One of those disturbing tendencies in academic life is that there is a desire on the part of many in the name of open-mindedness to fall into a kind of relativistic denialism in which all positions are equally legitimate, all positions must be respected, and compromise must be entered into no matter what the starting point or reasonableness of the two parties.

I have always thought that underpopulated countries in Africa are vastly underpolluted.

If you look at the history of the American capital market, there's probably no innovation more important than the idea of generally accepted accountancy principles.

The only antidote to dangerous ideas is strong alternatives vigorously advocated.

The dramatic modernization of the Asian economies ranks alongside the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution as one of the most important developments in economic history.

Where countries have been able to carry through on their reform commitments - as in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines - results are starting to come in the form of lower interest rates, new investment and increased growth.

It says something about this new global economy that USA Today now reports every morning on the day's events in Asian markets.