In The News

Japan's Equivocal Defence Posture

July 13, 2004
Japan’s most recent defense report states that the greatest threats to Japanese security are diffuse and include terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As such, the new Defense White Paper recommends Tokyo pursue regional cooperation. At the same time, however, the paper also cites regional powers such as North Korea, China, and Russia as potential security threats. By...

Last Chance to Avert Hibernation

Ernesto Zedillo July 13, 2004
Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization and former president of Mexico, blames the breakdown of the WTO’s Doha round of trade liberalization talks on flawed perceptions of international trade. Instead of coming to the bargaining table with the mindset that trade liberalization can stimulate wealth creation and promote peace and security, national trade...

The Meat Politics is Made Of

Gamal Nkrumah July 9, 2004
Amid the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan is making headlines in Egypt for another reason: beef exports. Recently the prices of Egyptian meat have been increasing due to a combination of a weak Egyptian pound in relation to the American dollar and the fact that fodder used to feed Egyptian livestock is purchased from the US. Sudanese livestock, however, is cheaper because it is grass-fed...

Fags and Fiction

Alison Benjamin July 8, 2004
US tobacco company Phillip Morris is trying to be more socially responsible by decreasing the health risks of its product and discouraging underage smoking. Though the fact that much of Phillip Morris’ tobacco is grown in the Third World makes it a candidate for classification as a fair-trade good, the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation has no current plans to consider the market and is instead...

Wise Trade Policy Can Address the Roots of Terrorism

Edward Gresser July 8, 2004
A lot of ink has been spent in debating what is the best way to fight the growing terrorist threat coming essentially from Islamic parts of the world. One way the West can help drain the swamps that breed fundamentalism and terrorism is by removing a basic cause of anger and frustration – economic stagnation and unemployment. Trade expert Edward Gresser says the West needs to make its trade...

Exporting Animation a Huge Japanese Success Story

Hiroko Nakata July 7, 2004
The export of Japanese animation series, particularly to the US, continues to grow both in terms of hours of animation and number of series. Along with related products such as video games and toys, export of these programs has brought considerable lucre to the island nation. Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! have become household names in many American communities, but the Japanese language vocabulary of...

US Shrimpers Still Carping

Jane Bussey July 7, 2004
The shrimping industry across eight Southern US states has filed antidumping complaints against countries in both Latin America and Asia. On Tuesday two of those complaints, against China and Vietnam, were recognized as legitimate when the US Commerce Department's International Trade Administration recommended punitive duties. Though these duties cannot be imposed without a final ruling by...