Seven Revolutions

New information discovered in Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan suggests that the United States has been vastly overstating al Qaeda's power for a full decade. The group appears to have spent more time dodging drone strikes and complaining about money than trying to get an atomic bomb.

Summary: Global demographics in the twenty-first century will be defined by steep declines in fertility rates. Many countries will see their populations shrink and age. But relatively high fertility rates and immigration levels in the United States, however, may mean that it will emerge with a stronger hand.

What are some of the problems associated with Rapid Advancement of Technology?

Richard Jackson's new index. Use for discussion of population and aging with breakdown of specific countries.

Poor countries are developing the diseases of the rich with lethal consequences

The "green revolution" dramatically boosted crop yields throughout the world, but it also bred overconfidence and complacency. Now, global food stocks are too low, and food prices are too high (partly as a result of use of food for biofuels). The article talks about declining rates of increase in agricultural productivity as a result of reductions in investment in agricultural research.

Summary: Supporters see the biotechnology revolution in agriculture as a Promethean step forward, whereas critics see it as the start down a slope to futuristic disaster. The supporters are right about the potential benefits of genetically engineered crops, but the critics are correct that the situation calls for government regulation.

A gray tsunami is sweeping the planet -- and not just in the places you expect. How did the world get so old, so fast?

Recent anti-corruption protests have managed to stoke anger among significant segments of India's electorate. The current government will not be able to fend it off without making some tangible concessions, such as extending the scope of the anti-corruption bill currently under discussion in India's parliament.

Special report on the world economy (audio)

America won the Cold War because Americans embraced a set of strategic principles and pursued them steadily, decade after decade. Here's the outline of a "containment" strategy for the age of terror.

Both a serious and ridiculous example of how people are tackling global challenges.

A review of "Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier and Happier." By Edward Glaeser

What characteristics do the foreign policy leaders of the future need to have?

Most people are familiar with the Washington Consensus. Is there an emerging Beijing Consensus?

Summary: Governments across the Middle East and South Asia are increasingly losing power to substate actors that are inserting themselves at a mezzanine level of rule between the government and the people. Western policymakers must address the problem systematically, at both a political and a legal level, rather than continue to pursue reactive and disjointed measures on a case-by-case basis.

How would you envision these countries would potentially return to free market principles?