Reference Update

APRIL-MAY 2006

ECONOMICS AND TRADE

1. GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES
William H. Cooper
CRS Report for Congress, March 30, 2006, 10 pages
The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) extends duty-free treatment to certain products that are imported from designated developing countries, Thailand being one of them.  The report explains the rationale and the effects of the program on beneficiary countries as well as the U.S. economy.  A table showing U.S. imports in GSP for the year 2005 is included.  More information on GSP is available at the U.S. Trade Representative Website: http://www.ustr.gov.

2. HOME-GROWN GROWTH: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GROWTH
Dani Rodrik
Harvard International Review, Winter 2006, 4 pages
Rodrik discusses development problems.  He addresses questions such as the role of trade liberalization in spurring economic growth; the failure of the Washington Consensus; the role of foreign aid in poverty alleviation; and the need for democracy and strong institutions for sustainable successful economies.  A lot of development has to do with accountability, giving people a sense of ownership, a stake and a voice in the community.

3. BUILDING A MORE HUMANE ECONOMY
Robert D. Atkinson
The Futurist, May-June 2006, 6 pages
With the emergence of a new economy based on the growth of knowledge jobs and higher productivity, the challenge now is to create a society that satisfies our deeper human needs and wants.

4. JOBLESS, THE DANISH WAY
Bruce Stokes
National Journal, March 4, 2006, 7 pages
In Denmark, workers expect to have a job--but not necessarily the one they have now.  The Danish experience suggests that an adaptable labor force supported by ample unemployment benefits and mandatory retraining is a boon for workers, for companies, and for countries in an increasingly competitive international economy.  Are there lessons for the United States and the rest of the world?

5. BUSH ADMINISTRATION SUBMITS ANNUAL TRADE REPORT TO CONGRESS
United States Trade Representative, 03/31/2006, 17 pages
The 2006 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE) provides, where feasible, quantitative estimates of the impact of these foreign practices on the value of U.S. exports. Information is also included on actions taken to eliminate barriers. The report also provides a valuable tool in enforcing U.S. trade laws, with the goal of expanding global trade, which benefits all nations, and U.S. producers and consumers in particular.  This section provides information on Vietnam trade barriers.

6. COMBATING CORRUPTION: A POLICY TOOL KIT
John D. Sullivan, Executive Director
Center for International Private Enterprise, 3 pages
Some simple and effective measures policymakers can implement now to fight corruption.

REGIONAL SECURITY

7. ASIA IN TRANSITION: THE EVOLVING REGIONAL ORDER
David Shambaugh
Current History, April 2006, 7 pages
According to the author, the emerging and evolving Asian system today is a mixture of realist, liberal, and constructivist elements, with major powers vying for influence, while interdependence deepens, and behavioral norms and multilateral institutions develop.  He sums up five defining features that collectively capture the current complexities and essence of international relations in Asia.

8. STRATEGIC MYOPIA: THE CASE FOR FORWARD ENGAGEMENT
Leon Fuerth
National Interest, Spring 2006, 6 pages
With increasingly complex and networked threats, the security of a country can no longer be preserved with military power alone.  National security is now a function of how well a country manages all of its assets and how much foresight is invested in its future.  In redesigning the national security infrastructure to cope with the new challenges of the 21st century, good governance plays an imperative role.

9. ARGUING THE WORLD
Bernard-Henri Levy and Anatol Lieven
American Prospect, April 2006, 7 pages
Two leading thinkers ponder the American foreign policy challenges, from the achievements of the neoconservatives, the legacy of the Iraq War, and the effort to spread global democracy.  Levy is France's most influential intellectual who is writing an essay on the future of neoconservatism.  Lieven is a British journalist who now lives in the United States and is a fellow at the New America Foundation.

10. AMERICAN COUP D'ETAT
Andrew J. Bacevich, et al.
Harper's Magazine, April 2006, 8 pages
We now live in a unipolar world, in which conquest of the United States by an outside power is nearly inconceivable.  In this forum, a panel of experts discuss the state of the U.S. military--its culture, its relationship with the wider society, and the steadfastness of its loyalty to the ideals of democracy and to the United States Constitution.

11. ISOLATIONISM REDUX
Paul Starobin
National Journal, April 1, 2006, 7 pages
Isolationism died with America's entrance into World War II and has never been revived.  But that movement's energy can be found in the missionary zeal of today's foreign policy unilateralists.  The author explores the history of isolationism and the growing public consensus that the U.S. should mind its own business internationally.  He concludes that although genuine isolationism is dead, the go-it-alone impulse that underlay it is not.

GLOBAL ISSUES AND ENVIRONMENT

12. THE FIRST LAW OF PETROPOLITICS
Thomas L. Friedman
Foreign Policy, May/June 2006, 9 pages
The price of oil and the pace of freedom always move in opposite directions.  It's the first law of Petropolitics, and it may be the axiom to explain our age.  The author cites the cases in Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria and Russia to explain why the lower crude oil price falls, the more transparent and democratic a country's political system and society can become.  And the more democratic a country is, the better economy it will enjoy.

13. THE THREAT OF GLOBAL POVERTY
Susan E. Rice
National Interest, Spring 2006, 7 pages
Poverty aids the spread of transnational threats, from terrorism to pandemics.  The U.S. should increase its role in reducing global poverty through foreign aid, but the most important ingredients to making poverty history are improved economic policies and responsible governance.  The author examines this global problem and provides some policy recommendations.

14. WHAT TO DO ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Ruth Greenspan Bell
Foreign Affairs, May/June 2006, 10 pages
Despite mounting evidence of the seriousness of climate change, the problem remains a low policy priority for most countries.  Yet action is urgently needed. Emission-trading regimes, which do too little to cap pollution, must be revised.  The author recommends that any new strategies must be customized to the particular needs and means of those states that will have to implement them.

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

15. AMONG THE AUDIENCE: A SURVEY OF NEW MEDIA
The Economist, April 22, 2006, 14 pages
The era of mass media is giving way to one of personal and participatory media, says one of the authors in this special report.  That movement will profoundly change both the media industry and society as a whole.  Among issues discussed are blogging, interactive journalism, Wikipedia, podcasting, and the 21st-century media company.

16. NEWS CONSUMPTION AND THE NEW ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Douglas Ahlers
The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Winter 2006, 24 pages
Recently, the print and television news media have begun to question the future of their industries.  This article looks at the hypothesized shift of news consumption from the traditional to the online news media.  The advertising markets in both types of media are also examined.  Although the author has found no major impact on the economics of the news industry due to online news media, pressures are still being felt.

17. REAL OR FAKE?
Neil Munro
National Journal, April 8, 2006, 7 pages
Digital technology has created problems for photo editors.  Despite the Western media's best efforts to separate the factual from the fictional, some photos are posted which are staged, fake, or so lacking in context as to be meaningless.  The author examines the case of news photos from Iraq and Afghanistan, some of which help spread false information and become a tool for propaganda.

18. THE FUTURE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION: SUNRISE OR PERFECT STORM?
James Hilton
EDUCAUSE Review, March/April 2006, 8 pages
In today’s knowledge economy, the role of higher education is being fundamentally redefined.  The author suggests that there are at least two ways to look at the future of higher education: a perfect storm born from the convergence of numerous disruptive forces, or the dawn of a new day, a sunrise rife with opportunities.  How we choose to view it will determine much of the higher education landscape during the coming decade.

19. THE DIGITAL HEALTH-CARE REVOLUTION: EMPOWERING HEALTH CONSUMERS
Thelma Leaffer and Larry Mickelberg
The Futurist, May-June 2006, 5 pages
Of all digital media, the Internet has probably made the most significant impact on shaping a consumer revolution in health-care communication.  Anywhere and anytime access to a world of medical information is helping consumers to take better charge of their health.  A list of credible health information online is provided.

U.S. POLITICS, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

20. DEMOCRACY, REALISTICALLY
John M. Owen IV
National Interest, Spring 2006, 8 pages
Is America's national interest served by the spread of democracy?  The author agrees.  He points out that the promotion of democracy has a close connection to the growth of American power and influence, as the United States stands to reap efficiency gains from the extension of democratic capitalism around the globe. And precisely because of that, democracy promotion will often be a unilateral U.S. action.

21. DEMOCRACY AND EQUALITY
Robert Frost
The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January 2006, 13 pages
If democracy is defined as the form of government dedicated to the realization of the values of self-determination, democracy bears a complex relationship to equality.  The author examines the meaning of democracy, and discusses the logical and practical connections between the definition of democracy and various form of equality.

22. CURBING ASIAN CORRUPTION: AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM?
Jon S. T. Quah
Current History, April 2006, 4 pages
Encouraged by paltry public salaries, low risk of punishment, and even venerable cultural traditions, graft seems endemic to Asian cultures.  Citing Singapore and Hong Kong, the author demonstrates how leaders can minimize corruption and thereby further improve and sustain economic growth.

23. A PRIMER ON LOBBYISTS, EARMARKS, AND CONGRESSIONAL REFORM
Ronald D. Utt
Heritage Backgrounder #1924, April 27, 2006, 23 pages
Growing evidence that links earmarks to bribes from lobbyists and their clients has encouraged Congress to enact reforms.  Unfortunately, many of the reform proposals would make only cosmetic changes and leave the worst of the problems in place.  The author explores the role of lobbyists and the shady nature of the earmarking process.  He concludes that much more transparency is needed, and even with meaningful reform, the number of earmarks will continue to increase, but the process will likely be more honest.

24. WASHINGTON'S FAITH AND THE BIRTH OF AMERICA
Michael Novak and Jana Novak
American Enterprise, May 2006, 5 pages
At several crucial junctures, it was George Washington who willed America into unified existence. And though few historians have acknowledged it, much of his accomplishment rested on his religious faith.

25. NEW YORK ROLE, NATIONAL STAGE
Martin Kady II
CQ Weekly, April 3, 2006, 10 pages
Hillary Clinton partners up with Republicans from New York to spotlight issues of concern to their home state even as she votes a liberal line in the Senate.  The author examines Sen. Hillary Clinton's strategy to win over her New York constituents.  The question is whether it can work on the national level.

TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS

26. MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF BIRD FLU
Commitment Science Report, December 2005, 20 pages

Below documents are from “Focus on IPR” – IIP’s publication, January 2006:

27. WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY?
Thomas G. Field Jr.
IIP Publication, January 2006, 6 pages

28. WHY PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS MATTERS
E. Anthony Wayne
IIP Publication, January 2006, 7 pages

29. A SHORT GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL IPR TREATIES
Paul E. Salmon
IIP Publication, January 2006, 7 pages

30. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
Allison Areias
IIP Publication, January 2006, 7 pages