In The News

Africa's Betting Public Lures Foreign Investors

Marc Lacey October 7, 2003
People across the world's poorest continent are gambling their limited incomes on scratch-off cards and lotto tickets. As countries ease betting restrictions to encourage economic growth, foreign companies have begun investing in Africa's new blossoming industry. "The African market is a relatively small part of the world market," one British investor noted, "but it...

U.S. Must Counteract Image in Muslim World, Panel Says

Steven R. Weisman October 1, 2003
A team of academics, diplomats, and writers convened by the Bush administration has found "shocking levels" of hostility towards the US in the Muslim world. The panel found anti-American sentiment increasing in the wake of the Iraq war and escalating Israel-Palestine conflict, and called this sentiment a "lethal threat" to American interests and public safety. The panel's...

US Sees Bias in South Korea Textbooks

September 30, 2003
Last year, when two Korean girls were run over by an American armored vehicle, anti-American sentiment reached a new height in South Korea. Although this sentiment seems to be slowly declining, US diplomats are still very concerned about the US public image in the Korean population, especially among students. Korean textbooks often tend to detail America's intervention in other parts of the...

Iranian Pilgrims Resume Journeys to Iraq

September 30, 2003
Two of the holiest places for Shi’ite Muslims – the cities of Karbala and Najaf – are located in Iraq. Devout Iranian pilgrims have traditionally journeyed to these cities each year to visit the burial sites of prominent Shi'ite religious figures. The Iranian government halted pilgrimages when the US invaded Iraq, fearing for the safety of the travelers. However, these measures did not...

Global Anti-GM Sentiment Slows China's Biotech Agenda

Valerie Karplus September 26, 2003
Genetic modification of agricultural products like cotton, rice, and tomatoes has recently allowed small farmers in China to avoid spraying toxic pesticides on their crops. Pesticides – laborious to apply and proven to be harmful to your health – are now becoming obsolete because genetically modified (GM) crops are automatically resistant to the most common agricultural threats. But despite early...

Social Capital Key to Globalization

Leonard Wang September 24, 2003
The standoff at the most recent WTO meeting in Cancún has illuminated the plight of small farmers in developing countries, who struggle to compete with subsidized farmers in the US and Europe. Leonard Wang argues that the economic hardships these farmers face are only the beginning of a larger problem. When the world's economic powers transform developing countries, communities based on...

Border Security Merging

Jesse Bogan September 22, 2003
Coming into the US can be a confusing experience, with all different agencies competing to check your car for illegal immigrants, drugs, fruit, or terrorists. Now, in a move towards political expediency, the department of Homeland Security is moving to present "one face at the border" through a unified border patrol (CBP). Current immigration and agriculture officials are complaining...