will thrive or fail.
23. Towards a New Conceptualization of Democratization and Civil-Military Relations
Thomas C. Bruneau and Florina Cristiana Matei
Democratization, December 2008, 21 pages
The authors examine the relationship between elected leaders and security forces in the context of democratization and the role of the armed forces in democratic consolidation, especially in relation to what security forces actually do and how they interface with democratic governments.
24. Cartoon Violence and Freedom of Expression
David Keane
Human Rights Quarterly, November 2008, 31 pages
The publication of the Danish Muhammad cartoons re-launched a continuing conflict between freedom of expression and religious tolerance that has existed for some time. The author examines the history of cartoon satire, invoking past examples of racial and religious discrimination in cartoons, while emphasizing the important role cartoonists have played in criticizing and checking the exercise of power.
Following articles are from “Sixty Years: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, Electronic Journal, December 2008
25. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Sixty
Why the Universal Declaration matters, what it says, and the results it produced.
26. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Launching and Sustaining a Revolution
The drafters of the Universal Declaration overcame significant political obstacles to produce a visionary document viewed by some as the 20th century’s “greatest achievement.”
27. Who Wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
While a number of prominent statesmen drafted the Universal Declaration, the final document reflects input from many nations.
28. Inventing Human Rights: An Empathetic Understanding
A new understanding of the individual, reflected in developments in the arts, helped to spark an understanding of and political commitment to human rights as we know them today.
29. Relativity and the Universal Declaration
While nations and cultures differ on details, a broad cross-cultural consensus accepts the universality of fundamental human rights components.
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