For citizens to enjoy longer lives, says Henry McKinnell, governments should invest in the latest and most effective medicines – In the summer of 1890, a girl was born in Smilde, the Netherlands. Six months later, 5,000km away, a boy was born in Syracuse, New York. The boy was healthy, but the girl struggled for…

Africa’s political elites have undermined their countries’ economies, says Moeletsi Mbeki. The region must give power to the private sector producers if it is ever to develop – When African and Asian colonies gained independence last century, their new leaders faced two main challenges: to consolidate quickly their political power while ensuring stability and, in…

The interests of the United States and Canada – in economics and the environment as much as in security – are inseparable, says Paul Martin – There has long been a tension at the centre of Canadian foreign policy. We have many ways of describing it, but, in essence, it comes down to this: should…

America created violent political Islam inadvertently as part of its Cold War strategy, says Mahmood Mamdani – I was in New York City on 9/11. In the weeks that followed, newspapers reported that the Koran had become one of the biggest-selling books in American bookshops. Astonishingly, Americans seemed to think that reading the Koran might…

Despite apparent new openings to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, the basic political problems remain unchanged. Robert Malley spells out what a realistic plan should look like – The Middle East appears to be witnessing a rare moment of consensus. With the death of Yasser Arafat, the Palestine leader, the re-election of George Bush, and Israeli…

Corinne Maier created a sensation last summer with Bonjour Paresse, a handbook for idlers. Here she fantasizes about leaving corporate life for good – That day I had a dream: I would never work again. At the beginning it was simply a dream. It was just before the alarm went off, at around 7 am….

Cantor Fitzgerald lost 658 employees on 9/11. Thanks to foresighted disaster planning, customer loyalty and a determination to honour the dead, it has risen from the ashes, says Howard Lutnick Before September 11, 2001, Cantor Fitzgerald was the largest wholesale financial service company in the world. With 2,200 employees worldwide and almost 1,000 in New…

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came to power promising an economic and social revolution for Brazil. Here, he speaks of the vision that has redefined his country’s place in the world Change. I started my inaugural speech with this word when I assumed the presidency of the republic. I was not trying to be rhetorical….

Quantum mechanics has already brought us the transistor and the laser. But, says Seth Lloyd, quantum computing will bring further advances, like truly secure cryptography We are in the midst of a technological revolution. Because of the rapid advance in sensitivity and accuracy of manufacturing techniques, the technologies that we can construct are pushing up…