In The News

Economic Patriotism and the Mittal Effect on Europe

M.N. Hebbar March 14, 2006
France has rallied to prevent an Indian firm from taking over Arcelor, the largest steelmaker in Europe, suggesting that the continent is not serious about the free flow of capital, goods and services. French politicians claim they are motivated by “economic patriotism,” a synonym for protectionism, and urge investors and the board of directors to fight the purchase, defying their own best...

Anxious America – Part II

Susan Froetschel March 14, 2006
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In the second part of this series, Susan Froetschel examines how closing of the door, out of US security concerns, only encourages research and development efforts overseas. The US is building barriers to science within its borders – with security restrictions and limits for professional visas, combined with decreased federal R&D funding as a...

Low Costs, Plentiful Talent Make China a Global Magnet for R&D

Kathy Chen March 14, 2006
The number of foreign-invested R&D centers in China has more than tripled since 2002. Analysts once downplayed China’s potential in the R&D area for purposes other than studying the Chinese market because of weak patent protection. Yet more corporations, including Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft and Motorola, are taking the risk and developing basic research and new products in China. A...

A Bush Alarm: Urging US to Shun Isolationism

David E. Sanger March 13, 2006
President Bush’s vision for US foreign policy has evolved in five years. During his first campaign for president, Bush promoted a “humble foreign policy” and avoided talk of globalization. With 9/11, benign neglect turned to a go-it-alone search for security, with the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq quickly following. But isolationist policies have not worked, and Bush is a late convert to the...

At Last, the Warmongers Are Prepared to Face the Facts and Admit They Were Wrong

Rupert Cornwell March 13, 2006
After three years of fighting, the loss of tens of thousands of lives, both US and Iraqi, and an expenditure of $200 billion, neoconservatives have started to question the wisdom of the war in Iraq. The shift in thinking extends across the conservative media landscape from William Buckley to George Will, who note that Iran, North Korea and Iraq are “more dangerous” than in 2002 when US President...

Port Deal: Not a Foreign Idea

Laura Meckler March 10, 2006
US citizens have suddenly discovered the global intricacies of port operations throughout the country. While the outrage over the Dubai Ports World investment questioned safety, federal agencies such as US Customs and the US Coast Guard continue to control port security. Since the 1970s, US flag-shipping lines have faced increasing competition from foreign companies, which operate with low-cost...

Arab Firms Reassessing US Holdings

Jim Krane March 10, 2006
Conventional wisdom suggests that Arab nations and investors would scorn US investments after the US Congress objected to a Dubai firm taking over management of six major US ports. There is fear that the rejection of the deal, reflecting anti-Muslim bias, could trigger a short- or long-term backlash. Yet analysts report that the US – representing 50 percent of the world’s economic market –...