In The News

French Lesson: Taunts on Race Can Boomerang

John Tagliabue September 22, 2005
Its egalitarian principles do not allow France to officially acknowledge the existence of its minorities, but those minorities do indeed exist – and their story is not a happy one. No one knows exactly how many blacks live in France, but hardly any of them hold positions of economic or political power. Hemmed in by a "low glass ceiling," the lucky among them escape corporate...

Enduring an IT Eclipse

A. Sheshabalaya August 30, 2005
In recent years, Bangalore has outpaced Silicon Valley in the global innovation race. This is not a temporary blip, writes author Ashutosh Sheshabalaya, but a fast-evolving reality to which the American IT industry must adapt for the long haul. While offshoring is hardly a new phenomenon, it was previously restricted to back-office support functions. This is no longer the case: IBM and Hewlett...

Home, Sweet Home – for Some

August 17, 2005
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the African continent hosts the world's most mobile population. Due to adverse conditions, citizens of countries will flee, at least temporarily, often taking with them skills that are greatly needed back home. This phenomenon, sometimes called "brain drain" – coupled with shortages in crucial fields, including...

An Islamic Alienation

David Rieff August 15, 2005
The London bombings perpetrated by native-born Muslims have forced Europeans to take a serious look at the status of the Continent’s Muslim minority. Suggestions that the Muslim alienation is due to anger in Muslim communities over the Iraq war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, do not provide an adequate answer. Rieff argues that the reasons of alienation run much deeper than this. Europe’...

All Cultures Are Not Equal

David Brooks August 11, 2005
"The gospel of multiculturalism preaches that all groups and cultures are equally wonderful," writes David Brooks – and then proceeds to refute this notion in this commentary. Rather, Brooks suggests that globalization, rather than giving rise to a unified world culture, has actually further segmented the global population. Due to increased ease of communication and travel, he writes...

Death in the Sun

Dan Glaister August 9, 2005
California is well recognized for its wealth of agriculture, but the large number of illegal immigrants who drive the industry are rarely seen or acknowledged. Often forced to work under alarming conditions and minimal wages, an estimated 11 million undocumented aliens work in agriculture across the United States. Although in the past, state authorities have paid little attention to heat-...

France Grapples with Globalization

Sushma Ramchandran July 19, 2005
Facing increased pressure from analysts to rethink its economic policies, France is grappling with threats to its traditional way of life as a result of globalization. Although the French are accustomed to a relatively high standard of living, the government is being urged to reduce its huge subsidies, which support education and provide safety nets for the unemployed. In a country with an...