In The News

Winners and Losers at End of the Trade Talks

Andres Oppenheimer November 23, 2003
The signing of the Declaration of Miami last week by the 34 participating nations in the Americas "amounted to a broad agreement that allows countries to participate at their own preferred pace and scope in the negotiations, which are scheduled to end on Jan. 1, 2005," says commentator Andres Oppenheimer. The failure of WTO talks in Cancún had increased domestic pressure on the co-...

Crunch Time for Thai Fishing Fleet

November 22, 2003
Over the past 19 years, thousands of Thai fishing trawlers and fishermen have been arrested for poaching in the waters of other countries in the oceans off Thailand's coast. The introduction of the dragnet in 1960 allowed Thai fishermen to net large amounts of fish every hour. But the increased catches soon caused a depletion in supply, which forced trawlers further out from shore and into...

Asean-China FTA must get priority, says Singapore Prime Minister

Loh Hui Yin November 21, 2003
At the end of a six-day visit to China, Singapore’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced that he would not pursue a bilateral trade agreement with China until Beijing finalizes a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The China-Asean agreement will enhance economic integration between the regional grouping and the mainland, while allowing for bilateral...

Sleepy City Has High Hopes, Dreaming of High Tech

David Rohde November 20, 2003
The sleepy farm state capital of Chandigarh may soon become the "technology hub of northern India." In recent years, tens of thousands of jobs have flooded to India from the US and Europe as high tech companies, attracted by cheap, qualified labor, transfer their call centers en masse. India's "first tier" technology hubs, including cities like Bangalore and Bombay,...

China Wary as US Puts Lid on Textile Imports

Edward Alden November 20, 2003
The US can now import only limited quantities of brassieres, knit fabrics, and cotton dressing gowns from China – much to the relief of the US's domestic textile industry and to the ire of Chinese officials. Washington implemented the quotas in response to growing pressure from the US textile industry, which has lost 316,000 jobs in the past two years. Officials in the industry echo the...

‘Let NATO Take Charge of Iraq's Security' - Clinton

Nayan Chanda November 19, 2003
In an exclusive interview with YaleGlobal, former US President Bill Clinton offered his views on a variety of contentious issues, including the Iraq War, the Middle East Roadmap, and the rise of anti-globalization sentiment around the world. With regards to Iraq, Clinton advocated that Bush transfer control to a UN-sanctioned NATO force headed by a US commander. Having NATO lead the efforts, he...

Bilateral Pacts Also Goal for US

Jane Bussey November 19, 2003
Six Latin and South American countries – the Dominican Republic, Panama, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – may enter bi-lateral trade agreements with the United States within the year, US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick announced on Tuesday at the FTAA summit in Miami. This is a shift in strategy away from the original demands that Brazil and other reluctant states all fall in line...