In The News

Chiang Mai Aviation: Outcry over Air-Hub Plan

Choosak Jirasakunthai January 9, 2003
Thailand's government is being criticized for even considering allowing Singapore Airlines to turn the Thai city of Chiang Mai into a regional aviation hub. Several Thai airline operators believe that the idea of a regional hub is sound, but that its development should not be handled by foreigners. One executive worries that "If Singapore Airlines is allowed to operate the regional...

Power to the Privileged

Amy Chua January 7, 2003
A central theme of global integration in recent years has been the spread of free markets and democracy. Yale professor Amy Chua argues that these features of globalization can create serious problems in countries where economic levers lie in the hands of an ethnic minority. She gives the example of Venezuela, where a president elected by the poorer section of society and the majority ethnic...

Globalization: Concept and Concerns

C. Rangarajan January 6, 2003
Writing for The Hindu, India’s national newspaper, C. Rangarajan outlines the concept of economic globalization and its problems. One of the concerns of the current period of globalization is its connection to unequal distribution of wealth within and between countries. Looking at ‘developing economies,’ and at India in particular, Rangarajan examines the impact globalization has had so far and...

Northeast Asia in the Coming Decade

Immanuel Wallerstein January 1, 2003
Social theorist Immanuel Wallerstein argues that the situation in Northeast Asia – including the current US-North Korean conflict – must be evaluated with a long-term perspective. Each of the three main zones of northeast Asia, he says, is currently seeing only its own narrow concerns: Korea is focused almost solely on unification, Japan is paralyzed with uncertainty over how to re-establish its...

Latin America's Explosive Debt

Hilton L. Root December 19, 2002
The spiraling economic woes of Argentina, Brazil, and other Latin American countries virtually fill the headlines every few months. What can governments in the region do to reverse negative trends and move their economies back to an era of growth and prosperity? Many people in Latin America blame open-market economic policies for their dilemma, and many politicians looking to win on election...

The Next Africa?

Nicholas D. Kristof December 10, 2002
Argentina has preceded its South American neighbors in one of the worst financial crises the continent has ever seen. Its once-prosperous inhabitants are scrounging for food and collecting recyclables to make a living, and Argentina is poised to become the next Africa, Nicholas Kristof writes. Tumultuous political situations and falling per capita income are leaving the people Venezuela, Brazil...

Activity at Korean Enclave Grinds to a Halt

December 6, 2002
In the past decade, as China opened its markets to foreign investment, the northeastern city of Dandong developed into a bustling center of economic activity. But its North Korean counterpart city across the border, Sinuiju, is still languishing in bleak poverty. North Korea has made plans to imitate China’s efforts in Dandong, however, by turning Sinuiju into an administrative center. The...