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The newest essays, interviews, and features from Big Think.
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James Traub sees a few reasons, based on economic growth, for optimism in Africa.
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Love it or hate it, globalization has become a fact of life. The key question is whether trade can be used to help impoverished countries.
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Citing Ban Ki-Moon, James Traub says we need to choose a secretary general for his “confidence not for his harmlessness.”
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We need to return to our collective enterprises like the UN and the IMF, advises James Traub.
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New York Times magazine contributor James Traub on building states, Obama-style.
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James Traub says Latin America seemed an unlikely candidate for democracy in he 1970s, so there’s no reason the Middle East can’t go the same way.
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If you are an autocrat in the developing world, James Traub notes China offers an unbeatable deal.
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James Traub offers Egypt as an example of how the US can quietly affect civil society.
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James Traub says Russia’s diplomatic concerns preclude any democracy promotion.
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Reagan institutionalized democracy promotion and his policies led to the deposition of several dictators, but it took him a while to get there, says James Traub.
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The institution building that goes on behind the scenes is just as important as electing democratic leaders, James Traub says.
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The challenge, says James Traub, is to promote institutions without seeming like a colonizer.
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Reagan signaled a new activism in promoting democracy among Republicans, James Traub reflects.
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James Traub cites Germany and Japan as the resounding post-war successes.
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James Traub says George W. Bush exhausted the nation’s patience for “grandiose ventures.”
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Sarah Lyall says things used to get randy at the boarding schools and it all comes from a “naughty boy” sensibility.
New York wins in the relaxed category, Sarah Lyall notes
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“Waterworks” and “front bottom” rank high on Sarah Lyalls list of outrageous British expressions.
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The self-discipline required for writing books caught Sarah Lyall off guard.
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Mix a densely populated island with a lot of knives and crime gets worse, Sarah Lyall notes.