In The News

The World Must Keep its Nerve over Kyoto

Michael Grubb November 13, 2003
The global response to climate change has reached a crossroads now that the US has rejected the Kyoto Protocol. Instead of capping emissions, President Bush has decided in favor of investing billions in research on technologies such as carbon sequestration, which involves storing carbon dioxide emissions. Creating environment-friendly technologies is admittedly integral to halting climate...

Thailand's Risk Level for Expatriates Raised

Marisa Chimprabha November 13, 2003
Due to political and security concerns, Thailand has joined Burma, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia as a "medium risk" destination for Israeli and Western tourists. In recent years, the country has attracted more tourists and business people from the West and Israel than any other country in the region. Unfortunately, these tourists may become easy targets for terror groups like the...

Surprise Word on Nuclear Gains by North Korea and Iran

David E. Sanger November 12, 2003
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has issued reports stating that North Korea and Iran are both further along in the development of nuclear weapons than what was previously known or expected. Iran's program particularly has surprised experts, as its efforts to enrich uranium and to separate plutonium have been well-hidden for 18 years. The general consensus remains that North...

The New Leviathans

Nayan Chanda November 12, 2003
One of the major agents of globalization - the multinational corporation - has been alternately portrayed as global villain and global economic booster. In "Global Inc.", a new "atlas of the multinational corporation" by Medard Gabel and Henry Bruner, companies with an extensive global reach are subjected to a more objective critical eye. In this review article, Nayan Chanda...

Antiglobalism's Jewish Problem

Mark Strauss November 12, 2003
Anti-Semitism is again on the rise, says Mark Strauss, a senior editor for Foreign Policy. Globalization is being pinned on the Jews – the traditional 'villain' of capitalism – and thus the Jewish people are being blamed for all perceived negative effects of increased market integration, Strauss writes. In the Middle East especially, where economies are stagnant everywhere but Israel,...

Harvesting Poverty

November 11, 2003
A rift is splitting the American farm lobby, separating those farmers that can prosper on their own and those that rely on subsidies, this editorial in The New York Times argues. This rupture has been catalyzed by the proposal to cap the amount individual farmers can receive in government aid, a move supported by many smaller farmers but feared by their larger counterparts. Currently, the...

US Loses WTO Steel Appeal

David Roeder November 11, 2003
A trade war could erupt if US President Bush fails to accept a World Trade Organization ruling that American steel tariffs are illegal. The EU and Japan said they would impose as much as $2.3 billion in sanctions on U.S. products including tobacco, fruit juice, and frozen peas unless Bush complies with the WTO ruling. Bush originally ordered the steel tariffs 20 months ago in order to give the...