In The News

Ahmadinejad’s Sugar Daddy

Gal Luft June 10, 2010
The Brazilian government is developing closer ties to Iran, even as Iran faces stringent economic sanctions for its nuclear program. By exporting ethanol, President Lula da Silva’s government seeks to help Iran, a major oil exporter that lacks refinery capacity, lessen its dependence on foreign gasoline. Assisting Iran complicates Brazil's relationship with the United States, one of the...

Learning Chinese in Mexico: Children Prepare for the Future

Tracy Wilkinson June 9, 2010
Despite its tough policies on Asian immigration, Mexico hurries to increase economic and cultural exchanges with China. Mexico, late among Latin American nations to sign a free-trade agreement with the rising giant, is now China's second largest Latin American commercial partner and the largest importer of Chinese products in the region. Responding to global economic trends and China's...

Unless Two Imbalances Can Be Fixed, Two New Crises Will Follow This One

Irwin Stelzer June 8, 2010
Huge trade imbalances, particularly between China and the US, Germany and the rest of Europe, ensure low interest rates and ongoing bubbles, contends Irwin Stelzer of the Hudson Institute. Ongoing lending at low rates to nations already steeped in debt dulls incentives to increase competitiveness and reduce trade deficits as well. “‘Imbalance’ is the word, and it creates multiple threats to the...

India's Medical Tourism Industry

Neeta Lal June 2, 2010
Producers of necessary goods anticipate sustained profits, but that does not preclude competition in the areas of quality or affordability. As costs for health care climb in developed nations, India’s hospitals and physicians step up efforts to become a destination for tourists seeking a range of treatments. Travel companies organize trips, sometimes combining treatment with sightseeing tours;...

Entrepreneurs Wary of China Currency

Emily Maltby May 26, 2010
Any regulatory change creates winners and losers. Because of the strong trade relationship between China and the US, consumers and businesses in either country must adjust to changes from either government – and that includes the possibility of currency revaluation. Companies that export to China will benefit from revaluation, but the many small US businesses that depend on China for consistent...

Moscow Furious, Says US Not Pushing Drug War in Afghanistan

Fred Weir May 25, 2010
Perhaps better than anyone, veterans of the Soviet war in Afghanistan understand the challenges confronting NATO in its attempt to stabilize the region. But Russians express concern that more drugs from Afghanistan cross over their borders and those of former Soviet satellites. Russian authorities suggest that the drug trade is linked to terrorism and NATO could do more to control and destroy...

Check Out That Colombian Tata!

Daniel Gross April 13, 2010
On a trip to Colombia, the author was surprised to find an example of the new nature of international corporations. Tata Consultancy is a branch of the Indian car company that recently bought several British and American brand-name car labels. Tata’s Colombian branch is providing services to a number of Latin American governments and corporations. An Argentinian manager oversees employees from a...