In The News

Prime Minister Abe’s New Clothes

Alexis Dudden March 28, 2007
If the history of the world is the world’s court of justice, as 18th century historian Friedrich von Schiller suggested, then attempts to bury or deny unpleasant episodes can only fail. Since 1993, Japanese leaders have agreed to the Kono Statement, admitting that its military had forced women to serve as sexual slaves before and during World War II. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, in his post just...

Future of the World Court in Balance

Nick Grono March 7, 2007
A treaty among 104 countries formed the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate atrocities of international concern that go uninvestigated by national court systems. Most of the world agrees that such atrocities, labeled by the US as genocide, have occurred in the impoverished Darfur region of western Sudan since 2003. After rebel activity in the region, the Sudanese government and...

China Builds Commerce Codes

Andrew Batson March 3, 2007
China's economy is the second largest in the world after the US and, with more than a billion people, growing fast. But the nation’s legal system is immature and fails to protect all business interests, particularly private-property rights and other elements not traditionally part of a communist system. After establishing rules on corporate bankruptcies, the National People’s Congress is...

Broadcast Media in China Put On Notice

Edward Cody February 27, 2007
Communist Party leaders in China have issued strict guidelines for broadcasters that require praise for the nation's socialist system of governance rather than protection of individual leaders. Still, officials in power often rely on such controls to prevent negative coverage that could be linked to them individually. The controls could also squash complaints of party conservatives who...

Watchdog Attacks US Swoop for Bank Secrets

Ian Traynor February 9, 2007
The transatlantic conflict over privacy rights and international security continues as the leading European authority on data protection announced that a US financial information-sharing program abuses privacy rights “on a massive scale,” reports “The Guardian.” For the past six years, the US has collected names, account numbers and sums from European banking transactions through the Belgian-...

Thai Move to Trim Drug Costs Highlights Growing Patent Rift

Nicholas Zamiska February 8, 2007
Thailand’s plan to lower the price of pharmaceuticals for its citizens by ignoring existing patents reignites the debate between health advocates and supporters of intellectual-property rights. At the center of the conflict is a dispute over what will save the most lives in the long term. By ignoring patents, the government can lower its drug costs and therefore provide twice as many people with...

Managing Globalization: The Global Quest for a Second Passport

Daniel Altman February 7, 2007
With citizenship comes certain rights – and some workers try to accumulate more rights be acquiring citizenship in more nations. Nations tinker with citizenship laws to attract talent, and individuals examine citizenship laws to broaden a job search. For example, people with grandparents of European heritage, would-be soldiers willing to fight for the US in Iraq and pregnant women who travel to...