In The News

America in Africa: Addressing a Mix of Islam and Oil

Ricardo Rene Laremont February 6, 2007
Amidst the lingering turbulence in the Middle East, US policymakers look to Africa as an alternative source of petroleum. Washington has launched military training operations in a number of African nations in an effort to combat Islamic terrorism and secure oil supplies. While there is no doubt that such military investments are necessary in the post-9/11 world, Ricardo Rene Laremont expresses...

Democrats Give Bush the Business on Trade

Peter S. Goodman February 1, 2007
To avoid petty special-interest confrontations, the US Congress can extend authority to the president to negotiate trade deals. Congress retains final approval, voting yes or no on deals negotiated by the president. But a Democratic Congress at odds with the Republican president has demanded guarantees on labor and environmental protections in any future negotiations. Otherwise, Congress will...

A Global Mission for China and America

Robert Zoellick February 1, 2007
Cooperation and fair play do more to promote mutual and global prosperity than bickering or conflict. Former US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick points out seven concrete steps that China and its economic partners can take to ensure sustainable, responsible growth that minimizes harm both inside of China and outside. Among his recommendations, Zoellick proposes more international private-...

Different Paths of Asian Giants

Ramkishen S. Rajan January 29, 2007
The rapid emergence of China and India dramatically transformed the global economy during the last decade. But the two countries have pursued contrasting strategies: China’s industrialization has been fueled by public-sector investments and large-scale foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing; India’s has been driven largely by domestic companies and entrepreneurs. More recently, however...

Muslims “Get” Globalization, But Does It Get Them?

Mehmood Kazmi January 22, 2007
The last half-century has seen an unmistakable rise in income levels and life-expectancy in Muslim-majority countries, but their citizens have a negative impression of globalization. International business consultant Mehmood Kazmi attributes this antagonism to the widening chasm of misunderstanding in Muslim-Western relations. With a history of cultural domination over the West followed by...

Mongolia Is Roiled by Miner's Huge Plans

Patrick Barta January 4, 2007
As demand for commodities increase worldwide, Mongolians are in no hurry to approve plans for a massive mine, which according to some analysts could double the nation's gross domestic product. Looking at history, citizens of developing nations have good reason to suspect that such projects only produce troubles, with the bulk of sudden wealth going to foreign investors, all the while...

A Ransom Worth Paying

January 2, 2007
In pursuit of profits, Brazilians quickly search for new land to plant soybean fields, and the rainforests of the state of Amazonas could vanish within a generation, according to an article in “The Economist.” Some Brazilians would not mind putting a stop to deforestation, but the only way that will happen is if wealthy nations pay Brazil and other poor countries in the region to save the...