December 12, 2012
I had a new article this week in Foreign Policy magazine on what may seem like an awfully arcane topic — a standoff between US and Chinese regulators over audit standards — but in fact has potentially huge implications for the future relationship between the world’s two largest economies. You can read it below, or check out the […]
January 29, 2012
I thought I’d share some of my memories of my travels in Pakistan in the spring of 1992. Many of the places I visited would now be completely off-limits to an American traveling alone.
August 16, 2010
An American business professor, Patrick Chovanec, visits fields, casinos, and kindergartens in North Korea — and explains how the Hermit Kingdom is and is not like Mordor.
May 10, 2010
May 10, 2010 A friend of mine recently sent me an old article of mine she happened to find. I wrote it many years ago, just after Mother Theresa passed away in September 1997. Due to a submission mix-up, it was never published. But it remains as relevant today as it was then, and I hope you don’t mind me […]
April 6, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. THE STRAITS(Fujian, Taiwan)Territory: 160,313 km2 (2% of total)Population: 59 million (4% of total)Per Capita GDP: $9,432 (#1 of 9)Exports as % of GDP: 30%Net Trade Balance (ex-China): $51 billion […]
March 30, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. THE FRONTIER(Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Tibet)Territory: 5,205,114 km2 (54% of total)Population: 86 million (6% of total) * 30% non-Han minoritiesPer Capita GDP: $2,928 (#6 of 9)Exports as % […]
March 27, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. THE RUST BELT(Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang)Territory: 801,553 km2 (8% of total)Population: 109 million (8% of total)Per Capita GDP: $3,724 (#5 of 9)Exports as % of GDP: 15%Net Trade Balance (ex-China): […]
March 26, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. SHANGRI-LA(Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi)Territory: 810,690 km2 (8% of total)Population: 132 million (10% of total) * 30% non-Han minoritiesPer Capita GDP: $1,770 (#9 of 9)Exports as % of GDP: 6%Net Trade Balance […]
March 21, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. THE CROSSROADS(Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan)Territory: 707,124 km2 (7% of total)Population: 226 million (17% of total)Per Capita GDP: $2,402 (#7 of 9)Exports as % of GDP: 6%Net Trade Balance (ex-China): […]
March 20, 2010
This excerpt is part of a larger feature I wrote that was published by The Atlantic in November 2009. To read the introduction and access descriptions of the other eight “nations” of China, click here. THE REFUGE(Sichuan, Chongqing)Territory: 569,800 km2 (6% of total)Population: 110 million (8% of total)Per Capita GDP: $2,303 (#8 of 9)Exports as % of GDP: 5%Net Trade Balance (ex-China): $2 billion […]