In The News

Rigid Unions Help Paralyze Economy

Heike Göbel April 9, 2004
Last week, workers in several European countries took to the streets demanding socially just reforms and warning against any potential government cutbacks. On the surface, these protests would suggest that Europe's unions have many shared interests. Not so, says this op-ed in Germany's F.A.Z. Weekly. In reality, unions' criticism always focuses on national concerns. German...

Globalization 3.0 Has Shrunk the World

April 7, 2004
The process of globalization continues to produce new surprises. Thomas L. Friedman, whose 1999 classic “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” has been translated in 30 languages, offers an update on globalization since his last interview with YaleGlobal editor Nayan Chanda a year ago. Friedman says that the first phase of globalization - the globalization of countries - lasted from roughly 1400 until...

EU Food Rules Test African Development

William Wallis April 6, 2004
New food safety regulations, implemented by the European Union (EU), will make it mandatory "for all fruit and vegetable products arriving in the EU to be traceable at all stages of production, processing and distribution." These new regulations are intended to ensure against potential public health scares such as the mad cow disease that have plagued the EU in recent years. Yet, the...

US Recovery, Asian Surge Will Boost World Trade 7.5%: WTO

Ravi Kanth April 6, 2004
The US economic recovery and Asian trade growth should push global trade higher this year, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Yet such growth is susceptible to three risk factors: the level of the US current account and budget deficits; the extent of European economic growth and the value of the Euro; and the volatility of oil prices. With the US current account deficit set to reach...

Chinese Fuelling Local Growth

Satawasin Staporncharnchai April 5, 2004
A growth in China’s demand for raw materials has affected the Asia-Pacific region, and the global shipping industry at large. The Asian giant’s phenomenal economic growth has fuelled a surge in demand for imports, resulting in higher cargo taxes and freight rates. This demand is expected to increase as China begins to prepare to host the Olympics Games in 2008 by building new facilities. The...

Uzbekistan: A Third Front in the War on Terrorism?

Charles William Maynes April 5, 2004
The US-led war on global terror may face a new challenge in Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country infrequently featured in news headlines outside the region. Charles William Maynes, President of the Eurasia Foundation, argues that US policy toward Uzbekistan is failing to curb the rise of radical Islam. Recent suicide bombing attacks in the cities of Tashkent and Bukhara are symptoms of the...

World Trade Growth Picks Up Speed

April 5, 2004
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is reporting a 4.5 percent increase in trade in 2003, up 1.5 percent from their original cautious estimate. The gains are due, analysts say, to the partial recovery of the American economy and very strong growth in Asia and the post-Soviet states. China alone saw a 40% increase in merchandise imports and a 35% increase in exports. Numbers for 2004 are looking...