The media's attention is on terrorism. Yet, in the background are other critical issues. Perhaps none so important as to what is happening to the global economy. The mantra of free trade and open markets has widened the gap between rich and poor nations. Level playing fields don't seem very level to the have-nots. Democracy is weakened by powerful institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. The US largely dominates these organisations. The massive monopoly of resources by the US and a handful of other countries has created tremendous imbalance and inequality. Vandana Shiva says, "The dispossession from the Earth's natural wealth is at the root of instability."

Vandana Shiva of India is a leading voice for sustainable development and social justice. A Renaissance-type woman, she's a physicist, scholar, social activist and feminist. Dr. Shiva is Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy in New Delhi. She's the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prize. She's the author of many books including Biopiracy, Stolen Harvest, and Water Wars.