In The News

Real Message Is Clear

Jennifer Hewett April 30, 2008
China’s boom has filled its coffers with lots of cash. Some nations, including Australia, want to slow the fast pace of China’s foreign investment – taking time to assess consequences. The most recent takeover target is West Australian iron-ore producer Midwest by China's Sinosteel, and the latter could be on the hunt for other iron-ore producers, reports Jennifer Hewett for the Australian...

Baiting the Dragon: German Business Warns of Pushing China too Far

April 29, 2008
Taking a firm stand on human rights can require sacrifice. Like trade itself, boycotts that attempt to influence national behavior are a two-way street: As Europeans ponder boycotting the Beijing Olympics, German business leaders warn that more than 200,000 jobs in that nation depend on Chinese exports. Harsh criticism of China’s policy in Tibet could fuel calls from Chinese citizens to boycott...

Globalization’s Aftershocks

Temma Ehrenfeld April 29, 2008
The new world order born out of the fall of the Soviet Union triggered fundamental changes in the global economy, many out of the reach of government regulation. Italian economist and author Loretta Napoleoni, in an interview with Newsweek, defines this trend of trade in unregulated markets as the rise of “rogue economics” – including black market sales, poaching of fish or rare species, as well...

China Ascendant – Part I

Bertil Lintner April 25, 2008
Athletes and Chinese guards bearing the Olympic torch cut a swath through those supporting and protesting a rising China. In this series, YaleGlobal examines the impact of China’s ascendancy. China’s economic growth has given it new resources which, when doled out internationally, have the power to shift diplomatic allegiances. In Southeast Asia, China relies on a strategy of giving below-market...

Battleground Over Globalization

Robert McMahom April 22, 2008
The presidential candidates repeatedly describe some voters as “real Americans” and “the lifeblood of this country.” Even for those voters, American” issues are international issues. Debates over NAFTA take center stage in industrial hotspots like Pennsylvania and Ohio, where steelworkers and other blue-collar communities harbor justifiable fears over how the trade deal has affected the US...

China’s Crackdown on Tibet Divides Europe

Shada Islam April 14, 2008
Restricting trade is often a tool for governments that want to show their commitment to human rights. But Europe is divided over the relative importance of human rights versus economic growth or the value of trade in promoting those rights. On one hand, trade with China helps to lift millions out of poverty and benefits European consumers. However, China’s suppression of human rights, as...

Democrats Threaten NAFTA, But Pact Is Here to Stay

Andrew C. Schneider April 7, 2008
Candidates promise to re-open a free-trade agreement like NAFTA – to attract voters from states with high unemployment rate, where concern about the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs is rampant. “Renegotiation would cause more problems than it would solve,” explains Andrew Schneider, associate editor of the Kiplinger Letter. In reopening the agreement, the US would not be alone in demanding...