In the Issue

• Does the World Need China’s Confucian Soul?
• A Global Compact for Africa
• Bipartisan Discussion of Security Issues.
• Summer 2007 Courier Now Available.
• Readers' Comments
• Wisconsin Equals South Africa?
• China’s Policy and the ’08 Olympics

Features

Does the World Need China’s Confucian Soul? As China tries to increase its soft power in the world, Confucius has been appointed as the captain of the PR team, according to Li Hongwei, a journalist and visiting fellow from China. He asks, “The ancient sage may be radiating glory in the circle of Chinese literati and gaining popularity among the officialdom, but does China need a Confucian soul?” In this feature, Li explores how the Confucian tradition influences China’s relationship with the world.

A Global Compact for Africa. In a recent opinion piece by Stanley Foundation program officer Michael Schiffer and Center for a New American Security CEO Kurt Campbell, they state, “Africa was again given only slight attention at the just completed G-8 summit. Global warming and missile defense, both worthy issues, dominated the talks, but the African agenda is far too important for world leaders to ignore.” The authors go on to lay out seven basic tenets that could form the basis of a new global compact for Africa in the piece titled "Try Multilateral, Pragmatic Approach in Africa," which was featured in The Des Moines Register.

Bipartisan Discussion of Security Issues. During the week of May 14, Michael Kraig, director of Policy Analysis and Dialogue at the Stanley Foundation, was a guest blogger for Across the Aisle: The PSA Blog. The Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) is dedicated to recreating the bipartisan center in American national security and foreign policy. Kraig posted on varying topics including: reigning in the revolution in military affairs, the imprisonment of Haleh Esfandiari, why the US should discriminate between terrorist groups, Iraq and the responsibility to protect, and how nations rising in power might have the answer to a new security strategy.

Summer 2007 Courier Now Available. Learn more about the Stanley Foundation's latest radio documentary, “Beyond Fear: America’s Role in an Uncertain World,” in the newest issue of Courier. Also in this issue: North Korea’s best path forward from nuclear disarmament to joining the global economy, how to foster Asian security in the face of nontraditional threats, and a look at the future now that we’ve reached a crossroads on nuclear issues. Read the full issue in HTML or PDF.

Readers' Comments. Do you want to share your thoughts about think. articles? Readers can share their comments by e-mailing to think@stanleyfoundation.org. Here are a few comments we’ve received from readers recently:

Jrmathia wrote: I appreciate receiving think. I note that you are looking at books on the United Nations. I have just published one that covers something not often looked at, the secretariats of international organizations. The book is entitled Invisible Governance: International Secretariats in Global Politics and was published by Kumarian Press in January 2007.

Shaprion9 wrote: At 94 I am a little old to participate in the Campaign for a New UN Assembly personally, but I want to make a suggestion. It should incorporate some of the ideas offered by Richard Hudson in his pamphlet "The Binding Triad” which deals with the voting process and makes it more democratic.

Beyond the Headlines

Wisconsin Equals South Africa? How big is the economy of France in comparison to the US economy? The technical way to answer the question would be to say the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States is $13.22 trillion and the GDP of France is $2.15 trillion. So the French economy is, therefore, about 16 percent of the American economy. But it might be more meaningful (and just as accurate) to say the French economy is about the size of California's economy. And South Carolina's GDP is about the same as Singapore's. And Iowa is roughly equivalent to Venezuela. A map capturing this concept has been floating around the blogosphere recently, and it could be a valuable resource in helping people understand the overwhelming size and global influence of the US economy.

China’s Policy and the ’08 Olympics. With the next Olympics taking place in Beijing, many are putting pressure on China to change its policies, both domestic and foreign. Human rights groups are criticizing China’s practices at home and hoping to see progress on issues as diverse as free speech, the judicial system, and labor conditions. Even US presidential candidates are joining in. Bill Richardson recently suggested that the US should consider not sending any athletes in protest of the Chinese government’s lackadaisical attitude toward genocide in Sudan. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee seems to be indifferent with one exception, its insistence on free press coverage of the games.