Dirty Entanglements on the New Silk Road
Drugs, human smuggling, and illegal migration will remain crucial elements of life and the economy in Central Asia in the coming years, a problem only amplified by the new Silk Road.
Tag Big Question Series
41 Items, Page 5 of 9
Asia’s Infectious Flows
Asia’s infrastructure push will involve building roads, railways, and ports across a vast expanse of land… One must consider the dynamics of known infectious diseases and acknowledge the likelihood that currently unknown infections are likely to emerge as new areas are explored and populations are linked.
Diagnosing Central Asia’s Drug Problem
The real challenge for fighting the illicit drug trade in Central Asia stems less from the supposed risks associated with opening borders or developing transport infrastructure, than from dealing with poverty and corruption.
Asia’s Unintended Flows
Greater connectivity often produces unintended consequences. The ancient Silk Road, for example, carried not just commerce, but also disease. As roads, railways, and ports are built across the Eurasian supercontinent, how will these new connections impact the movement of drugs, human trafficking, and other unintended flows?
3-D Printing’s Tipping Point
3-D printing has been around for decades but is now poised to disrupt the future of manufacturing. Also known as “additive manufacturing,” 3-D printing refers to the process of creating an object from data sources by layering materials according to programmed commands. With two of the world’s largest industrial giants, GE and Siemens, now incorporating additive manufacturing into their mass production operations, we could be approaching a technological tipping point.