In The News

One World…Many, Many Government Policies

Irwin M. Stelzer October 26, 2006
In a globalized world, corporations often pursue business deals in the countries with the least costs, not just from wages or property – but also in terms of policy regulations or taxes. Corporations look to low-tax nations to avoid all manner of taxes. And in some cases, corporations lobby their governments to erect barriers and prevent regulatory polices from other countries creeping into their...

Panama Votes to Expand its Canal

October 25, 2006
With expanding global trade, container ships have more than doubled in size. To accommodate the massive ships, Panamanians approved the addition of a third navigational channel and construction of larger locks for the canal that crosses their country. The extra channel might also ease congestion at the canal, where ships sometimes wait days to cross between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans....

Expatriates Face a Changing Reality in Gulf Countries

N. Janardhan October 25, 2006
About 13 million foreigners make up about 70 percent of the workforce in six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Governments in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar worry about their societies’ over-reliance on foreign help. Increasing unemployment rates and population growth has prompted nationalization and new limits on foreign workers in the...

Globalization Wilts Flowering Industry

Joshua Goodman October 23, 2006
Companies such as Dole Fresh Flowers downsize in Latin America to confront increasing competition coming from Asia and Africa. Some Dole workers suspect that the company imposed lay-offs because strong unions opposed long hours and exposure to pesticides. Increasing cost of fuel and a decline in the dollar also cut profits for the Colombian flower industry. China is steadily increasing its...

Out of India, A “Third Wave of Globalization” Emerges

Anand Giridharadas October 19, 2006
India has become a source of companies with cash, capable of major takeovers that shake up world industries. Tata – unknown throughout much of the Western world – could become such a global giant with its $10 million bid to purchase Cours Group, a British-Dutch steelmaker. The trend is the “third wave of globalization,” according to one analyst. The first wave was colonialism and the second was...

Social Networking Sites Keep Their Local Flavor as They Go Global

James Shih October 18, 2006
Internet social-networking sites pop up regionally, but quickly gather members around the globe. Sites like MySpace and Facebook started the online friendship-tracking trend in the US, and similar sites have emerged in South Korea, Australia, Germany and elsewhere. Regional online sites can quickly acquire global stature, analysts suggest. "The majority of large Internet companies in the US...

China Returns to Africa

Paul Kennedy October 16, 2006
In the early 15th century, the Chinese Admiral Zheng He made a series of naval expeditions, traveling as far as East Africa, bringing back ivory, gold, and even a few giraffes. Shortly after the expeditions, the Ming Dynasty banned the masted, seagoing craft, initiating a period of voluntary isolation that lasted for almost 600 years. Yet recently, China’s economic policies have turned back...