In The News

Bad Neighbor

October 22, 2007
International criticism of the Myanmar military junta for violent repression of recent protests includes US and EU sanctions and a UN Security Council condemnation. But the junta shows no signs of ending its brutal and rigid control. Neighboring states like China, India and the member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are the largest economic partners of Burma, renamed...

China Begins to Fulfill Its Potential for Big Profits

Andrew Batson October 19, 2007
Multinational corporations look to China for huge potential profits. The investment climate has transformed – a decade ago, less than half of foreign companies in China ran profitable operations and now more than 80 percent collect profits. China’s WTO bid lowered bureaucratic barriers, thereby allowing foreign businesses to tap into the domestic market. Meanwhile, personal consumption has...

US-India Nuclear Pact Runs Into (Surprise!) Politics

Somini Sengupta October 19, 2007
Leaders in the US and India agree about a deal that would allow India to buy nuclear fuel and technology from the world market for its civilian energy program. But opposition parties in India question any strategic relationship with the US. Withdrawal of four small communist parties from the coalition with the ruling Congress Party in parliament would trigger a call for elections. Another...

The Free-Trade Paradox

Moisés Naím October 19, 2007
The collapse last year of the Doha Round has had little apparent impact on global trade. Worldwide merchandise exports increased fivefold in the quarter century following 1980, and two thirds of the global reduction in tariff barriers may be attributed to unilateral decisions as opposed to regional or international trade agreements. Economic growth has spiraled skyward, thanks largely to...

Burkina Faso: Cotton Producers Celebrate WTO Ruling Against US Subsidies

October 17, 2007
A new ruling by the World Trade Organization condemns the US system of agricultural subsidies to cotton farmers and could lead to sanctions costing billions, if the payments are not terminated. Many Africans celebrate the ruling; according to estimates by the aid group Oxfam, the end of American subsidies could drive the price of cotton up by as much as 14 percent, leading to a modest increase in...

India Getting on Board

Ernesto Zedillo October 15, 2007
India is a case study in how excessive government regulation, even with the best intentions, does little to eliminate poverty, according to Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, in his column for Forbes. A heavy-handed approach – with strict limits on foreign trade, high tax rates and rigid rules for the labor market – disrupts both trade and innovation....

Thanks China, Now Go Home: Buy-up of Zambia Revives Old Colonial Fears

Chris McGreal October 5, 2007
Sino-African trade has reached unprecedented levels, but the debate over its benefits for Africa rages on. Intent on acquiring natural resources to continue its blistering rate of economic growth, China turns to African nations for oil, metals and other valuables. In return, African governments, like the one in Zambia, receive huge aid and development packages and loans at below-market rates...