In The News

Globalization and Anti-Americanism

Joseph S. Nye October 21, 2004
As nations feel culturally threatened by globalization, anti-Americanism grows. Yet it is modernization - not Americanization - that is changing cultures, argues former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Joseph Nye. Cultures are not stagnant, and the adaptation of Japan demonstrates that countries can modernize while remaining unique. Although t-shirt logos and soft drink brands may grow more...

Frustrations in Beijing

October 20, 2004
Because of geopolitical imperatives, Russia and China need each other's economic and political cooperation – all the more so, now that Putin is seeking to boost Russia's global influence in the US-dominated world order. According to this Japan Times editorial, however, recent speculation about a new Beijing-Moscow axis is exaggerated. The two governments sealed their relationship in...

Rex Americana

Seema Sirohi October 19, 2004
As the US presidential campaigns come to a close, many Indian Americans support John Kerry because of his strong civil rights message, though those more financially successful favor Bush's tax policies. India itself, despite traditionally leaning toward Democrats, is split down the middle regarding this election. According to this Outlook India analysis, US election results will define...

US Presidential Campaigns and the World – Part I

Kyle Usrey October 18, 2004
The two candidates in the US elections have showed the gulf of difference that exists on many policies. But they seem to share one thing in common: foreign trade is seen as the culprit behind many of the citizens’ economic woes. Kyle Usrey writes that protectionist rhetoric is shortsighted and dangerous to the US economy. Critiques of outsourcing are misplaced in their diagnosis. In fact,...

Globalization and the Political Future of Nigeria

Sam Ejike Okoye October 15, 2004
Although some may doubt the impact of globalization on the African continent, the recent surge of world oil prices to their highest recorded levels, triggered by the threat of strike in Nigeria may dispel the myth. If levels remain above US$50 per barrel through the coming winter, a worldwide recession is not out of the question, the article says. Today's economic, scientific, environmental...

Disney Is Tailoring New Park to Fit Hong Kong Sensitivities

Keith Bradsher October 13, 2004
Hong Kong's version of Disneyland, slated to open in the next year, will contain many cultural aspects created specifically with Chinese visitors in mind. The management is taking pains to incorporate indigenous interests into what is generally recognized as an American enterprise: selling local foods, repositioning the park for feng shui agreement, and operating in English, Mandarin, and...

Tom Yam Swamp

Arindam Mukherjee October 12, 2004
When the India-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect in September, Indian businesses suddenly found a much cheaper manufacturing option. From electronics to textiles, products can be produced in Thailand and re-imported to the Indian consumer market at more competitive prices. India's domestic industries, threatened by this outsourcing loophole, question whether such...