In The News

Anglosphere: Limits to Globalization

James C. Bennett May 3, 2003
In this essay James C. Bennett addresses the limits of globalization. According to Bennett, amongst the enduring benefits of globalization are innovations in travel, world economy, and medical and technological breakthroughs. However, Bennett argues against a universal paradigm for globalization because globalization often occurs between nations and economies that are similarly positioned in...

Iraq War Ends, Not Europe's Acrimony with the US

Shada Islam April 15, 2003
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Spain's Jose Maria Aznar have joined France and Germany in demanding that the United Nations play the central role in administering and rebuilding post-Saddam Iraq. Not only does the UN have the experience and the expertise to handle Iraq's reconstruction, it is the only body with a legal mandate to do so. UN oversight, EU leaders argue, will be...

WTO Rules Against U.S. on Steel Tariff

Elizabeth Becker March 27, 2003
The World Trade Organization made an interim decision that the steel tariffs imposed by US President George Bush last year were illegal, and the decision is not likely to be overturned on appeal. Last spring, Mr. Bush imposed tariffs on most types of steel imported from Europe, Asia and South America. The tariffs received support from the US steel industry, but also protests from US industries...

Protection of Native Resources Demanded

Pennapa Hongthong March 13, 2003
Intellectual property rights experts and farmer's rights activists in Thailand are up in arms over their government's proposed native-resources protection bill. The bill, designed to protect the country's native animal and plant species, has been drafted to help Thailand comply with the World Trade Organization's agreement on trade in intellectual property. The main fault in...

Broadband Driven by Online Games

Sirivish Toomgum March 11, 2003
Although the Minister of Information and Communications Technology in Thailand raised concerns over the effects of the massive population of players of online games, it is clear that these gamers are driving up the demand for broadband service. One particular game, Ragnarok, has a registered community of Thai players passing 700,000. Paradoxically, as Thai broadband technology develops, matching...

Food First or Trade First?

Vandana Shiva February 25, 2003
Implementation of the WTO’s trade liberalization rules marginalizes and hurts developing countries, says this opinion article in The Hindu, one of India’s largest newspapers. Trade liberalization is designed to eliminate tariffs and other barriers to trade, but developing countries cannot compete with foreign agricultural producers. The author further argues that developing countries should be...

The Middle East Belongs in the World Economy

Charlene Barshefsky February 22, 2003
As part of its long term strategy, Charlene Barshefsky, former U.S. trade representative, argues that the U.S. must promote economic liberalization in the Middle East. The region has more trade barriers than any other part of the world. It also has a fast growing population of young people without jobs. Eight of the eleven largest economies in the Middle East are not members of the World Trade...