In The News

US Trade Policy: Legacy of the Sorcerer's Apprentice

Bernard K. Gordon November 5, 2004
As US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick prepares to depart the Bush administration, his record should prompt a re-evaluation of US trade policy. Under Zoellick, the US has negotiated Free-Trade Areas (FTAs) with 12 countries – and is in the process of negotiating 10 more. While FTAs can be an effective means of spurring progress when global trade is floundering, argues Professor Bernard K....

India's Pharma Ache

Yogi Aggarwal November 4, 2004
By mastering the process of reverse engineering, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has successfully produced generic drugs at low prices – crucial for providing affordable treatment to those in need. The government's impending adoption of Trips (Trade Related Intellectual Property in Services), a WTO measure, may significantly hamper the industry's success. If the Indian parliament...

Textile Quotas to End, Punishing Carolina Towns

Elizabeth Becker November 2, 2004
With the global textile quota system coming to an end in early 2005, the potential winners and losers of the previous system are becoming apparent. While several big developing countries specializing in the textiles will have the largest shares of the US$495 billion textile trade regime, others – whether industrialized countries like the US or under-developed countries like Cambodia – will see...

Globalization: Europe's Wary Embrace

Philip H. Gordon November 1, 2004
From anti-McDonald's crusader Jose Bové's campaign, to violent clashes between Genoan police and demonstrators, to the anti-globalization theme's growing popularity with left-wing socialist and right-wing nationalist candidates, the idea might seem to be dominating the European political landscape. Not so, says Brookings Institution scholar Philip H. Gordon. In fact, polls show...

First Ever Ruling for Inter-Arab Court

Magda El-Ghitany October 27, 2004
The 22-member Arab League this week handed down a verdict via its business court. Although the judicial body was established in the 1980s, it had remained out of commission until 2003, when the League renewed the court's operations. The inaugural dispute centered on the Tunisian government and a Saudi Arabian company, in which the company sued for damages surrounding the execution of...

Fueling a Crisis in Nigeria

Olly Owen October 25, 2004
Under a package of International Monetary Fund-endorsed reforms, the Nigerian government hopes to eliminate domestic fuel subsidies. Yet low gas prices are currently the only economic benefit for cash-strapped Nigerians, who see price increases as another kickback to local elites and foreign oil companies. The proposed reforms have caused domestic turbulence; unions launched a series of...

Surgeries, Side Trips for "Medical Tourists"

John Lancaster October 21, 2004
As health care costs skyrocket, patients in the developed world are looking overseas for medical treatment. India is capitalizing on its low costs and highly trained doctors to appeal to these "medical tourists." Even with airfare, the cost of going to India for surgery can be markedly cheaper, and the quality of services is often better than that found in the United States and UK....