In The News

Nicholas Zamiska April 13, 2007
Food inspectors have traced to China a contaminated ingredient in pet food that has killed an unknown number of animals. Wheat gluten is a common ingredient in pet food, cereal and pasta. The discovery of batches tainted with a pesticide illegal in the US raises questions about China's growing role in the international agricultural market. In 2006, 12 percent of world fruit and vegetable...
Lee Jun-kyu April 11, 2007
The US and South Korea have finalized negotiations on a free-trade agreement, which must be ratified by legislatures in both nations. Meanwhile, opponents in both countries organize, complaining that free trade could disrupt the economies of either nation, increasing income gaps or competition for specific sectors. Opponents in South Korea in particular fear that their nation could become a mere...
Evan Ramstad April 9, 2007
Politicians won legislative office in both the US and South Korea by vehemently opposing trade. Negotiators for the two nations have ironed out a complex trade agreement, but lobbyists representing agriculture, automobile or electronics interests could balk at details such as South Korea excluding US rice exports or the US delaying any decision to purchase Korean products made at an industrial...
Okechukwu Emeh March 1, 2007
Africa is often described as a victim of globalization. However, analyst Okechukwu Emeh argues that the continent’s developing states can join together to make the process work in their favor. On the theory that a rising tide lifts all boats, incorporating African industries into global markets can improve everyone’s level of wealth. Imports of gadgets, modes of organization and “neo-liberal...
Siriporn Sachamuneewongse February 28, 2007
Thailand bristles about the sale of telecommunications assets to a Singaporean state-owned firm by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. A few months after the sale, in September 2006, a group of military officers accused the prime minister of corruption and took control of the government. Still distraught about the sale of assets to a neighboring nation, the military officers suggest that...
February 27, 2007
Ethiopia's quality-of-life indicators have improved in recent years, but poverty remains at crushing levels. Meles Zenawi's government has become increasingly intolerant of opposition, arresting dissidents, closing newspapers and websites. Human-rights advocates in the EU and US, including some in the US Congress, pressure their governments to cut aid to the regime. The US Pentagon,...
Nicholas Zamiska February 8, 2007
Thailand’s plan to lower the price of pharmaceuticals for its citizens by ignoring existing patents reignites the debate between health advocates and supporters of intellectual-property rights. At the center of the conflict is a dispute over what will save the most lives in the long term. By ignoring patents, the government can lower its drug costs and therefore provide twice as many people with...