In The News

How Chinese Economic Policy Could Save Club Med Countries

Mohnish Pabrai January 7, 2013
Deep in debt, desperate to borrow for reduced daily operations, Mediterranean countries contemplate unloading valuable properties. Instead of selling desirable properties, investor Mohnish Pabrai urges Greece, Spain and Italy to create special economic zones that bypass stringent national labor regulations and lease these properties to skilled managers who could then hire millions of unemployed,...

China Toughens Restrictions on Internet Use

Keith Bradsher January 4, 2013
New rules in China require internet users to prove real names. Also, service providers must police forbidden postings and file reports with the authorities, reports Keith Bradsher for the New York Times. Users can still post to the internet with fake names, but service providers are expected to maintain lists of real names. The new rules could slow online debate. “In recent weeks, Internet users...

Tunisian Revolution Is Work in Progress

Lindsay J. Benstead, Ellen Lust, Dhafer Malouche December 19, 2012
The surge of uprisings across North Africa began in Tunisia with the self-immolation of a desperate college graduate turned street vendor in December 2010. The pace for democracy since then has been slow, along with economic reforms, as is the case in Egypt and Libya. Economic challenges dog the government, with the unemployment rate near 20 percent. Protests and violence throughout the region,...

East Asia: Stop Squabbling, Start Drilling

Will Hickey December 14, 2012
Large oilfields often don’t fall neatly within national boundaries. Intent on securing underground or undersea reserves, nations contest territorial claims. China battles Japan for the Diaoyu/Senkakku Islands and ASEAN members for large sections of the South China Sea. Settling disputes quickly is in the interest of all claimants, particularly those with less technological expertise, suggests...

The French Connection

Nayan Chanda December 12, 2012
Steadfast national sovereignty and global trade don’t mix so well, warns Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for Businessworld. Traders and investors appreciate flexibility. So when steel demand in Europe declined and ArcelorMittal announced plans to close two blast furnaces, the French government responded by threatening temporary nationalization and sale of the firm’s...

China’s Aggressive Stance Reveals Lack of Coordination

Terry McCarthy December 5, 2012
Growing tensions in East Asia over aggressive postures from China may stem from a lack of coordination among government factions rather than concerted policy. But that is hardly reassuring, argues Terry McCarthy. The country lacks strong leadership that can control factions competing to be most outspoken and nationalistic. As a result, the country antagonizes neighbors with far-reaching claims...

Europe, Not Euro, May Break Apart

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller November 2, 2012
Scotland, Catalonia, Flanders and other regions in Europe mull breaking away from their respective nation-states, but that doesn’t necessarily signal an insular outlook. Instead, Scotland is opening offices in Washington and Brussels, nurturing ties and exploring dissociating from British inclinations to exit the European Union. Cultural traditions became low priority during an era of empires,...