No, You Don’t Have to Sign Up for Mandarin Lessons Just Yet

Even While China’s Economic Power Grows, English Will Remain the Global Go-To Language

A Russian, a Korean, and a Mexican walk into a bar. How do they communicate?

In English, if at all, even though it’s not anyone’s native language. You can swap out those nationalities for any other three hailing from different continents, and the answer will remain the same. Swap out a bar for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China this week, and the attending heads of state from those three countries still have to communicate in English: It’s the only official language of the APEC, even when the …

November 17, 2014

Could Ebola Kill Global Trade?

Western Nations Need to Remain Open to Africa—and Break a Centuries-Old Pattern of Restricting Commerce in Response to Disease

by Mark Harrison | November 16, 2014

“Health consists of having the same diseases as one’s neighbors,” the English writer Quentin Crisp once quipped. He was right: When a disparity occurs, the sense of threat to our …

What Does Amazon Want to Be When It Grows Up?

Facing Staggering Losses, the Confused Online Business Can’t Afford to Be All Things to All People

by Andrés Martinez | November 3, 2014

Amazon recently announced a staggering $437 million loss over the third quarter. This three-month period included the disastrous introduction of its new smartphone, a misstep for which the company has …

Why Californians Should Love Chevron

Our State Needs the Big Ruthless Oil Company—and Chevron Needs Us

by Joe Mathews | October 23, 2014

Dear Chevron,

I will not compare thee to a summer’s day. I cannot say you smell like a rose.

But make no mistake: I love you.

You are unaccustomed, I know, to getting …

Can a Higher Minimum Wage Lower Your Quality of Life?

Workers Who Get a Boost in Pay Might See a Reduction in Government Assistance

by Joe Mathews | October 16, 2014

Will you actually be richer when your pay is raised to $15 per hour?

Perhaps the question seems ludicrous. Of course you’re better off making $15 an hour than you were …

How Laptop Living Almost Left Me Homeless

When an Internet Connection Is the Only Thing Tethering You to the World, It’s Easy to Find Yourself Hovering More or Less Nowhere

by Heather Seggel | October 2, 2014

Last week I turned 45. I may soon become homeless.

I am not the stereotypical candidate for homelessness: I have a B.A. in English and a small business as a copywriter. …

Economics

No, You Don’t Have to Sign Up for Mandarin Lessons Just Yet

Even While China’s Economic Power Grows, English Will Remain the Global Go-To Language

Could Ebola Kill Global Trade?

Western Nations Need to Remain Open to Africa—and Break a Centuries-Old Pattern of Restricting Commerce in Response to Disease

What Does Amazon Want to Be When It Grows Up?

Facing Staggering Losses, the Confused Online Business Can’t Afford to Be All Things to All People

Why Californians Should Love Chevron

Our State Needs the Big Ruthless Oil Company—and Chevron Needs Us

Can a Higher Minimum Wage Lower Your Quality of Life?

How Laptop Living Almost Left Me Homeless

When an Internet Connection Is the Only Thing Tethering You to the World, It’s Easy to Find Yourself Hovering More or Less Nowhere

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What Communist China Taught a 6-Year-Old American Boy

With Tiananmen Square as My Playground, I Learned Lifelong Lessons About Diplomacy, Authority, and Democracy

How Will China’s Rise Change the Chinese-American Experience?

For China’s One-Party Rulers, Legitimacy Flows from Prosperity and Competence

The West Still Underestimates Beijing’s Ancient Social Contract with “Heaven”

The U.S.-China Rivalry Isn’t a New Cold War; It’s Bigger Than That

The Fact That the Two Countries Are Interdependent Makes Both War and Peaceful Cooperation More Possible

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