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Video: The future of US power
John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, is a leading international relations theorist and outspoken critic of elements of US foreign policy.
He speaks to Al Jazeera about how he sees the US' changing role as a global superpower. John Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, is a leading international relations theorist and out... more -
China in Vancouver Part I
Greg Crompton went out on the streets of Vancouver to see how young Canadians are reacting to China’s emergence as a global power.
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While the US Looks Eastward Brazil Is Emerging as a Nuclear Superpower
On Thursday, July 31, Brazilian authorities gave the final go ahead to the civilian nuclear power company, Eletronuclear, to continue construction of the country's third nuclear power plant. Though the decision to revitalize the 22-year-old nuclear reactor, Angra 3, came late last year, plans were finalized in July by the government's environmental regulatory agency. Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of the state-owned energy firm Eletrobrás, plans to begin construction in February.
Brazilian officials must constantly address the country's still inadequate supply of energy if they hope to see Brazil continue on the path to becoming a superpower. For this reason, together with several major new discoveries of oil deposits off Brazil's coastline, a confident President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva hails the developing nuclear initiative as one that could ensure an increased supply of energy to the population. However, there are grave political and economic implications of any turn to nuclear energy that he is taking, that should not be overlooked or minimized.
Eletronuclear representatives pledge to strictly comply with the 60 conditions put forth by the Brazilian government to ensure the safety of the plant now under construction. Environmental activists warn, however, that reviving the construction of the Angra 3 plant, which was aborted in 1986, is neither environmentally safe nor is it fiscally or politically sound.
Greenpeace activists held a demonstration in late July outside the Ministry of the Environment's headquarters in Brazilian capital Brasília to protest the decision of Roberto Messiah, president of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Resources, which granted the permit for the further construction of Angra 3.
Its detractors cite the health risks posed by potential leaks, such as the ones discovered at French power plants in July that resulted in contaminated drinking water, and Brazil's flawed radioactive waste disposal program that allows for an insufficient number of repositories for hazardous waste material. Radioactive waste is currently being stored at the plants themselves, while Brazilian officials determine a more concrete long-term plan of action. On Thursday, July 31, Brazilian authorities gave the final go ahead to the civilian nuclear power company, Eletronuclear, to continue ... more -
Food Fight
A special cut of the viral video Food Fight directed by Stefan Nadelman which shows the animated history of American centric warfare using food to represent each nation. Sound crazy? It is. The British are fish and chips, the Americans are hamburgers... you get the idea. This cut focuses on WW2, the Cold War, 9/11, Afghanistan and the second Iraq war. Its a bit of a puzzle, which is all part of the genius, but if you want to know more, there's a cheat sheet at: www.touristpictures.com/foodfight A special cut of the viral video Food Fight directed by Stefan Nadelman which shows the animated history of American centric warfare u... more
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Who's the superpower now?
Nineteen years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall effectively eliminated the Soviet Union as the world's other superpower.Less than a month ago, the United States similarly lost its claim to superpower status when a barrel of crude oil roared past $110 on the international market, gasoline prices crossed the $3.50 threshold at American pumps, and diesel fuel topped $4. As was true of the USSR following the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the USA will no doubt continue to stumble on like the superpower it once was; but as the nation's economy continues to be eviscerated to pay for its daily oil fix, it, too, will be seen by increasing numbers of savvy observers as an ex-superpower in the making. the fall of the Berlin Wall spelled the erasure of the Soviet Union's superpower status was obvious to international observers at the time. The relationship between rising oil prices and the obliteration of America's superpower status is, however, hardly as self-evident. So let's consider the connection.The fact is, America's wealth and power have long rested on the abundance of cheap petroleum. The United States was, for a long time, the world's leading producer of oil, supplying its own needs while generating a healthy surplus for export.Oil was the basis for the rise of the first giant multinational corporations in the U.S., notably Exxon Mobil, the world's wealthiest publicly traded corporation. Abundant, exceedingly affordable petroleum was also responsible for the emergence of the American automotive and trucking industries, the flourishing of the domestic airline industry, the development of the petrochemical and plastics industries, the suburbanization of America, and the mechanization of its agriculture. Without cheap and abundant oil, the United States would never have experienced the historic economic expansion of the post-World War II era.Domestic oil production reached a peak in 1970 and has been in decline ever since with a growing dependency on imported oil as the result.According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Energy, the United States is importing 12-14 million barrels of oil per day. At a current price of about $115 per barrel, that's $1.5 billion per day, or $548 billion per year. This represents the single largest contribution to America's balance-of-payments deficit, and is a leading cause for the dollar's ongoing drop in value. If oil prices rise any higher in response, perhaps, to a new crisis in the Middle East our annual import bill could quickly approach three-quarters of a trillion dollars or more per year.While our economy is being depleted of these funds, the oil regimes on which we depend for our daily fix are depositing their mountains of accumulating petrodollars in "sovereign wealth funds" (SWFs) state-controlled investment accounts that buy up prized foreign assets in order to secure non-oil-dependent sources of wealth. At present, these funds are already believed to hold in excess of several trillion dollars; the richest, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), alone holds $875 billion.The managers of these funds naturally insist that they have no intention of using their ownership of prime American properties to influence U.S. policy. In time, however, a transfer of economic power of this magnitude cannot help but translate into a transfer of political power as well. Indeed, this prospect has already stirred deep misgivings in Congress Nineteen years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall effectively eliminated the Soviet Union as the world's other superpower.Less than... more
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City on Steroids
China is building megacities like this at a pace and scale the
world has never seen before. Chongqing has 12 million people and counting.
It's part of the central government's plan to bring some of China's economic
boom to its impoverished interior province where three out of four Chinese
live. Vanguard takes you on a whirlwind tour of the city---from inside a
cramped boarding house where migrant workers to inside a starter apartment
of China's new class of yuppies; from inside ancient, crumbling teahouses to
gleaming new car factories. China is building megacities like this at a pace and scale the ... more -
The Listening Project
This Pod is an excerpt from the new feature documentary The Listening Project, a cinematic journey around the world in search of the meaning of America. The filmmakers follow four unique Americans through fourteen countries in each place asking, "what do you think of America?" The ultimate result is an exploration of the meaning of citizenship in a globalized world. www.thelisteningprojectfilm.com This Pod is an excerpt from the new feature documentary The Listening Project, a cinematic journey around the world in search of the m... more
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Barry, Chinese Popstar
Gok Pak-Wing is not your average Cantonese crooner - his real name is Barry Cox, from Liverpool, who is seeking to make it big in the worlds most populous super power by singing Canto-pop, a style of love song generally regarded as too saccharine for western tastes but which has teenage Asian girls swooning... Gok Pak-Wing is not your average Cantonese crooner - his real name is Barry Cox, from Liverpool, who is seeking to make it big in the ... more
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Shanghai Hooters
Adrian Baschuk enjoys a meal at China's first Hooters.
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Burberry Checks Out
The manufacture outsourcing of British fashion brand Burberry has led to unemployment for hundreds of workers in the Rhonnda Valley, mimicking the devastating effects of pit closures in the '80s. The manufacture outsourcing of British fashion brand Burberry has led to unemployment for hundreds of workers in the Rhonnda Valley, m... more
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China's Secret Workers
Gathering Dust is a collection of fleeting portraits of migrants in Beijing. It visits a cleaner, a migrant school teacher, street vendors, sex workers and migrant children. These migrants come from poor rural areas, and when in Beijing, live at the fringes of urban society. Yet they perform many of the menial jobs without which, Beijings and Chinas astonishing development would not be possible. We wanted to capture these stories on film and spent 3 weeks in Beijing shooting the project. It wasnt always easy, as migration is a sensitive subject. We found many closed doors, especially with the Olympics only one year away. But in the end, we wanted to focus on personal stories of migrating to Beijing from different parts of China. Official statistics place the number of internal migrants over 130 million: 10% of Chinas entire population. Today, they make up more than 40% of the urban workforce, and being largely unskilled labourers, and perform menial tasks such as rubbish collection and construction. Despite their large numbers, internal migrants are strongly disenfranchised compared to urban residents. Chinas household registration system (hukou) ties government services to native place and occupation. Poor migrants are prevented from accessing social services in urban areas, such as subsidized housing, free education and pensions. Living conditions are often cramped, and diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis spread easily. In 2006, 80% of new HIV cases reported in Beijing were migrant workers. Children inherit the hukou from their parents, and without government education, they have little chance on improving their social status. Annual school fees in Beijing exceed the income of some construction workers. Roughly half of migrant children therefore cannot attend school, and nearly 10% are forced to drop out. There are cheaper migrant schools. But teaching is often sub-standard, and diplomas are largely unrecognized by state education authorities. Gathering Dust is a collection of fleeting portraits of migrants in Beijing. It visits a cleaner, a migrant school teacher, street v... more
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Secret Nuclear Bunker
Russias pointing its nuclear war heads at us and weve havent been this close to a cold war since, well, the cold war. Toms going to spend a weekend in the recently opened to the public bunker that was previously reserved for the PM and other head honchos to see what life would be like if Russia pushed the button... Russias pointing its nuclear war heads at us and weve havent been this close to a cold war since, well, the cold war. Toms going t... more
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Jackass: N. Korea
The cast of Jackass gets picked to run all of Kim Jong Il's biological weapons programs. Agent Yellow, poo-turd-o-guns, dong stapling and other stunts prove to be ineffective. The cast of Jackass gets picked to run all of Kim Jong Il's biological weapons programs. Agent Yellow, poo-turd-o-guns, dong stap... more
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North Korea Goes Nuclear
A series of announcements regarding the North Korean nuclear bomb test:
The official North Korean statement on the success of the test; North Korea's ambassador to the U.N. saying the Security Council should congratulate North Korea for its nuclear test; and Bush's response condemning the "provocative act." A series of announcements regarding the North Korean nuclear bomb test: ... more -
Iraq 101
Zara Martin hits the streets of London to find out how much people really know about Iraq.
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Indian Idol
You thought American Idol was a big deal? Then you obviously haven't seen the craze around India's own version of the show.
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18 Yrs and Fighting
Long before the Iraq war, Muslim insurgents began fighting for independence in Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state in India. India sent in half a million troops and kept them there. 18 years later, there is still an insurgency. Long before the Iraq war, Muslim insurgents began fighting for independence in Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state in India. Indi... more
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India Defines Freedom
This August, India and Pakistan celebrated their 60th independence day. The mood in India is upbeat, especially amongst its youth. Find out what they think about the country, its independence, their freedom and of their neighbour Pakistan. This August, India and Pakistan celebrated their 60th independence day. The mood in India is upbeat, especially amongst its youth. Fin... more
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India: Your Call
VC2 Prodcer Roye Segal gives us a look behind the walls of an Indian Call Center where we meet the people who help millions of Americans solve their everyday problems. VC2 Prodcer Roye Segal gives us a look behind the walls of an Indian Call Center where we meet the people who help millions of America... more
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India: Rich vs. Poor
India is the world's second most populous nation, and with a rate of economic growth several times that of the United States, India seems on track to be a world power. But along with the most billionaires in Asia, it also has more poor people than the continent of Africa. Aided by an Indian movie star, Vanguard producer Tracey Chang looks at the growing gulf between India's rich and poor. India is the world's second most populous nation, and with a rate of economic growth several times that of the United States, Ind... more
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Superpowers
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Superpowers
