2011 Articles

Editor's Note: The View from South Lawn

Merchant, Alex

"It's been another exciting year. In this climate of economic and political upheaval, it seems that anything is possible. Received wisdom is challenged daily. The eurozone crisis, the threat of a double dip recession in the United States, and the Occupy Wall Street movement on the one hand, and the Arab Spring and continued growth in emerging economies on the other, suggest that this moment may mark a historic shift in the global balance of power. In such unpredictable times, when we can't rely on textbooks or habit, thoughtful research and analysis of politics and society is of the utmost importance.
This issue's essays provide just that. This edition of the Journal of Politics and Society begins with a guest essay by Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer. Why, he asks, do so many take China's rise for granted? Bremmer points out that a host of little-discussed phenomena, from frequent outbursts of civil unrest to the looming cost of caring for a large retiree population, threaten to undermine China’s sought-after superpower status."--from page 1