In The News

Sarkozy, The Ambivalent Globalizer

Jonathan Fenby November 9, 2007
When Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France, there was talk of a big rupture with the past and France’s full embrace of globalization and American-style capitalism. That stance is about to be tested. He has taken on the powerful public-service unions, cut taxes for the rich and tackled France’s convention of a 35-hour workweek. Yet this Gaullist politician is none too fond of...

The Sovereign Wealth Explosion

Stuart E. Eizenstat November 8, 2007
A rise in state-owned funds and companies investing internationally has triggered national security concerns in a variety of countries and even some protectionist measures. These worries can sometimes be valid – observers of Russia's state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom, for instance, understand how government-controlled businesses may be used as tools of policy. However, former US...

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...

The Future Is Drying Up

Jon Gertner November 6, 2007
Populations continue to flock to the US West, despite shrinking water reserves. This dynamic, combined with falling water levels in lakes and diminishing flows in rivers, leaves cities and states scrambling to find innovative ways to secure freshwater. Constructing a pipeline goes quickly, but water security rests on the uncertainty surrounding prolonged droughts and the effects of climate change...

Falling Dollar, Inflation Feed Dubai Strife

Chip Cummins November 5, 2007
The countries of the Persian Gulf have long been destinations for migrants looking to take advantage of relatively high-paying construction jobs in these economically booming states. Of late, however, foreign workers find it less cost-effective to continue working in places like Dubai, where the local currency is linked to the falling dollar. This, in conjunction with inflation in the housing...

Globalization and the Corrupt States

Branko Milanovic November 2, 2007
Corrupt states thrive on producing goods and services that are illegal but increasingly profitable in the global world. Due to low costs of transportation, more illegal goods enter middle-class markets. Once criminal groups start controlling an economy, they throw their support behind corrupt politicians in government, complicating the work of local activists or international organizations that...

US Immigration Policy Fritters Away Higher-Education Benefits

Hassan Siddiq, Susan Froetschel October 31, 2007
A halfhearted embrace of globalization prevents the US from reaping full benefits of the students who attend its universities, allowing them to slip away to other countries. American universities attract some of the best students, enriching the talent pool and filling coffers, but a narrow-minded immigration policy squanders the benefits. Some analysts go as far as to suggest that science and...