In The News

Between Famine and Politics, Zambians Starve

Henri E. Cauvin August 30, 2002
The debate over the use of genetically modified foods in the developing world has reached a critical point of urgency – life or death. While 14,000 tons of corn meal sit untouched in Zambian warehouses, lodged between political and economic concerns, millions starve daily. The President of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, fears that the influx of GM corn will cause mutations in corn grown in the region...

World Banker Assails Indonesia’s Corruption

Jane Perlez August 28, 2002
Of the “Asian tiger” nations, Indonesia has been the slowest to recover from the financial crisis of the 1990’s. Mark Baird, the World Bank’s chief representative in Indonesia, argues that this is in large part because of pervasive corruption present in the Indonesian government, which deters foreign firms from investing in the nation. While expressing his belief that it will take years before...

Chinese Communists Set for Policy Shift

James Kynge August 26, 2002
China plans to initiate several wealthy entrepreneurs into the central committee of the Communist Party on November 8. Because the Communist Party outranks all other governmental structures, its new members may be able to wield significant power. China’s president is spearheading the move; he believes, “The party should represent advanced productive forces, advanced culture and the broad...

Bush Scales Back Steel Tariffs

Edmund L. Andrews August 23, 2002
American steel companies and their representatives in Congress called on President Bush to rescue their dying industry and increase steel tariffs this spring. He did so, infuriating the European Union, which then filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, arguing that the U.S. was violating free trade rules. Bush has tried to satisfy both sides, discreetly excluding some steel...

Boeing, Airbus Competition Puts Pakistan in a Fix

Masood Anwar August 22, 2002
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) must decide on more than which airplane to buy; it must also find a way to appease the country which produces that airplane. In an effort to help the ailing airline industry, the U.S. and France are using diplomatic power to force PIA to make a decision in favor of either Boeing (U.S.) or Airbus (France). For the moment, PIA has yet to make a final decision,...

War On ‘Blood’ Diamonds Ramped Up

Ursula Owre Masterson August 21, 2002
Civil war has ravaged countries like Sierra Leone and Angola for decades. These conflicts, as much about money as about politics, often center around one of the African continent’s most precious resources: diamonds. Rebel groups often sell the gems to developed countries and use the profits to fund their fighting. After years of benefiting from the cheaper stones, Western governments, led by...

Brazil Relief Rests on Hopefuls' IMF Stances

Raymond Colitt August 14, 2002
After the 1998 Russian financial crisis and Argentina's economic collapse, the International Monetary Fund's latest target for support is Brazil’s struggling economy, lending that country 30 billion US dollars last week. This seemed like good news for Brazil which hoped that the IMF loan would attract international investment. However, despite the IMF's support, international...