In The News

The Arab Spring’s Chill Winds

April 27, 2011
The uprisings in the Arab world – especially in Libya – are slowing economic growth in Bangladesh. Remittances sent from the Arab world represent 12 percent of Bangladesh’s GDP. “Bangladesh depends on remittances from the Middle East more than any other large country,” explains this article in the Economist. Bangladesh, a severely impoverished nation of 156 million, is a parliamentary democracy....

Mother Nature’s Melting Pot

Hugh Raffles April 4, 2011
Environmental preservationists often raise alarms about invasive species – whether it’s Asian carp in the US or Norway rats or Canada geese in China. The “natural landscape is a shifting mosaic of plant and animal life,” argues anthropologist Hugh Raffles in an opinion essay for the New York Times. Labels “native” or “alien” bestowed by humans on others are misnomers, ignoring how migration is an...

How a One Drink Changed Fortunes, Incited Protests

Farok J. Contractor March 9, 2011
Tea, native to Asia, reached Europe in 1606, after Dutch traders sent a bulk tea shipment; within a century, the caffeinated drink became a popular beverage. Globalization’s pace was slower then, but the resulting prosperity and pain were still immense, explains Farok J. Contractor, professor of management and global business. He traces the course of tea’s globalization over the centuries: High...

New Migrants Flock to Italy, Intensifying Immigration Debate

Elisa Cozzarini March 1, 2011
European nations like Italy entered security agreements with dictators in North Africa, including arms transfers, which slowed the waves of immigration over the past decade. As these dictators lose control and thousands of citizens flee north for Europe for a better life, managing immigration once again emerges as a priority for Italy. Some analysts argue that right-wing politicians raise fears...

Calls Mount Everywhere for Deportation of Illegal Immigrants

Joseph Chamie, Barry Mirkin December 20, 2010
Rags-to-riches tales of traders and adventurers who provided skills and innovations during their wanderings are among the more charming parts of world history. But such globalization could go into reverse in the modern era, even in democratic nations, as political parties rile voter anger over rising unemployment and security concerns, and make immigrants a scapegoat for economic crises, The top...

Chinese Workers Build MLK Memorial: Investigation

Annys Shin December 7, 2010
It’s an old debate: Should planners of symbolic projects rely on local workers or stretch funds by hiring immigrant labor? The latest project under scrutiny is construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, DC. Debt crisis in Greece delayed granite delivery, and critics slammed the Chinese sculptor’s original design. The foundation organizing the $120 million project...

UK to Relax Immigration Rules for the Rich

James Boxell November 25, 2010
The rich are different, as noted by more than one literary figure. To assist a struggling economy and keep pace with Canada, the US and other nations, Great Britain will relax some immigration rules to entice wealthy families and entrepreneurs from emerging economies like China, India and the Middle East, reports the Financial Times. The price for fast-track permits is £10 million, reducing the...