In The News

American Nationals Given Jail Terms for Selling Pirated DVDs

April 20, 2005
China has been under increasing pressure from the United States for its lack of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection, as the country has become a global hub for pirated DVDs and CDs. In a recent court ruling in China, two Americans and their two Chinese accomplices were found guilty of selling pirated DVDs to more than 20 countries; the four each incurred prison terms and substantial...

Rising Dragon and the American Eagle – Part I

David Shambaugh April 20, 2005
Recent developments – including the high-profile visit by China's premier Wen Jiabao to South Asia – showing the rising profile of China have intensified a long-running debate in Washington. How does the growing power and influence of China affect the dominance that the United States has so far enjoyed in Asia? In the first of our two-part series, George Washington University's China...

'Wake Up and Face the Flat Earth'

April 18, 2005
Since Columbus discovered the New World in 1492 and reconnected peoples that had been separated for ten millennia, globalization has become increasingly fast-paced. The interconnected world, facilitated by information technology and trade liberalization in the late 20th century, is the most recent wave of human societies' efforts to connect each other even more closely. In his previous book...

‘Food Should Be Left Off the Free Trade Table’ - José Bové

April 6, 2005
At the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Bové attended a workshop with prominent Yale scholars and others in the university community to discuss the status of the global peasant movement and the core issues in his work. A full transcript follows. – YaleGlobal

‘Food Should Be Left Off the Free Trade Table’

April 6, 2005
Many economists believe that trade liberalization is the main driving force that created today's dynamic international market. The increasing exchange of goods and services produced and sold around the world have far-reaching implications for different localities – for better and for worse. One important area of world trade concerning this local and global relationship is agriculture, which...

Fraying of a Latin Textile Industry

Ginger Thompson March 28, 2005
The garment and textile industry has, for decades, been a source of employment and economic vitality for many South and Latin American nations. In El Salvador, the industry has been crucial to improving the standard of living for its people. But across the region, garment workers are being blindsided by changes in global trade. January 2005 saw an end to textile quotas worldwide, and companies...

Central Asia Is Corrupted by Cotton

Quentin Peel March 10, 2005
Though many developing countries are cheering a recent WTO ruling declaring US agricultural subsidies illegal, indigent farmers in Central Asia will never know the difference. Since the dismantling of the Soviet regime, the cotton industries in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have been hijacked by wealthy insiders. Working with international traders, middlemen sell expensive inputs to...