In The News

The West Will Miss Mahathir – And for Good Reason

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray October 28, 2003
Despite his penchant for remarks that incensed many foreign observers, Malaysia's retiring Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, will be missed by Western governments, says this opinion article in Singapore's Straits Times. Governing for 22 years, Mahathir oversaw the development of Malaysia into one of the world's top 20 trading nations. Appreciating his success and considering...

The Seeds of Iraq's Future Terror

Shirley Williams October 28, 2003
Reacting to the recent attacks on foreign targets in Baghdad, British parliamentarian Baroness Shirley Williams worries that the resistance will continue as long as an un-democratic occupation force remains in control of Iraq. The decision to privatize most of Iraq's economy was made without consultation of the Iraqi people, she notes, but rather initiated by the American head of Iraq's...

Putin Appeals for Calm as Russian Bourses Dive

October 27, 2003
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the head of Russia's largest oil and gas company, Yukos, was arrested over the weekend for corruption and tax evasion. In response, Russia's stock market, the MICEX, dove 12% on Monday, reflecting the jitters felt by Russia's business leaders. The development of Russia into a privatized, capitalist economy after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 has long...

When Jobs Move Overseas (to South Carolina)

Yilu Zhao October 26, 2003
Why would a Chinese refrigerator company move to America, where wages are ten times higher than at home? Prestige, argues Yilu Zhao, and political benefits back home. The Chinese government is pushing to put 50 of its companies on the Fortune Global 500 list and sees foreign investment and a greater share of the US market as the surest way. Thus state-owned companies, like the refrigerator...

APEC Acts with Speed on Trade

Achara Pongvutitham October 22, 2003
Thailand wrapped up the summit of APEC leaders in Bangkok on a sharp note. Delivering the summit's Bangkok Declaration to the World Trade Organization's offices in Geneva immediately after the close of the meeting, Thailand and APEC members were “clearly sending a signal to the EU that it should come back to the negotiating table" on the issue of agricultural subsidies....

Bangladesh Faces the Challenge of Globalization

Wahiduddin Mahmud October 22, 2003
Bangladesh's economy grew rapidly during the 1990s as the country liberalized its markets and became increasingly integrated into the world economy. Until the 2001 global recession, Bangladesh ranked third for improvement of human development - behind only Cabo Verde and China - thanks in large part to exports from its blossoming garment industry. Wahiduddin Mahmud, economist and former...

Sizzling Economy Revitalizes India

Amy Waldman October 20, 2003
For young urban Indians, there seems to be no better way to celebrate Gandhi's birthday than going to the mall. The Indian middle class is spending money like never before – and now they have a lot more to spend. This year's visible economic confidence is partly a result of the political decision in the early 1990s to open up the Indian economy to increased foreign trade and...