In The News

Arcelor Deal With Mittal Creates New Steel Giant

Heather Timmons June 28, 2006
Despite vigorous protest, a global steel giant emerges, now that the controversial merger between India’s Mittal Steel and Luxembourg-based Arcelor is signed and sealed. Arcelor executives and even European government officials rejected the original Mittal offer with stinging insults that revealed the anxieties behind Europe’s protectionist trend. Difficult negotiations followed, leading to a bid...

China’s Portuguese Connection

Loro Horta June 22, 2006
Patience is power, suggests a Chinese proverb, and that describes how China pursues diplomacy. The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) consists of eight states around the world, encompassing 230 million people – but is rarely regarded as a priority in global politics. Bucking conventional thinking, China diligently pursues diplomacy with the CPLP, foreseeing benefits such as new...

US Competes With China for Vietnam’s Allegiance

Jane Perlez June 22, 2006
It has taken Vietnam a mere 15 years to develop from a low-income country to one that is middle-income. As a result, Vietnam has emerged as a regional economic power in Asia, its growth only trailing that of China. The US and China are both eager to counter the other’s influence in Vietnam – increasing imports of goods, industry and culture to the nation. China last fought with Vietnam in 1979...

Panama Hopes to Sail into “First World” by Enlarging Its Waterway

Duncan Campbell June 21, 2006
Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is regarded as one of the greatest engineering feats of all time. A proposal by the Panama Canal Authority to create two new “lanes” along the 50-mile canal is touted by Panamanian president Martín Torrijos. The plan will go to referendum in the fall. Average ship size has been increasing and analysts suggest that...

The Dirt Road to the Information Superhighway

Jens Glüsing June 15, 2006
Admittedly, Microsoft’s inexpensive, pay-as-you-go “Flexgo” personal computers might not be the most efficient way to introduce computer technology to the developing world. However, as evidenced by the explosion of mobile phones in such areas, affordable technology can always find a vast market in developing and underdeveloped regions. As US economist C.K Prahalad pragmatically puts it, “the...

Growing in India: Food for the World

Anand Giridharadas June 14, 2006
While India is the world’s second-largest grower of fruits and vegetables, it accounts for only 1 percent of the world’s exports of such products. Furthermore, nearly two thirds of India’s population lives in rural villages where millions struggle to grow enough to feed their families. Given the country’s tropical climate and natural resources, not to mention the explosive success of IT growth...

Panama: A Crossroad With Two-Ocean Views

Nancy Beth Jackson June 8, 2006
Panama has a history of invasions, but the latest comes from international investors, lured by favorable exchange rates, a mixture of European and American influences, along with amenities that include health-service discounts for retirees. Panama building permits have increased by 91 percent, and new projects begin almost every day. Two projects, both Spanish backed, compete to become the...