In The News

End the Lie, Rejoice in Cheap Imports

Edward M. Graham July 21, 2006
The public is indifferent to trade negotiations, according to Edward Graham, because most people take trade for granted. Politicians have led the way in promoting a massive lie to the public – that the benefits of expanded trade come from expanded exports. Graham points out that import expansion actually provides greater benefits, including long-term improvements in productivity and an increase...

Even Statelessness Goes Better With Coke. Or Does It?

Marc Lacey July 19, 2006
In 2004, local investors – carefully chosen to represent the various clans of Somalia – opened a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the capital city of Mogadishu. Since then, Islamic militias have taken control of the government, and Somalia’s investment scene has changed substantially for those who want to sell an American brand of soda. The militias brought unprecedented levels of security, greatly...

The New Face of Globalization...

Evgeny Morozov July 16, 2006
The hemming and hawing of the management of the European steel company Arcelor could be seen as either an astute strategy for forcing Lakshmi Mittal to increase his bid for the company or as an attempt by the anachronistic “Old Guard” of Europe to maintain nationalism in trade. Either way, writes author Evgeny Morozov, the takeover shows that globalization has taken hold in Europe: “The Mittal...

Unlike General Motors and Delphi, Most of America's Manufacturers Are Thriving

July 14, 2006
Well-publicized woes of companies like General Motors could give the impression that all US manufacturing is struggling. Predictions that manufacturing would suffer setbacks after the IT boom played itself out several years ago failed to materialize. US manufacturers have been innovative in charting many areas for increasing productivity, not simply coasting on the momentum of the boom. Profits...

The Death of Doha Signals the Demise of Globalization

Martin Jacques July 13, 2006
The deadlock at the Doha round signals the end of an era. The past 25 years of globalization coincided with the promotion of multilateral trade, but now both the developing and developed nations turn their interests elsewhere. As the US and other developed countries slide toward protectionism, developing countries refuse to accept the type of unfavorable agreements that once characterized...

Megaplayers Vs. Micropowers

Moisés Naím July 12, 2006
The globe has entered an era of instability according to Moisés Naím, editor in chief of “Foreign Policy,” and that has opened opportunities for small, but highly competitive forces in the business, political and financial worlds. Some examples: Multinational corporations like Royal Dutch Shell no longer protests movements toward nationalization of oil supplies in small Latin American countries...

Smiley Face Is Serious to Company

Thomas Crampton July 6, 2006
Trademark and patent laws have not kept pace with globalization – and conflicting laws among nations raise the question about whether a trademark registered in one country has any bearing on use in another. “We may live in the era of globalization, but trademarks are still rooted in territoriality," explains one attorney who specializes in intellectual property. In 1997, the French company...