In The News

China and the EU: Building a Reciprocal Relationship

Doug Saunders January 21, 2011
A three-nation European tour by the Chinese vice-premier underscores China’s critical role for the continent’s economy. “China, in short, has become Europe's rescuer,” writes Doug Saunders for the Globe and Mail. China easily directs its reserves to buy up bonds from countries in shaky financial condition. In return, China wants the European Union to open its markets to Chinese exports. It...

We Have Your Number

Nandan Nilekani January 21, 2011
Trade, technology and other facets of globalization have delivered wealth to India. But distribution of benefits is uneven in the nation of more than 1.1 billion, on track to exceed China as the most populous. The World Bank estimates that more than 35 percent of Indians live below the poverty line, and despite rapid job growth, the informal nature of most work excludes large numbers of poor from...

Chinese Follow Same Old Script (And They Get the Punch Line)

Steven Pearlstein January 20, 2011
The US repeatedly promises tough talk on a long list of concerns with China while announcing new joint ventures between US and Chinese firms – partnerships that often deliver more jobs to China than the US. A US visit by China’s President Hu Jintao focuses attention on the US trade deficit and accusations that China engages in currency manipulation, theft of intellectual property and industry...

Friends or Else

January 20, 2011
China is the world’s second largest economy, rapidly gaining ground on the US. The two nations have a nervous mutual dependence and on issue after issue confront a dilemma about whether to view the other as competitor or partner. “This mix of partnership and rivalry is a recipe for confusion,” notes the Economist in its review of the US-China relationship. Security interests can clash with...

The Markets Prey on Debt-Laden Nations

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller January 17, 2011
The world has gross savings of more than $61 trillion, reports the International Monetary Fund. Those holdings are highly imbalanced: China’s surplus is more than $4 trillion while the US owes $14 trillion. Investors relentlessly detect and predict trends in pursuit of higher profits. Japan, the US and many European nations carry high debt loads. The financial markets are impatient with low...

WikiLeaks Fallout – Part II

Frank Ching January 14, 2011
Leaked US State Department cables, more than 2500 published in diverse news outlets so far, offer glimpses into methods and goals of individual US diplomats. This two-part series explores how WikiLeaks adds to diplomatic challenges around the globe. The second article, written by author and journalist Frank Ching, examines one of the more thoughtful cables. In January 2009, Clark T. Randt, then...

Tunisia Protests Serve Warning to Autocratic Regimes

Kristen Chick January 14, 2011
Following days of protest in Tunisia that turned violent after security forces shot scores of people, the country’s long-time president Ben Ali has gone in to exile. Facing the fury of the protesters demanding his resignation, President Ben Ali, in power since 1987, promised not to seek re-election in 2014. Instead of pacifying the protesters, his response has further strengthened the...