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May 22, 2005

Common wisdom once had it that modernization would diminish the force of religion in politics, economics, and society. As the 21st century progresses, exactly the opposite is true. Religion is surging as a force across the world, and religious movements are driving "alternative globalizations" that challenge western models of development.

In a special Think Global program called "Globalization and the Rise of Religion," Krista Tippett speaks with eminent sociologist of global religion, Peter Berger, who heads the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs at Boston University. He has fascinating insights into how religious energies go hand-in-hand with global cultures, economies and politics, from Bangalore to Indonesia to Brazil. Also, Harvard Business School professor and globalization guru Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the rising influence of religious voices in world economic decision-making circles.

Get the MP3: Speaking of Faith: Globalization and the Rise of Religion



Ernesto Zedillo is former president of Mexico (1994-2000) and now director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization. "The world needs more, not less, globalization," he says in this commentary. "But ... we should not take for granted that globalization will continue. It is threatened by countries’ refusal to work together to tackle problems that are insurmountable without collective action. We must urge our leaders to act now and not wait until globalization begins to falter because that would yield disastrous consequences for both the rich and the poor of our world."

Get the MP3: Ernesto Zedillo commentary


May 21, 2005

Globalization confers a mixed blessing upon the world. Threats to health and security move across national borders as easily as information and capital.

Can we find global responses to these global challenges? "Security Check: Confronting Today's Global Threats" will focus on personal stories illustrating some of the most dangerous threats facing the world today: weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS, civil war, small arms, interstate conflict, terrorism, and organized crime. These stories will be woven with the relevance and potential impact on America and Americans, as well as the latest efforts to find collective answers to these shared problems.

David Brancaccio, host and editor of the PBS weekly series NOW hosts and reports for the special one-hour documentary. "Security Check: Confronting Today's Global Threats" is produced by Simon Marks, Kristin McHugh, and Keith Porter.

Get the MP3: Security Check: Confronting Today's Global Threats


May 20, 2005


Joseph Stiglitz is both a leading thinker and a leading player in global economic circles. He was chair of President BIll Clinton's Council of Economic Advisors in the mid-1990s, then served as Chief Economist at the World Bank. In 2001 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. In his book "Globalization and its Discontents," Stiglitz argues that free trade should benefit the world's poor, but too rarely does.

"When trade agreements are unfair, then not only do the rich and powerful benefit disproportionately, but the poor may actually be worse off," he says in this commentary. "I believe trade can be part of the all-important fight against global poverty. But if this is to be the case, we need trade agreements that are fairer to the developing countries. We need a true development round."

Get the MP3: NPR's Joseph Stiglitz commentary



America Abroad Media, WAMU

For years, policy makers, activists and academics have been debating whether the global economic system really benefits the world's poor. Defenders say free trade is crucial for any country trying to move out of poverty. Critics say the system is rigged against the poor, and only widens the gap between the haves and the have nots. Where do we stand? What can be done? Veteran anchor Garrick Utley and WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi co-host a town-hall style meeting featuring leading thinkers on all sides of the debate. Panelists include Jagdish Bhagwati ("In Defense of Globalization"), Allan Meltzer (Carnegie Mellon U.), William Easterly (formerly of the World Bank) and John Ambler (Oxfam America). The forum, taped and edited for broadcast, is a co-production of WAMU, America Abroad Media and The Economist magazine.

Get the MP3: Globalization and the World's Poor

May 19, 2005


The New York Times' international writer-at-large Roger Cohen argues that globalization has brought America closer to the world, but not everyone likes the proximity. "America, with its movie stars and Starbucks, lures but also repels," he says. "It sees itself spreading its gifts, inspiring a global tide of liberty, but others often see it as a trampler of tradition, mouther of half-truths, poor listener, robber baron dressed in a deceptive garb of noble intentions." The best way out, he argues, "may be a dose of humility."

Roger Cohen was Foreign Editor of The New York Times through the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks. His prize-winning war coverage in Bosnia formed the basis of his acclaimed book, "Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo." His new is book “Soldiers and Slaves: American POWs Trapped by the Nazis’ Final Gamble.” Cohen's column "Globalist" appears twice a week in the International Herald Tribune.

Get the MP3: NPR's Roger Cohen commentary



In "And Justice for Some: The US Battle With the International Criminal Court," Radio Netherlands and NPR's Justice Talking join forces for a one hour special on the US opposition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) with produced features and a debate before a live audience in Amsterdam to examine questions that have taken on new significance with the conflict in Darfur, the invasion of Iraq, and the US war on terror. The program is hosted by NPR's Margot Adler with produced features by Radio Netherlands' Senior Correspondent, Michele Ernsting.

America helped lay the foundations for the ICC in the Hague. Yet President Bill Clinton drove a hard bargain and demanded significant changes before the U.S. signed on to the Rome Treaty, and agreed to take part in the court in December, 2000. Two years later, George W. Bush "unsigned" the treaty, and the US withdrew as a member state of the Court. How can the US ask others to behave according to a set of international legal standards while limiting the exposure of its own citizens?

Get the MP3: NPR's Justice Talking and Radio Netherlands: And Justice for Some

May 18, 2005

Few people can speak with more authority about globalization than Mary Robinson. Robinson was the first woman president of Ireland -- during her tenure her country was known as the "Celtic Tiger," becoming one of the world's wealthiest countries. But Robinson's passion has always been for human rights, particularly for women and children. She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. She is the founder and director of the Ethical Globalization Initiative, which pushes governments and business to put human rights at the top of their global agendas.

"To me the great thing about international human rights is that we have a worldwide democratic process to hold governments to their promises," she says in this commentary. "If children's rights are to matter close to home, they must matter in the corridors of the UN and the World Bank, in the boardrooms of CEOs, and in the cabinets of national governments. Our task is to ensure that globalization will work for all the world's children."

Get the MP3: Mary Robinson Commentary



From American RadioWorks, BBC Current Affairs, America Public Media

Until recently, bribes and other forms of corruption were considered business as usual for western corporations and governments operating overseas. Now, transnational institutions see corruption as a major obstacle to development. But in the hyper-competitive global marketplace, can corruption ever be eradicated? Produced by Michael Montgomery and including extraordinary tape from Peru, Sao Tome and the Republic of Georgia, The Cost of Corruption explores corruption from the inside. The focus is not just on the problems besetting these countries, but on attempts at finding solutions.

Get the MP3: The Cost of Corruption


Pico Iyer Commentary
If globalization is the central drama of our times, Pico Iyer has had a front-row seat. Iyer is a novelist and essayist who is best known for his travel writing from some of the world's least-visited places. In books like "Video Night in Kathmandu" and "The Global Soul" he explores global changes from eye level. In this commentary, Iyer argues that the idea of globalism has been hijacked by huge corporations, but that in fact it is most meaningfully experienced by individuals. He says globalism has its dangers, but it can also help us feel more connected to our world. "Living in a planetary neighborhood, I have to get to know the neighbors, see who they are, find out what they feel. The ultimate beauty of globalism is that, like every revolution, it begins at home."
Download: Pico Iyer Commentary
Global 3.0

Combining the talents of Robert Krulwich and American RadioWorks' Chris Farrell and John Biewen, "Global 3.0" cuts through the globalization jargon to show how the high-speed movement of goods, people, capital and ideas is transforming everyday life at home and abroad. This lively documentary takes listeners to Pittsburgh, a manufacturing city devastated by global competition that rebuilt itself as an information hub in the '90s. Now the city and its knowledge workers face new competition from the low-cost, high-skill workers in the developing world. The documentary visits China and India, home to more than two billion people, and two of the world's fastest growing economies. It looks at the impact the fast-growing prawn industry has had on Bangladesh, among the poorest of nations. Even as much of the world tries to improve their standard of living, globalization shakes up the status quo-pervasive insecurity is in the nature of the beast.
Download: Global 3.0

We often hear that the world is getting smaller. But the environmentalist and writer Bill McKibben says the world is also getting bigger. Too big, in fact, for most of us. Last winter, McKibben ate only food grown within 60 miles of his home in Vermont. His latest book, "Wandering Home," chronicles his travels by foot from Vermont through the Adirondack mountains of New York. Through his books, articles and public appearances, McKibben has emerged as one of the most eloquent voices urging us to reconsider what he calls "the global scale of our lives." "People everywhere are excited by the treasures of the whole planet," he says in this commentary. "But we crave, too, the security of belonging in some place whose scale makes sense. Anyway, in the end, it’s only those vital local communities that can generate the music, the recipes, the solutions that are worth sharing around the world."
Download: Bill McKibben Commentary