As the contradictions of Asia’s water challenges have been laid bare this summer—with millions affected by flooding while others are hit by droughts—one thing has been made clearer: the coming water crisis could exacerbate already simmering domestic and regional tensions.

The U.S. State Department attempts to address the crying need for cleaner water through grants and other aid programs to developing nations. Each year the department issues a report, in adherence to the Water for the Poor Act of 2005, detailing its efforts.

China, driven by a desire for prestige and its own Nobel laureates, could soon lead the world in scientific research.

Captain Gabrielle Caldara, of USARAF's command surgeon's office and Major Mike Walter of USAMRU-K joined for a weeklong partnership in Monrovia, Liberia. Their goal was to assess the AFL's laboratory needs to look for ways that U.S. Army medical personnel can help their Liberian counterparts, Caldara said.

Delivering on its 'science for development' promises will help the Obama administration regain trust within the developing world.

The resolution urges states and international organizations to provide financial and technological assistance to help developing countries "scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable water and sanitation for all."

A long outstanding proposal to recognize the right to water as a basic universal human right is threatening to split the world's rich and poor nations. Opposition to the proposal is coming mostly from Western nations, says Maude Barlow, a global water advocate and a founder of the Canada-based Blue Planet Project.

On the margins of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, I joined John Beyrle, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, for a meeting with a dynamic group of about 20 young Russian entrepreneurs to discuss their role in and expectations for Russia's economic transformation and modernization.