In The News

Friends with the Dragon

C.V. Ranganathan June 24, 2003
Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s visit to China has attracted the world's attention. Many are hopeful that a mutual agreement can be reached to thaw cold political relations of the past. In this opinion piece in Outlook India, C.V. Ranganathan, a former Indian ambassador to China, emphasizes the importance of more mutual understanding and cooperation between the two countries....

Europe Set to Begin Digital Tax

Bob Tedeschi June 23, 2003
Unlike traditional trade transaction, e-commerce conducted online across national borders creates new tax issues that can be confusing. As Europe's number of internet users grows and overtakes the US and Canada, the European Union (EU) is scheduled to begin a new value-added tax plan, which will levy taxes on all imported goods and services purchased over the Internet. Foreign companies,...

The Poor Like Globalization

David Dollar June 23, 2003
More, not less, economic integration is good for the world, according to a worldwide poll, conducted by the Pew Global Attitude Survey. David Dollar, Director of Developmental Policy at the World Bank, cites findings from the survey to support the argument he has made in the past that globalization indeed helps reduce poverty and inequality. He points to a significant decrease in the number of...

Europe Snubs World's Poor

June 23, 2003
The European Union’s (EU) continued reluctance to reform its agricultural subsidies is criticized in this New York Times editorial. After a host of high-profile summit meetings and private conferences, it says, reform plans for Europe's agricultural policies will be "watered down as to virtually meaningless." One of the proposed plans is to reform the subsidy on Europe's cows...

Unreformed, Unrefined, Unrepentant

June 20, 2003
The 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis seriously disrupted many economies in the Asia-Pacific region and impeded global economic growth. Governments and international institutions have since tried to draw lessons from that nightmare. In this article in The Economist, the author says that there is still much to be learned and dealt with, including Thailand's current problems with its taxation...

Preempting North Korean Threat in the Sea

Michael O'Hanlon June 20, 2003
In recent months, the United States has struggled to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Now, the Bush Administration has proposed a “Proliferation Security Initiative” designed to cut off the communist country's trade in illicit weaponry and material. This is a worthy multilateral effort, argue Brookings Institution scholars Michael O'Hanlon and Michael A. Levi, but its...

Talks Collapse on U.S. Efforts to Open Europe to Biotech Food

David Leonhardt June 20, 2003
While the US thinks it is perfectly acceptable for the American people to consume genetically modified (GM) food, Europe remains adamant, unwilling to compromise consumer safety for consumer choice since the long term effects on human health of GM food are still unknown. The US has lodged formal complaints against the European Union with the World Trade Organization (WTO) alleging protectionism...