Inequality is rising across the post-industrial capitalist world. The problem is not caused by politics and politics will never be able to eliminate it. But simply ignoring it could generate a populist backlash. Governments must accept that today as ever, inequality and insecurity are the inevitable results of market operations. Their challenge is to find ways of shielding citizens from capitalism's adverse consequences -- even as they preserve the dynamism that produces capitalism's vast economic and cultural benefits in the first place.

Is globalization to blame for rising unemployment and income inequality in the United States?

Soon, travelers worldwide will have a chance to contribute to the global fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis whenever they purchase airline tickets.

Hunger remains one of world's gravest humanitarian problems, but the United States has failed to prioritize food aid and agricultural development.

Politicians have it in their power to solve the food crisis, but they must be willing to end the biases against big commercial farms and genetically modified crops and do away with farm subsidies.

The former chief economist of the Venezuelan National Assembly argues that despite Hugo Chavez's pledge to fight poverty, the Venezuelan president's economic policies have hurt the poor most of all.

With global food prices again soaring to record levels, experts say policies are needed to bolster agriculture production and reduce trade barriers, particularly by the United States.

Supporters of genetically engineered food tout it as a boon at a time of global food shortages, but some critics see signs that modified foods may do more harm than good.

A mounting food crisis threatens grave consequences for the world’s poor. Experts blame rising oil prices and self-interested agricultural policies.

New studies show the war on drugs is being lost in Afghanistan, and some policy experts think licensing the country for morphine production would help.

A split in Zimbabwe’s ruling party could be a harbinger of change for a country in economic free fall.

Niger's long-running cycle of drought threatens to cause a new round of food shortages affecting millions, world relief agencies warn. International agencies, donor states, and NGOs are debating a way to break a different cycle: treating poor African states as short-term crises rather than funding longer-term solutions.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon argues that with the help of the private and public sector, women entrepreneurs are helping to combat global poverty, but more work is needed to overcome the challenges of access to finance, access to markets, and access to skills-building and networks.

Morgan Bazilian, Patrick Nussbaumer, Giorgio Gualberti, Erik Haites, Michael A. Levi, Judy Siegel, Daniel M. Kammen, and Joergen Fenhann provide an analysis of energy poverty and the "funding gap" that impedes universal household access to electricity.

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon discusses the rise of raisin production in Afghanistan.

Joshua Kurlantzick argues that Thailand is merely one example in the developing world of a struggle for political freedom creating divisions between the middle classes and the poor.

Stewart M. Patrick reviews Too Poor for Peace? by Lael Brainard and Derek Chollet.