World Map

(4)

To the Reader

Topic Guide

(2)

Selected World Wide Web Sites

(2)

UNIT 1 A Clash of Views The three articles in this section present distinct views on the present and future state of life on Earth.

(30)

Overview

(2)

1. Preparing for the 21st Century: Winners and Losers Historian Paul Kennedy examines the different regions of the world in terms of demographic, economic, and environmental trends in this comprehensive review. Kennedy provides a variety of predictions about future prospects for countries in these regions.

(17)

Paul Kennedy, The New York Review of Books, February 11, 1993.

2. The Many Faces of the Future The most important distinctions among people are not ideological or political. Contrary to what some argue, Professor Samuel Huntington posits that there is little likelihood of a universal civilization emerging. Rather, the factors that define the nine major cultures of the world-religion, ancestry, language, customs, etc.-will continue to define international politics.

(5)

Samuel P. Huntington, Utne Reader, May/June 1997.

3. Redefining Security: The New Global Schisms The major international schisms of the twenty-first century will be less definable in geographic terms. Many of the most persistent threats to peace are arising from discord within states, not between them. Ethnic, racial, religious, and class conflicts within a country may supersede ideological and geopolitical factors as the main determinants of war and peace.

(6)

Michael T. Klare, Current History, November 1996.

UNIT 2 Population Five articles in this section discuss the contributing factors of culture, politics, environmental degradation, disease, and migration on the world's population growth.

(32)

Overview

(2)

4. Can Humanity Survive Unrestricted Population Growth Timothy Weiskel presents a broad historical and conceptual overview of the growth in human population. Many important issues are raised.

(3)

Timothy C. Weiskel, USA Today Magazine (Society for the Advancement of Education), January 1995.

5. Worldwide Development or Population Explosion: Our Choice This comprehensive article directly links economic growth to declining population growth. Gerard Piel, the former president and publisher of Scientific American, describes the difficult choices that need to be made, stating that the problem is not population but poverty.

(10)

Gerard Piel, Challenge, July/August 1995.

6. Refugees: The Rising Tide There never have been so many long-term refugees as there are today-over 16 million people. "The reality behind this stark figure is the multitude of human tragedies being played out in encampments" around the world. Rony Brauman, a physician, describes the history and current realities of this tragic situation.

(5)

Rony Brauman, The UNESCO Courier, October 1996.

7. Water-Borne Killers In the resurgence of infectious diseases, the flow of water, which knows no boundaries, is playing an important role. How this challenge is managed will have a great deal to do with the future health of the world's population.

(7)

Anne Platt, World Watch, March/April 1996.

8. How Many People Can the Earth Support? The question of "how many" is not easily answered, for much depends on social, economic, and ethical choices. Joel Cohen examines a number of issues and concludes that the constraints imposed by nature are difficult to identify.

(5)

Joel E. Cohen, The Sciences, November/December 1995.

UNIT 3 Natural Resources Thirteen selections divided into four subsections--international dimensions, raw materials, food and hunger, and energy--discuss natural resources and their effects on the world community.

(50)

Overview

(2)

A. INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONS

9. The Global Challenge Circulating freely around the planet, the atmosphere and oceans are shared resources whose resiliency is being tested by ever-growing human demands. Michael Glantz examines a number of specific issues that affect the so-called global commons and raises questions about the ability of people to respond to these environmental issues.

(4)

Michael H. Glantz, The World & I, April 1997.

10. A Global Warning The politics of global warming are described as economic interests divide corporations, governments, and international organizations. The debate over what to do about climate change is only beginning to warm up.

(5)

Ross Gelbspan, The American Prospect, March/April 1997.

11. Fire in the Sky The unprecedented smog in Southeast Asia caused by the burning of forests is described along with a discussion of the economic, health, and social costs.

(3)

Murray Hiebert

S. Jayasankaran

John McBeth, Far Eastern Economic Review, October 9, 1997.

B. RAW MATERIALS

12. Mining the Oceans The world is just beginning to tap the mineral riches at the bottom of the ocean. Before deep-sea mining becomes a major source of minerals, however, serious technological and political issues will have to be faced.

(3)

Bjorn Sletto, The Rotarian, December 1996.

13. Greenwatch: Red Alert for the Earth's Green Belt The destruction of Earth's rain forests is described by France Bequette, along with various efforts to redress this problem. The interrelationship among economics, culture, and scientific research is described.

(3)

France Bequette, The UNESCO Courier, November 1994.

14. We Can Build a Sustainable Economy The world is faced with an enormous need for change in a short period of time. Human behavior and values, and national priorities that reflect them, change in response to either new information or new experiences. Regaining control of our destiny depends on stabilizing population as well as climate.

(5)

Lester R. Brown, The Futurist, July/August 1996.

C. FOOD AND HUNGER

15. Global Population and the Nitrogen Cycle Author Vaclav Smil traces the historical development of artificial fertilizer. Feeding humankind now demands so much nitrogen-based fertilizer, however, that the distribution of nitrogen on the earth has been changed in dramatic, and sometimes dangerous, ways. Are there alternatives? Smil does not foresee any in the immediate future.

(5)

Vaclav Smil, Scientific American, July 1997.

16. How Much Food Will We Need in the 21st Century? Little attention has been paid to the issue of the demand for food. But, like energy and water, food can be conserved and the demand adjusted. Author William Bender examines the factors that influence food demand and analyzes how they are likely to affect world food supplies.

100

(5)

William H. Bender, Environment, March 1997.

17. The Fish Crisis The oceans, which once seemed a bottomless source of high-protein, low-fat food, are rapidly being depleted.

105

(2)

J. Madeleine Nash, Time, August 11, 1997.

18. Angling For `Aquaculture,' Fish farming has emerged as an alternative to the depletion of the ocean's once abundant stocks of cod, tuna, salmon and other species. Gary Turbak describes the rapid growth of this ancient practice along with some of the environmental problems that modern methods create.

107

(3)

Gary Turbak, The Rotarian, December 1997.

D. ENERGY

19. The Future of Energy Despite environmental costs, the burning of fossil fuel for energy will not end anytime soon. Robert Fisher argues that it will take a major shift in thinking, rather than economic considerations, to move away from fossil fuels to renewable resources, i.e., from valuing wealth and power to improving how we relate to each other.

110

(4)

Robert W. Fisher, The Futurist, September/October 1997

20. How to Divvy Up Caspian Bonanza The oil and gas wealth under the Caspian Sea awaits the decision on its status by Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. If the Caspian Sea is legally defined as a lake, each country will be bound to cooperatively extract the resources. If it is defined as a sea, each party will have its own designated portion and will have to cooperate in an international zone.

114

(2)

Thomas Orszag-Land, The Christian Science Monitor, October 15, 1996.

21. Here Comes the Sun... and the Wind and the Rain The Quarry in Wales is a center for renewable energy systems where windmills, lake-powered turbines, a biomass woodchip burner, and other alternative energy systems are modeled. There, a hypothetical debate takes place between an alternative energy optimist and a pessimist. Research and development issues along with case studies from around the world are used to illustrate the prospects for a renewable energy future.

116

(4)

New Internationalist, October 1996.

UNIT 4 Political Economy Thirteen articles divided into two subsections present various views on economic and social development in the nonindustrial and industrial nations.

120

(54)

Overview

120

(2)

A. GLOBALIZATION DEBATE

22. The Complexities and Contradictions of Globalization Globalization is a complex concept that means different things to different people. James Rosenau first defines the concept and then contrasts the process of globalization with localization. Rather than conclude that one force will prevail over the other, Rosenau argues that the two forces will contradictorily and simultaneously accommodate each other.

122

(5)

James N. Rosenau, Current History, November 1997.

23. Spreading the Wealth: How `Globalization' Is Helping Shift Cash from Rich Nations to Poor Ones The globalization of business is examined by describing its impact on a Filipino fishing village that now has a free-trade zone. The dramatic changes in people's lives are described along with a discussion of the pros and cons of this form of economic development.

127

(4)

Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, March 17, 1997.

24. Prosper or Perish? Development in the Age of Global Capital Contrary to predictions by so-called experts, the unfettered flow of capital has not led to contagious economic growth and the reduction of poverty. Quite the opposite has been the case in many places, resulting in a growing gap between rich and poor. A key variable in those few countries that have truly benefited rich and poor alike is strong government institutions to manage capital flows.

131

(6)

Blanca Heredia, Current History, November 1997.

25. An Illusion for Our Time The basic assumption of globalization is that economic integration reduces traditional politics based on national interests and expansionist desires. Peter Beinart critically examines this assumption and concludes that globalization reflects wishful thinking by the leading powers rather than the realities of traditional power politics.

137

(5)

Peter Beinart, The New Republic, October 20, 1997.

B. CASE STUDIES

26. High Noon in Europe Wall Street investment banks are at the center of an unprecedented restructuring of European corporations. This is changing how Europe does business, trading traditional loyalties to hometowns and unions in favor of the American-style priorities of high profits and growing stock prices.

142

(5)

Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times, July 13, 1997.

27. Piling into Central Europe Political stability and big economic gains are luring international investors to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Besides exporting cheap industrial products, Central Europe is turning into a large consumer market.

147

(3)

Business Week, July 1, 1996.

28. Where Asia Goes from Here The Asian economic crisis will take years to fix. The region's governments need to implement major economic reforms, though many are reluctant to do so. A country-by-country profile provides a regional summary.

150

(6)

Neel Chowdhury

Anthony Paul, Fortune, November 24, 1997.

29. Ignored Warnings Few economists can claim to have seen the evolving crisis in Asia's economy coming. Indeed, the "miracle" growth of the region was expected to continue into the next century. As this article points out, this problem was building as questionable banking practices were allowed to proceed unchecked.

156

(2)

Keith B. Richburg

Steven Mufson, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, January 12, 1998.

30. No More Free Lunch China's economic reforms have left money-losing state firms unable to care for millions of workers. As Beijing speeds up reform of the state sector, it also has to put in place a new welfare system.

158

(2)

Matt Forney

Pamela Yatsko, Far Eastern Economic Review, October 16, 1997.

31. A New Tiger India used to pride itself on poverty-stricken self-sufficiency. Now it seeks growth, exports, and foreign investment, and the economy is booming.

160

(2)

Steven Strasser

Sudip Mazumdar, Newsweek, August 4, 1997.

32. Village Banking: A Report from 5 Countries In Latin America, Africa, and Asia, an international nonprofit foundation has created a 3,000-strong network of autonomous village banks. The success of this grassroots development activity is described in five case studies.

162

(4)

Rupert Scofield, The UNESCO Courier, January 1997.

33. Child Labour: Rights, Risks, and Realities Carol Bellamy is executive director of UNICEF. In this essay she describes the exploitation of children and international efforts to mobilize society to combat this denial of basic human rights.

166

(4)

Carol Bellamy, The Rotarian, September 1997.

34. The Burden of Womanhood The grim realities of life for women in the developing world are vividly described in this essay. The difficulties from birth to widowhood to death are examined, with a special focus on women in Asia.

170

(4)

John Ward Anderson

Molly Moore, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, March 22-28, 1993.

UNIT 5 Conflict Seven articles in this section discuss the basis for world conflict and the current state of peace in the international community.

174

(38)

Overview

174

(2)

35. The New Arms Race: Light Weapons and International Security For most of the past 50 years, analysts have largely ignored the role of small arms and light weapons in international security. Because of the upsurge in ethnic and sectarian conflict, more attention must be paid to their role in the rise of low-intensity warfare.

176

(6)

Michael T. Klare, Current History, April 1997.

36. Organised Chaos: Not the New World We Ordered David Keen examines the new types of conflict that are prevalent in the world today in light of the economic issues involved. Using case studies from Africa, he illustrates the economic functions of these conflicts and the interests that benefit from them. From this perspective, this is hardly an era of random chaos, as some have argued.

182

(4)

David Keen, The World Today, January 1996.

37. Towards the Global Millennium: The Challenge of Islam The mutual distrust between Islam and the West is described by Akbar Ahmed, and the dangerous stereotypes that define this situation are revealed. To expand the dialogue between these cultures, Ahmed focuses on the principles of Islam and what they mean to political relations.

186

(5)

Akbar S. Ahmed, The World Today, August/September 1996.

38. Uncertainty, Insecurity, and China's Military Power Despite China's undoubted ambition to become a full-fledged great military power, there is no evidence that Beijing has embarked on a crash course to correct all its well-known military deficiencies.

191

(6)

Paul H. B. Godwin, Current History, September 1997.

39. Russian Foreign Policy in the Near Abroad and Beyond With the collapse of the Soviet empire, questions now arise regarding Russia's relationship with the newly independent states that used to be a part of that empire, i.e., "the near abroad." Karen Dawisha examines the question of whether Russian foreign policy will express a new imperial stance or if the internal and external circumstances of all the countries involved will limit any renewal of Russian expansion.

197

(5)

Karen Dawisha, Current History, October 1996.

40. Nuclear Deterrence and Regional Proliferators The role of nuclear weapons to deter the use of chemical and biological weapons is discussed. Specific recommendations are made regarding U.S. military policy in light of the spread of these other types of weapons of mass destruction.

202

(4)

Robert G. Joseph, The Washington Quarterly, Summer 1997.

41. Taking Nuclear Weapons Off Hair-Trigger Alert The end of the cold war and the dramatic decline of Russian military efficiency have not led to the ending of the policy of launching weapons on warning. The authors argue that it is time to end the practice of keeping nuclear missiles constantly ready to fire. This change would greatly reduce the possibility of a mistaken launch. They outline a set of policies to implement a global stand-down.

206

(6)

Bruce G. Blair

Harold A. Feiveson

Frank N. von Hippel, Scientific American, November 1997.

UNIT 6 Cooperation Five selections in this section examine patterns of international cooperation and the social structures that support this cooperation.

212

(16)

Overview

212

(2)

42. The First Fifty Years: The Main Achievements Declaring that the "ideals enshrined in the Charter of the UN are neither partisan nor ideological, nor religious, but purely and simply humanitarian," the former president of the General Assembly describes the accomplishments of the United Nations on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

214

(2)

Diogo Freitas do Amaral, UN Chronicle, December 1995.

43. A Watchful Eye: Monitoring the Conventional Arms Trade Since the Persian Gulf War, the UN has devised an arms transparency solution to an uncontrolled and unaccounted weapons trade. Despite the efforts of the UN as well as a panel of government experts, the reality of timely, reliable, and accurate reporting and processing of data presents challenges for the global community.

216

(3)

Jordan Singer, Harvard International Review, Winter 1995/96.

44. Like No Other Parliament on Earth In the 15 years it has existed in its "directly elected" form, the European Parliament (EP) has extended its powers to become a true legislative body. The unique role this organization is now playing in European politics and economics is described, along with the significant role that women members play in policy debates.

219

(3)

Alan Osborn, Europe, May 1996.

45. From GATT to WTO: The Institutionalization of World Trade The evolution of the international trading system is briefly described, along with the development of the rules and related institutions that have managed this system. Particular emphasis is given to the new World Trade Organization and the challenges it will face in its first phase of activities.

222

(4)

Salil S. Pitroda, Harvard International Review, Spring 1995.

46. Peace Prize Goes to Land-Mine Opponents The anti-land mine campaign is an excellent example of a new form of post-cold war political action in which a broad, grassroots coalition works outside the bounds of major international institutions to foster political change.

226

(2)

Carey Goldberg, New York Times, October 11, 1997.

UNIT 7 Values and Visions Four articles discuss human rights, ethics, values, and new ideas.

228

(21)

Overview

228

(2)

47. Universal Human Values: Finding an Ethical Common Ground Rushworth Kidder has made many contributions to the literature on ethics. In this essay, he reports the results of interviews with two dozen "men and women of conscience" from around the world. Eight common values are identified, which Kidder believes can guide a troubled world through a tumultuous future.

230

(5)

Rushworth M. Kidder, The Futurist, July/August 1994.

48. Women in Power: From Tokenism to Critical Mass The growing political role of women in all countries is one of the most significant developments of the past decade. Jane Jaquette describes this historical trend and the differences in perspective that women bring to the political arena.

235

(7)

Jane S. Jaquette, Foreign Policy, Fall 1997.

49. The End of the Hunting Season in History Shimon Peres has been a leading political figure in Israel for many years. In this provocative essay, he explores the fundamental forces that are changing the way human affairs are conducted.

242

(4)

Shimon Peres, New Perspectives Quarterly, Fall 1995.

50. Reassessing the Economic Assumption The goals of a clean environment and a good quality of life cannot be met by a world system based on unlimited economic growth. We must change our basic economic values from a market-based, materialistic view to a moralistic, transcendental view.

246

(3)

Willis W. Harman, The Futurist, July/August 1996.

Glossary

249

(8)

Index

257

(3)

Article Review Form

260

(1)