In The News

Japan's Beneficent Potential

Makoto Taniguchi June 14, 2005
Regional cooperation is essential to the development of the Asian economy, but discord among the region's top three actors – Japan, China, and South Korea – is hindering the process of integration. The lack of a common historical perspective has led to a political impasse between Japan and both China and South Korea, making it difficult to foster mutual understanding. Former ambassador...

New History Text Turns a Page in East Asia Ties

Chua Chin Hon June 10, 2005
A newly published history textbook marks an effort to harmonize relations between Japan, China, and South Korea. Recent months saw diplomatic and political tensions between Japan and its two neighbors after the government published a history textbook which failed to make light of Japanese wartime atrocities against China and South Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi added salt to...

A Retreat from Great Europe? – Part II

John Brenkman June 2, 2005
The highly anticipated French referendum on the EU constitution arrived this weekend: The vote was a resounding "Non." And with the Netherlands casting an even more strident "Nee" vote, observers, both European and worldwide, now wonder what lies ahead for the European Union. YaleGlobal examines the fallout of the referendum in a two-part series. In part two, John Brenkman...

The Payoff from Globalization

Gary Clyde Hufbauer May 27, 2005
Between 1946 and the present day, the United States has decreased its average tariff rate from 40 percent to 4 percent. Likewise, many economies worldwide have made moves to open their markets. Two analysts from the Institute for International Economics attempt to answer an obvious question: Has this trend benefited US citizens? Their answer: Absolutely. Unfortunately, the...

Reviving an Old Dream of Afro-Asian Cooperation

Thomas Abraham May 24, 2005
In 1955, the giants of the developing world gathered in Bandung, Indonesia, in an historic attempt to promote Asian-African solidarity. Despite their hopes, few of the participating countries were stable enough to ensure meaningful change. Fifty years later, developing country leaders gathered in the same city, with the same purpose: to promote cooperation between the two regions. Though the...

Exchange of Empires

Timothy Garton Ash May 20, 2005
Recognized internationally as a part of Moldova, the para-state of Transnistria highlights a unique dilemma for the European Union. A microcosm of the former Soviet Union at first glance, this narrow region on the east bank of the Dniestr River is a fusion of communist and Western cultures, a symbolic representation of the decline of the Russian empire. Since 1992, Transnistria has won de facto...

Mountains Still to Climb

May 13, 2005
The decision to allow new member states into the European Union has been met with vigorous debate in the past year, with none as contentious as that of Turkey's inclusion.Though Turkish officials declare their commitment to whatever actions will further the nation's bid, a host of obstacles still remain in the path to full membership. Tensions between Turkey and Cyprus in the past may...