In The News

Latest SARS Victim Is Clothing Industry

Tracie Rozhon May 17, 2003
Clothing manufacturers in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong have been the biggest suppliers for the American clothing industry. With the Sars outbreak, however, many garment merchants in the US have experienced time delays when they want to examine the samples and inspect the production. The US Customs has decided to hold packages from Sars-affected countries for four days before...

Be Thai, Use Thai

Wijit Boonchoo May 16, 2003
Despite efforts by the Thai government to support local manufacturers, consumers continue to believe in the superiority of imported goods. Although a few Thai audio makers have succeeded in competing locally and exporting abroad, with foreign rivals becoming increasingly competitive in both price and perceived quality, most Thai products still have a tough battle in this globalized economy. –...

Iran's Secret Quest for the Bomb

Leonard S. Spector May 16, 2003
Another spat between the US and the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) may be brewing. When the agency's board meets next month, Washington hopes to get it to strongly condemn Iran for its clandestine effort to develop nuclear weapons - something that the agency is reportedly loath to do. In this article, non-proliferation expert Leonard S. Spector explains the background....

A More Just Fair Trade Is Needed

H. A. Harry Hendrarto May 14, 2003
The World Fair Trade Day on May 17 highlights sustainable development and the connections between economic production and the environment globally. Free trade has benefited the developed world and contributed to increasing poverty in the developing world, says the author of this article. Countries in Europe and North America have the greatest share of revenues from free trade. International...

Bridging the Roh-Bush Divide on Korea

Michael O'Hanlon May 14, 2003
The global focus on North Korea's nuclear program is justified, given the immediate threat that weapons could pose to the world. However, the weapons program needs to be seen in context: an economic crisis, a large-scale conventional military force, and a strained relationship with Japan, China, and South Korea will all need to be discussed as well during any US-North Korea negotiations...

In the Absence of Will

Ibrahim Nafie May 9, 2003
The rapid success of the US in the Iraq War shocked many in the Arab world, says this article in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly. But what are the lessons to be learned? Commentator Ibrahim Nafi writes that Arab unity cannot emerge by simply updating old agreements. What's required, he says, is genuine, active engagement with the needs of Arab people as a whole, and that must start with...

Europe Plan on Chemicals Seen as Threat to U.S. Exports

Elizabeth Becker May 8, 2003
With the issue of labeling genetically modified food still roiling trade negotiations between the US and European Union a new friction has emerged over trade in chemicals. The latest European requirement that companies undertake testing the effect of chemicals on humans before they export may affect $20 billion worth of American export. The Bush administration says the proposal amounts to...