In The News

Visit Africa. Bring Checkbook.

Jonathan Power November 15, 2007
The West has viewed Africa as an undifferentiated mess of war, disease, corruption and poverty for some time. The International Monetary Fund, however, estimates that sub-Saharan will grow at 7 percent in 2008, largely due to investment by Chinese and Indian companies. US and European experts are divided about Asian influence in Africa, whether India and China engage in mutually beneficial...

Globalization Offers Potential Boon for Africans

Dianna Games November 7, 2007
African countries, writes South African consultant Dianna Games, cannot afford to let globalization be foisted upon them. Instead, governments on the continent must actively engage in global trade and politics, so that “the benefits of the global order” will no longer elude Africans. Governments must move beyond international links built primarily to exploit Africa’s natural resources. That...

UN Warns of Environmental Threats

James Kanter October 26, 2007
A report released by the United Nations Environment Program warns that the planet’s resources are not enough to provide for the current consumption patterns of the world population. Highly industrialized regions have developed habits of living beyond their means and pass these habits on to people in every corner of the globe. The rapidly expanding world population has increased the speed of...

The Free-Trade Paradox

Moisés Naím October 19, 2007
The collapse last year of the Doha Round has had little apparent impact on global trade. Worldwide merchandise exports increased fivefold in the quarter century following 1980, and two thirds of the global reduction in tariff barriers may be attributed to unilateral decisions as opposed to regional or international trade agreements. Economic growth has spiraled skyward, thanks largely to...

Navigating the Choppy Waters of Globalization

Madelaine Drohan October 18, 2007
Headlines decrying a foreign takeover of large domestic-based businesses have been a common sight since the 1980s. However, as columnist Madelaine Drohan points out, these purchases happen all over the world, by independent companies from a diverse set of countries. She sees no hegemon struggling to rise to global economic domination through strategic purchasing, although the UK, the US and most...

Burkina Faso: Cotton Producers Celebrate WTO Ruling Against US Subsidies

October 17, 2007
A new ruling by the World Trade Organization condemns the US system of agricultural subsidies to cotton farmers and could lead to sanctions costing billions, if the payments are not terminated. Many Africans celebrate the ruling; according to estimates by the aid group Oxfam, the end of American subsidies could drive the price of cotton up by as much as 14 percent, leading to a modest increase in...

Thanks China, Now Go Home: Buy-up of Zambia Revives Old Colonial Fears

Chris McGreal October 5, 2007
Sino-African trade has reached unprecedented levels, but the debate over its benefits for Africa rages on. Intent on acquiring natural resources to continue its blistering rate of economic growth, China turns to African nations for oil, metals and other valuables. In return, African governments, like the one in Zambia, receive huge aid and development packages and loans at below-market rates...