In The News

What's Wrong With Globalization?

Erwin Marquit August 30, 2006
Globalization has boosted world productivity, reducing obstacles in selling goods and services. Yet the forces of production are varied and can be confused: One component includes objects, including energy or land, that undergo transformation in the production process; a second is the tools of labor, including plants and electric grids; and the third is labor itself. Globalization and the forces...

Van Gogh From the Sweatshop

Martin Paetsch August 29, 2006
A cottage industry of artists making cheap knockoffs of famous paintings transformed a Chinese village into an art factory. Estimates suggest that the suburb of Shenzhen’s community of 10,000 workers produce about 5 million works of art each year. The finished works head off to retailers around the world, from Wal-Mart to galleries. The studios even accept custom orders: Art buyers can request...

Why Globalization Is in Trouble – Part I

Branko Milanovic August 29, 2006
The dominant world powers historically pushed for globalization as a means of increasing wealth and influence. Yet those nations fret as the emerging powers of India and China embrace the same strategy. This two-part series by World Bank economist Branco Milanovic explores why both the world’s wealthiest and poorest nations fear globalization. In the first article, Milanovic argues that citizens...

Fed Chief Gives Seminar on History of Globalization

Edmund L. Andrews August 29, 2006
Governments must prepare their citizens for the increasing disruptions of new competition caused by the force of globalization. The world will face fewer disruptions if the “benefits of global economic integration are sufficiently shared,” urged Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the US Federal Reserve at an annual retreat. Increasing numbers of the world population – particularly emerging economic...

Look Who's Fair and Balanced

Lawrence Pintak August 28, 2006
If modern journalists went back in time to cover the American Revolution during the late 1770s, many would call the fighters “terrorists” or “martyrs,” depending on which side they supported. That’s because many journalists simply accept the language provided by their government sources. Unlike the US journalists, Arab media such as Al Jazeera or Al Arabiya resist using labels to describe...

Japan's History Problem

G. John Ikenberry August 28, 2006
By not admitting errors during World War II, Japan remains isolated, with closest neighbors – China and South Korea – suspicious of its goals. With annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, the prime minister defiantly resists any remorse about Japan’s aggression more than sixty years ago. Ironically, Japan has won respect throughout the world for its constitution that emphasizes peace and...

Muslim Myopia

Irshad Manji August 25, 2006
Islamic scholar Irshad Manji does not dispute the claims laid out by mainstream British Muslims last week that the blunders in Iraq and Lebanon provide fuel for extremism. However, she also calls upon Muslim representatives in the West to be accountable for any of their own contributions to violence. Muslim-on-Muslim violence is endemic throughout the world, with Muslims responsible for as many...