Mercantilism today: how a dead philosophy comes back to life

IPN Opinion article

"Exports are good and imports bad, right? Wrong. All trade -- whether it is import or export, within nations or between them -- leads to economic growth, better jobs, and better health."

NGO urges Nigerians to depend less on foreign aid

IPN Opinion article

Fossil fuels and rock-star fools

IPN Opinion article

Today, President Bush is expected to announce measures to mitigate climate change. Tonight, internationally renowned climate experts will gather at Staples Center to present their years of academic research on the issue of global warming.

Just who are these experts, you ask? The Rolling Stones, who will give a much-ballyhooed free concert on behalf of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with fellow climate authorities Bill Clinton, starlet Cameron Diaz, Pierce \"007\" Brosnan and heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio.

Angling for Britain's Fishermen

IPN Opinion article

Whalers, game hunters, laboratory scientists and even their bankers, have all felt the brunt of animal-rights campaigns. Now it's the turn of your average weekend fisherman. Driving around Britain this week one can see posters of a dog with a hook through its lip adorning billboards. The caption reads: "If you wouldn't do this to a dog, why do it to a fish?" It sounds innocent enough, but this may all end up in tears.

These posters are part of a $45 million campaign by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to outlaw fishing in Britain. It is misguided folly that could lead to an increase in attacks on fishermen. PETA will not miss the anglers if they quit in fear, but the fish surely will.

Aids has no cure - remember?

IPN Opinion article

It does seem paradoxical -- nay, tragic -- that the world may end up spending tens of billions of dollars annually to provide painful, only moderately successful treatment to prolong life, while not making millions of people healthy from curable diseases like malaria for only a few billion. In these days of emotional politics, perhaps the rich world will only spend money on diseases with which it has some familiarity.

Ban on DDT led to death and suffering

IPN Opinion article

"Rachel Carson, who died in 1964, is largely credited with launching the modern environmentalist movement with her book Silent Spring. Published in 1962, it alleged that widespread agricultural use of the pesticide DDT was the cause of enormous environmental harm, in particular to birds and their egg shells. Her treatise led to the banning of DDT in many countries. Last week the United Nations outlawed the dirty dozen chemicals [including DDT] the greens love to hate."

Boycott Big Green, not Big Business

IPN Opinion article

Some companies have learned the hard way that Greenpeace cannot be trusted; others have yet to learn. British Petroleum and Shell have gone out of their way to placate Greenpeace but this has done little to quell the group's attacks.

Greenpeace seeks to divide and conquer: To attack one part of an industry while leaving the rest untouched. But companies that are unaffected in one attack (and possibly even benefit while their rivals suffer) don't see that sooner or later they will be under attack too. How to respond?

A Rule-Based War: Mashelkar's Message: Patent, Publish and Prosper <br><i>an interview with Dr. Ramesh Mashelkar</i>

IPN Opinion article

"In his conversation with Madhu Kishwar, Dr Mashelkar opens up to questions that range from his personal life to his concerns about the future of Indian R&D. He demythifies concepts such as international patents and intellectual property, voices his concerns about the neglect of traditional knowledge systems in the developing world and projects, a scenario of vast opportunities for wealth generation; all this in a manner that is down-to-earth, enthusiastic and optimistic."

A Rule-Based War: Mashelkar's Message: Patent, Publish and Prosper <br><i>an interview with Dr. Ramesh Mashelkar</i>

IPN Opinion article

"In his conversation with Madhu Kishwar, Dr Mashelkar opens up to questions that range from his personal life to his concerns about the future of Indian R&D. He demythifies concepts such as international patents and intellectual property, voices his concerns about the neglect of traditional knowledge systems in the developing world and projects, a scenario of vast opportunities for wealth generation; all this in a manner that is down-to-earth, enthusiastic and optimistic."