Wednesday-Night

An Xin (a Canadian ex-pat in Beijing) writes:
So much of what is happening here now feels like a kind of déja vu. Once upon a time there was a people that lived on the edge of a great country. They annexed themselves to the country, only to find that their resources were mismanaged and eventually […]

How may this affect the positioning of the nations claiming the Arctic? We note that the UN body involved in this decision is not UNCLOS, but the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
Australia becomes a whole lot bigger after UN ruling
The ruling clarifies the extent of Australia’s control over the part […]

No one should miss Alex Shoumatoff’s piece on the Arctic Oil Rush
In addition to a wealth of information about the Russian expedition and the attitudes of interested nations towards UNCLOS and other treaties (”(Basically, the U.S. doesn’t ratify anything that cramps its style. It has still not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, which Russia has, […]

18 April 2008
PBOC chief says China’s reserve growth ‘not desirable’
By Taimur Ahmad
(Emerging Markets) -Zhou Xiaochuan, China’s central bank governor, has said the rate of growth in China’s foreign exchange reserves is unsustainable, but the country cannot significantly change its policy because of uncertainties in the global economy.
In an exclusive interview with Emerging Markets in Washington […]

April 22, 2008
We sympathize with Andrea’s argument, however must point out that we also believe that William Marsden’s excellent “Stupid to the last drop” bears on business and public policy, and we are delighted by the news that “[the] Critic of oilsands wins business book award — Montreal journalist William Marsden wins $20,000 prize”
The first […]

April 17
As microfinance grows, are women left behind?
Women are increasingly less able to take advantage of microfinance programs, even as the financial tool grows in popularity, according to a report from Women’s World Banking. As many microfinance institutions grow, they tend to provide a smaller share of their loans to […]

April 17
The Maoists triumph
(The Economist) The former rebels surprise everyone with a stunning electoral success. That may prove to have been the easy part
Managing a fractious coalition is just the start of the Maoists’ troubles. The drafting of the new constitution will be a dreadful business.
And then there is a peace process to salvage. The […]

First, we would draw your attention to last Wednesday’s discussion of China, Tibet & the Olympics - a number of points worth pondering.
NB:
Those of you who were with us last week heard about the Spring Concert to be performed on April 26th by Octet Plus, a choir that includes David Oliver and Holly Jonas. […]

Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet

Sachs appeal
April 16
Charlie Rose: A conversation with Jeffrey Sachs
Mar 27th 2008
The Economist print edition
IF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN were looking for the very model of a modern intellectual, they would surely pick Jeffrey Sachs. He is so “right on” that when Time magazine featured him in its global […]

World Bank IMF
IMF’s Global economic prospects for 2009 (.pdf)
April 11
Climate Change Rises On World Bank Agenda
(Reuters Planet Ark) WASHINGTON - Climate change is now one of the World Bank’s top concerns because of its expected impact on health and economic growth in developing countries, the bank’s lead environmental economist said.
Latin […]