November 2011
1 post
Ethics?
Donna Dickenson has written an article for Project Syndicate, on the subject of ethics in medicine. You can read the shocking article here,
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/dickenson6/English
October 2011
8 posts
Occupy Thoughtfully
Jan-Werner Mueller has described Occupy Wall St. and it’s various other Western counterparts (Occupy Dame St. in Dublin, for example) as being ‘curiously mute’, regarding their aims, suggesting that they:
‘Articulate… wider demands or a sense of what a different society, or “real democracy”… should be all about.’
Interestingly, Mueller suggests that the...
Dubious Death Penalty
Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, has written an article on Project Syndicate, about the death penalty. Singer concludes with the contradictions in America’s southern states, with regards the death penalty and anti-abortion campaigning, as well as opposition to assisted suicide.
‘In view of the possibility that...
Rethinking HIV Research Analysis
Bjorn Lomborg has written two articles on Project Syndicate, on the importance of, not fighting HIV/Aids exactly, but rethinking our approach to prevention and treatment. In both pieces, Lomborg underlines the lack of ‘high-quality evaluation’, post Aids research funding and questions the effectiveness of campaigns such as the ‘abstinence’ campaign which has failed to prove useful. And in an...
RIP Steve Jobs
Following the death of Steve Jobs, there has been a plethora of many and varied responses online. Ranging from the die-hard fans now at a loss without Jobs, to the ultimate skeptics. Though Esther Dyson has written a reponse piece on Project Syndicate, which details Jobs’ good qualities as a professional and as a person: ‘Steve had a better sense of the world outside educated,...
September 2011
1 post
Globalizing Solutions
Martin Tobias’ Project Syndicate piece entitled ‘The Diabetes Watch’, which covers the topic of the much neglected health sector dealing with effective chronic diseases, brings up important points within the realm of health and the ins and outs of what health problems are considered important, thought to require immediate attention and/or which appear to be imminent and worrisome. Though what also...
August 2011
11 posts
Domain Name Necessity?
Esther Dyson, founding chairman of ICANN, has written ‘What’s in a Domain Name?’, published by Project Syndicate.
In this piece, Dyson reflects on the pros and cons of expanding namespace through the addition of new top-level domain names following the usual dot. And replacing the usual ‘com’ or ‘org’.
Dyson reflects that companies will now be forced into spending thousands in adding to the value...
Rebel-lead Reality and Political Aftermath
In May of this year, Esther Dyson wrote a piece called ‘Illusions of democracy’, in which she detailed the differences between online action and offline reality in respect to Egypt. Though today, what are the ramifications of a rebel-lead reality and its political aftermath in Libya? Some major points in this article apply here, when considering post-Qaddafi Libya’s crucial situation. I will...
Post-Qaddafi Libya
Two articles question the ability of post-Qaddafi Libya to cope politically and economically: Rebuilding Libya, by Barak Barfi and The Last Days of Qaddafi, by Yuriko Koike. Both posted on the same day, each article takes a difference stance on the situation, the differences being of, chaotic versus calm, of worry versus optimism.
Most anxiety can be felt from Barfi’s article, which details...
Considering the solution to the Eurocrisis, two Project Syndicate contributors have highlighted the need for considerations of a ‘fiscal council’ (Velasco) or ‘fiscal union’(Davies) to be taken seriously.
Andres Velasco detailed in his contribution: ‘Eurobonds without Fear’, that though eurobonds were once dismissed as a ‘quacks’ idea, they are now...
India's Inequality
A Project Syndicate article, written by Rakesh Mani, a Teach for India fellow, has brought to light the worrying and escalating problem of what is currently being called ‘female gendercide’. This buzz-phrase refers to the aborting of the pregnancies of solely female fetuses, based on India’s tradition of favouring male children over females, as they are believed to be a financial gain rather than...
Project Syndicate's Newest Platform
We’re pleased to introduce My World of Ideas, a new platform on which our readers can write about the issues that most interest them:
Project Syndicate is renowned for offering the sharpest analysis of today’s crucial issues by the world’s foremost experts and decision-makers; now, it’s time for your voice to be heard. My World of Ideas is an experimental venture in which Project...
July 2011
6 posts
Turkey at a crossroad
Now that the initial fervor of the Middle Eastern upheavals has died down in Egypt and Tunisia, it is time for the two countries to decide on the type of government to adopt in order to be faithful to the legacy of the Arab Spring. One model has been put under the spotlight since January 2011 and held as an example for these countries: the Turkish Model but how right is that approach?
In Turkey...
Will Libyans achieve democracy?
While the battle is still raging in Libya, Omar Ashour considers the impediments to democracy in the country once (or if) the Qaddafi regime is overthrown in his article “ “Libya after Qaddafi” published by Project Syndicate http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ashour4/English
He gives four scenarios that could potentially occur in the post Qaddafi period and threaten the democratization...
Are Saudi Women next?
Are Saudi Women next? Mai Yamani asks in an article published last month in Project Syndicate. http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/yamani27/English
Hopefully yes. We have seen the youth of Tunisia asking for the right to live in dignity, women in Cairo protesting for a better future, men in Tripoli fighting for democracy. And so, many now hope to see women in Saudi fight and achieve...
The Arab Spring and The West
The West has had its eyes fixed on the Arab World since January 2011, when the wave of upheavals started, promising to change the geo politics of the region. No doubts that the future of the region will now depend on the turn that Europe and theUS’s attitude towards the region will take. Project Syndicate explores the possibilities the West has, and the actions it must undergo.
In “The Arab...
Once again,Greeceis on the brink of collapse and is making the headlines almost everyday. Despite the fact that the country’s GDP only represents 0.5% of world output and that its debt represents less than 1% of global debt, its fall has had huge impacts on the economy. A selection of articles published by Project Syndicate explain exactly why that is the case.
First, the collapse of Greecehas...
June 2011
7 posts
“On May 21, a brave woman named Manal al Sharif broke the silence and apathy,...”
– Mai Yamani on the potential actions of female activists in Saudi Arabia.
Naomi Wolf has more on women and the Middle East revolutions.
“The China doubters are back in force. They seem to come in waves – every few...”
– Stephen S. Roach, “Ten Reasons Why China is Different”
May 2011
3 posts
The End of Terrorism? Project Syndicate Weighs In
The killing of Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Pakistan this week caused a media whirlwind. Several Project Syndicate contributors were quick to join in on the conversation. Here’s a recap of their op-eds.
Many suspect that the only way bin Laden could have hidden in a conspicuous complex next to a military base was with protection from Pakistani forces. Brahma Chellaney goes a step...
April 2011
8 posts
The G20's Empty Gestures
Forbes reports that this weekend’s G20 Summit in Washington made important strides on the road to tighter regulation of global financial markets. G20 said in an official statement that their attempt “to address persistently large imbalances” was successful. “We now launch the second step of this process with an in-depth assessment of the nature of these imbalances and the...
On "Growing Up Digital" →
Does constant use of technology shorten young peoples’ attention spans? Is this generation performing more poorly than the last? This interesting long read by Huffington Post’s Don Tapscott grapples with a recent NYTimes cover story, discussing the consequences of web immersion.
“In late January, freelance journalist Megan Kearns pointed out the relative...”
– An Arab Spring for Women - The Nation (via thebarstoolphilosopher)
“Any economic system has to be graded on its ability to provide sustainable...”
– Economist Joseph E. Stiglitz on his Twitter
Patriotic Millionaires for Higher Taxation →
This just tweeted by Project Syndicate contributer Nouriel Roubini.
Second-Class Treatment in the First World
Empowering Europe’s Largest Minority
A Roma Roadmap - Heather Grabbe and Kori Udovicki for Project Syndicate
April 8th was International Roma Day. This holiday was created in 1990 to celebrate the achievements of the Roma people in Europe, as well as to map out solutions to the problems with which this minority is still confronted.
Roma conditions have not improved since the...
$713,000 →
theweekmagazine:
That’s the amount of money the gender pay gap ads up to over a 40-year career. In other words, over 40 years, women make nearly three-quarters of a million dollars less than their male counterparts.
Other numbers:
80 Percent of the average man’s salary that his female counterpart makes one year out of college. “The gap between men’s and women’s salaries begins immediately...
March 2011
8 posts
The Complexities of California
Michael Boskin’s latest Op-Ed for Project Syndicate laments the demise of the state in which this Stanford Professor lives and works. California may still be at the top when it comes to technology and entertainment, but recent decades have trapped the state in a quagmire of unemployment, deficits, and high cost of living.
Check out the article to learn more.
Can Lying Ever Be Virtuous?
Machiavellian Economics
In his latest on Project Syndicate, Harold James applies Machiavellian tradition of politics to financial reporting. Is it acceptable for governments and businesses to withhold or misreport their accounting, if all parties benefit in the long run? James uses Depression-era bank panics as an example; as banks in Germany and Austria were failing, the fascist-controlled...