In The News

Debt and Unemployment: Is Global Capitalism Responsible? – Part I

Jeffrey E. Garten April 23, 2010
Global capital markets have been footloose and fancy free since the 1980s, boosted by rapid globalization in transportation, communication and technology industries. Prowling for profits, investors leap boundaries in an instant, manipulating growth, jobs and industries. In this series, two economists explore global capitalism’s growing reach that defies even the world’s greatest economic power....

With Flights Grounded, Kenya’s Produce Wilts

Jeffrey Gettleman April 22, 2010
Farmers in the Rift Valley in Kenya have learned an important lesson in globalization in the last week, as a volcanic eruption in Iceland shut down air travel to Europe. At first, many Kenyans thought nothing of it. Then they realized that the flower and vegetables they sell to European markets could not be transported because of the shutdown. This transnational agriculture is a critical piece of...

Beijing Is Key to Creating More U.S. Jobs

C. Fred Bergsten April 22, 2010
By artificially setting the price of its currency, China is robbing the United States of jobs and building up an unprecedented trade surplus. Former Treasury official Bergsten says that currency manipulation is a form of protectionism and the US and global institutions need to respond because it is a problem that affects economies around the world. He calls for a three-pronged strategy: the US...

For Somalis Caught Between Islamists and Weak Government, Fleeing is Only Option

Sudarsan Raghavan April 21, 2010
Al-Shabab, the Islamist group that controls increasingly large swathes of Somalia, has instituted a repressive and violent regime that is forcing Somalis to flee to neighboring countries. Al-Shabab has gained strength despite an Ethiopian invasion, supported by the Americans, in 2006 designed to remove Islamists from power. Now, however, the internationally-supported government is paralyzingly...

Do the Awakening Giants Have Feet of Clay? – Part I

Pranab Bardhan April 19, 2010
China and India have made impressive strides in recent decades, expanding their economies and middle classes. This two-part series examines and tests the claims made by economist Pranab Bardhan in his book “Awakening Giants, Feet of Clay: Assessing the Economic Rise of China and India.” In the book, Bardhan points out that while the two nations have lifted millions out of poverty, both continue...

Hola! Asian Call Centers Lure Back Spanish

Margot Cohen April 16, 2010
The pursuit of independence by former colonies during the 20th century often included efforts to minimize reliance on the imposed language. In some, like the former Spanish colony of the Philippines, the colonial language fell out of general use even as another colonial language English was embraced as a language of business. Today, less than 1 percent of Filipinos speak Spanish. But the few...

Nations Say “I Do” to Marriage Equality

Joseph Chamie, Barry Mirkin April 14, 2010
In history, the concept of marriage emerged in diverse cultures to recognize relationships, protect family bloodlines, organize economic affairs and provide caring for children. This institution did not touch homosexuals, estimated to comprise 5 to 10 percent of the population, most of whom remained mum about their preferences. With new forms of global technology in media, communicable diseases,...