In The News

Bavaria Hopping Mad Over World Cup Ban

Elizabeth Goetze April 30, 2004
The 2006 World Cup will be held in Germany, but thanks to FIFA sponsoring contracts, visitors should not expect German food or drink at stadiums. Officials in Bavaria are especially angry that German beer will not be allowed – one government official said that guests of the World Cup must be presented with "distinctively Bavarian cultural assets", and another went even further,...

Danube Blues

Ben Aris April 26, 2004
Soon to become part of the European Union (EU), Hungary is now "busily trying to dump its Soviet-era trappings," says this article in the Guardian. Symbolic moves, like canceling Stalin's honorary citizenship and prohibiting the public display of communist red stars, are being taken to distance Hungary from its communist past. But economic concerns aren't so easy to legislate...

Free Trade and Outsourcing Are Not the Same

Clyde Prestowitz April 25, 2004
Financial theorists, politicians, and labor groups in the US have recently butted heads over the nature of free trade. Theorists credit skyrocketing amounts of global trade with increased standards of living worldwide, whereas many politicians have decried the loss of jobs overseas due to outsourcing and unrestricted competition. Clyde Prestowitz, president of the Economic Strategy Institute...

Asean to push for free trade talks with Australia, NZ

Chuang Peck Ming April 22, 2004
With free trade agreements with China, India, and Japan due to go into force over the next ten years, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is now proposing FTA deals with Australia and New Zealand. In the most recent ASEAN trade meeting, economic ministers of the ten member states also decided to further lower the tariffs within the region under the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation...

Cost, Language Barrier Still Keeping Tourists Away

Kaho Shimizu April 20, 2004
Japan wants to attract more tourists but faces many hurdles: a confusing transportation system, limited ATM and currency exchange access, and expensive accommodation. The government has already changed the coding for Tokyo's subway system to allow tourists easier orientation. But changing ATM access will face considerable costs. At the moment, Japan's magnetic strips on bank and credit...

US Attempt at Domination Hobbled by Contradiction

Michael Kraig April 19, 2004
Critics point to the war in Iraq and President Bush's subsequent denial of reconstruction contracts to dissenting nations as proof of Washington's hegemonic tendencies. However, argues security expert Michael Kraig, the Iraq War is just the latest manifestation of a US foreign policy that has been deeply contradictory since the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the Cold War, a...

Rocking the Boat from Warsaw

Ian Traynor April 19, 2004
Even though it won't become a full EU member until May 1, Poland has been stirring up controversy and posing challenges to other member states. As recently as last December, Poland blocked adoption of a new EU constitution, arguing that a proposed re-structuring of voting rights would mean that the terms of its accession were altered after it had already joined. As the months since have...