In The News

New World Order Without a Hegemon: Compete and Cooperate

Dilip Hiro February 24, 2010
The US, China, EU, Russia, India, and Brazil are emerging as the key players whose relationships will define the future of global relations, according to author Dilip Hiro. While the era of unrivalled American supremacy is over, a new pattern of relations is emerging. Rather than being fixed alliances, however, these relationships are fluid combinations of “cooperation and competition.” The US...

Beer Globalization in Latin America

Benjamin Dangl February 24, 2010
The global beer industry is experiencing a round of consolidation, including the recent takeover of Mexican brewer FEMSA by the Dutch Heineken. The growing concentration of brewing might in the hands of a few companies is a natural result of corporate globalization – today four companies control half of the world’s beer production globally. But this trend could also lead to “homogenization of...

Steelworkers Say Reactors Overseas Will Cost Jobs

Matthew L. Wald and Keith Bradsher February 23, 2010
President Obama is pushing nuclear power as a new source of energy and as a way to create jobs for Americans, offering loan guarantees to make it happen. Now, however, labor unions are protesting the move because they say that much of the material for new reactors will come from overseas, reducing the potential for US job growth. The trouble is that since the Three Mile Island reactor accident in...

Globalization in Trouble – Part II

David Dapice February 15, 2010
Globalization appears to have weathered the storm of the financial crisis, but it may be poised for a tumble. According to economist David Dapice, many developing nations, whose economies often depend heavily on exports, cannot sustain themselves without the willing consumption of their goods by the developed world. But with a pullback in aggregated demand among developed nations, the prognosis...

A Very European Crisis

February 8, 2010
Greece’s entry into the euro zone nine years ago benefitted the country but also masked significant structural problems. The stability of the euro allowed Greece to borrow at lower interest rates; but it papered over a more serious lack of fiscal discipline. That is, while GDP was growing, Greece could take on more debt without appearing over-leveraged. But any drop in GDP would expose the...

China’s Strident Tone Raises Concerns Among Western Governments, Analysts

John Pomfret February 1, 2010
China’s response to Washington’s plans to sell weapons to Taiwan is part of the recent change in tone in China’s relations not only with the US, but also the world. That change likely stems from China’s ever increasing importance on the world stage as well as new confidence generated by its survival of the financial crisis relatively unscathed. But domestic insecurity over unrest in its western...

The New Rules: Globalization’s Next Wave of Integration

Thomas P.M. Barnett January 21, 2010
The global recession, rather than setting back economic integration, is actually deepening it by making companies create tighter, vertical supply chains that cut out the middle-man, with companies buying direct from the producer. A major example of this is Wal-Mart, which is using its global size to negotiate directly with suppliers to reduce costs but also to ensure security of supply. To the...