Source: Carnegie
For Immediate Release: April 28, 2003
Contact: Mike Boyer, 202-939-2345, mboyer@ceip.org
FOREIGN POLICY MAY / JUNE 2003
RANKING THE WORLD'S RICH NATIONS
Plus, Crisis in North Korea, Overcoming History in Iraq, America's Non Sequitur
Nationalism, the Market for Civil War, Wine's New Reality,
and More …
Political leaders in the world's wealthy nations routinely proclaim a desire to end world poverty. But what are the world's richest governments really doing to help the global poor? To find out, FOREIGN POLICY teamed up with the Center for Global Development to create a groundbreaking new ranking. The CGD/FP Commitment to Development Index goes beyond all-too-common assessments of foreign aid dollars to rank 21 of the world's richest nations on whether their aid, trade, migration, investment, peacekeeping, and environmental policies help or hurt poor countries.
The biggest aid givers aren't necessarily the biggest helpers. The United States and Japan, two of the world's largest aid givers, finished dead last in 20th and 21st place, respectively. The Netherlands finished first in the inaugural Commitment to Development Index, thanks mainly to its development-friendly aid, trade, investment, and environmental policies. Following the Netherlands were, in order, Denmark, Portugal, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Japan's score suffered from the heavy interest it exacts on payments of old loans, while the U.S. score reflects its penchant for "tying" aid to U.S. goods and services. Find out which other nations have the greatest positive and negative impact on the world's poor in this unique new index. ("Ranking the World's Rich" p. 56)
AMERICAN NATIONALISM
In the Old World, nationalism is rooted in ethnic stereotypes. But nationalism
in the United States is defined not by notions of ethnic superiority but by
a firm belief in the supremacy of American democratic ideals. This rejection
of Old World nationalism creates a dual paradox in the American psyche, writes
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace scholar Minxin Pei in this issue's
cover story. Even as the United States is highly nationalistic, it doesn't see
itself as such. And despite America's nationalistic fervor, U.S. policymakers
generally fail to appreciate the power of nationalism abroad. ("The
Paradoxes of American Nationalism" p. 30)
RETHINKING THE CRISIS IN NORTH KOREA
North Korea is dangerous and dangerously misunderstood. But it is not crazy,
near collapse, nor about to start a war with the Untied States or its powerful
neighbors, argue Asia scholars Victor Cha and David Kang. Defusing the threat
that North Korea poses, Cha and Kang argue, will require less bullying, more
diplomatic patience, and a willingness on the part of the United States to understand
the true sources of North Korea's conduct. ("Think Again: The Korea
Crisis" p. 20)
THE NEW WORLD OF WINE
Recent events in world wine markets have shocked even the French from long-held
complacency. Over the last 30 years, the wine world's old guard-namely France,
Italy, and Spain-have watched per capita consumption halve in their domestic
markets, while wine from New World upstarts invaded their traditional markets.
The story of wine's globalization begins in the 1970s, with changes in British
liquor licensing laws, writes leading Australian wine economist Kym Anderson,
and stars disgruntled French winemakers, desperate EU bureaucrats, worried Napa
Valley tycoons, and Chinese and Japanese arrivistes acquiring a taste for the
finer things. ("Wine's New World" p. 46)
IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Every time a civil war breaks out, historians trace its origins to the 14th
century or anthropologists expound on its ethnic roots. Nice try, says World
Bank development research director Paul Collier, but no cigar. In a new study
of civil conflicts over the last 40 years, Collier finds that ethnic tensions
and ancient political feuds don't start civil wars, economic forces do. If you
want to prevent civil war, try curbing rebel financing, jump-starting economic
growth in hot spots, and providing a robust military presence in countries emerging
from conflict. ("The Market for Civil War" p. 38)
OVERCOMING HISTORY IN IRAQ
The last time Baghdad was conquered was in 1258. If the ripple effects of that
episode are any guide, U.S. President George W. Bush's promises of democracy
in Iraq and the creation of a Palestinian state had better come to fruition,
concludes Middle East scholar Husain Haqqani. If the United States fails, Muslims'
fears of modernity will remain, and the world will continue to confront new
jihads. ("The American Mongols" p. 70)
SPACE JUNK
More than 100,000 pieces of man-made and natural debris weighing more than 4
million pounds currently encircle Earth. This space junk endangers everything
from human astronauts to top-secret national security satellites. Veteran space
journalist Leonard David takes a look at how the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination
Committee plans to ensure that the 21st century's most valuable real estate
doesn't become a cosmic landfill. ("Tossed in Space" p. 68)
Select articles from each issue of FP are available at www.foreignpolicy.com.
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