In The News

No Wonder Anti-Free Traders Are Angry

Gregory Clark November 16, 2005
The gospel of free trade has the potential to unfairly restrict the opportunities of developing nations to industrialize. A prevailing view is that workers in developing nations do not have the capacity for sophisticated industry and should focus on producing simple farm and other labor-intensive products for export. Another line of reasoning suggests that unquestioned support for free trade is...

Why American Free Trade Area Runs Aground Again?

Wu Hongying November 16, 2005
Viewed from Beijing, the failure of the Free Trade Area of the Americas reflects a rift between the US and the whole of Latin America. Wu Hongying writes that George Bush (following in his father's footsteps) sees the FTAA as a way of consolidating Washington's economy hegemony in the Americas, and says that the rest of the hemisphere will not stand for it. In particular, Wu argues...

Why the French Love Their Farmers

Philip H. Gordon November 15, 2005
French President Jacques Chirac has admitted to a "profound malaise" in the country that led to the recent rioting, but French policy on farm subsidy is emerging as another source of malaise within the European Community. Policymakers all over the world are calling for great reductions in EU farm subsidies, since such reform would help stave off budgetary crisis as well as bring EU...

Anti-Capitalist A-Team

Bridget Johnson November 11, 2005
A columnist takes on the anti-globalization protestors and points to their self-defeating tactics. At the recent Summit of the Americas they were out in full force, uniting anti-globalization and anti-Bush sentiment in one potent combination and creating chaos. Their premise, that free trade is “pro-corporation,” and hurts “mom-and-pop businesses,” is belied by their tactics, which target...

Dark Clouds over Doha

November 11, 2005
It has been four difficult years since the Doha Round of free trade talks began in 2001. The proponents of free trade now find themselves in retreat across the world. The Bush Administration has stuck to its free-trade guns, but finds itself increasingly unable to deal with a protectionist electorate and hamstrung by the President's lack of "fast track" trade negotiation...

Globalization Rocks, but African Leaders Fail to Understand It

Franklin Cudjoe November 8, 2005
African leaders often describe globalization as an exploitative force keeping Africans in poverty. But in fact, it is the inept and corrupt governments of African countries which are robbing their citizens of the economic freedom to compete in the world market. Many leaders subvert their countries’ constitutions entirely in order to retain power and continue to feather their own nests with...

The Final Outcome of Summit: Two Americas

Andres Oppenheimer November 6, 2005
The fourth Summit of the Americas has fractured the hemisphere into two blocs—one consisting of Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Uruguay; the other consisting of most of the rest of the Americas—that could not even agree on a joint post-summit press conference. They certainly do not agree on the fundamental issue behind the split: free trade. There is hope for agreement in the...