In The News

February 16, 2007
Cell-phone cameras and digital cameras are ubiquitous tools that provide immediate images of any news happening. Websites like NowPublic and YouWitnessNews now offer a public platform for news reports, videos, photos and commentary supplied by amateurs all over the world. NowPublic.com claims more than 60,000 contributors in more than 140 countries. The new websites work with traditional news...
Moisés Naím February 15, 2007
China is stepping up in delivering foreign aid to impoverished African nations, but that is not good news for all Africans. “It is development assistance that is nondemocratic in origin and nontransparent in practice, and its effect is typically to stifle real progress while hurting ordinary citizens,” charges Moisés Naím, editor of “Foreign Policy” magazine. Some donors distribute billions, with...
Bertil Lintner February 13, 2007
In recent decades, the South Pacific has been a friendly region for the US and its interests, including islands that sit on Asia's doorstep. But the rise of China and its growing interest in the Pacific islands may be emerging as yet another area of possible concern. In this final article of a three-part series, author Bertil Lintner examines how China is moving in the region to fill the...
February 12, 2007
Although there have been some costs, Britain has gained overall from the globalization of the last decade. Perhaps because of its colonial past, “The Economist” argues, Great Britain has embraced the economic shift in the developed world from manufacturing to services brought on by globalization. The country has seen a decade of solid economic growth and per-capita GDP levels surpassing those of...
Peter S. Goodman February 5, 2007
Many politicians running for office lash out at global competition, blaming it for a host of domestic problems during election campaigns. Yet trade is a two-way street, and firms with international trade links can succeed. Examples in the US include MTS Systems, which makes tire testers, and Caterpillar, which manufactures construction and mining equipment. A sagging US dollar, the rapid...
Elisabeth Rosenthal February 5, 2007
In the race to find alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, an eager public often hails any new find as the solution to world energy shortages. Initial enthusiasm often fades as the reports of harmful complications emerge – and such is the case with biofuels derived from palm oil. Palm oil decreased carbon-dioxide emissions in the Netherlands, but environmental groups suggest that the emissions...
D. Ravi Kanth February 1, 2007
World leaders meeting for the World Economic Forum have identified plenty of problems, but few solutions for global challenges. Risks to globalization include global warming, sharp inequality and increasing conflict. Yet the consensus on the list of challenges has failed to push leaders into action. A poll revealed that more than half of chief executive officers for major corporations express...