In The News

Gangsters and Africa's Black Gold

Thilo Thielke December 9, 2005
Hidden off the West African coast, according to estimates, are up to 100 billion barrels worth of oil - a reserve about the size of Iraq's. The US is one interested party, hoping to break the Arab world's vice-grip on prices. China is another, forming what on the surface appear to be mutually beneficial arrangements with African nations in order to fuel its growth.. But there is a...

The Rise of Nearshoring

December 6, 2005
While India and China are popular destinations for outsourcing, a new trend - “nearshoring” global business concerns to formerly Communist Eastern Europe is emerging. The premise is to move production, research and business to countries that may not be quite as cheap as India or China, but are still cheap and also much closer to home. Western concerns are finding multi-lingual workers and a...

Fuzzy Trade Math

Arvind Panagariya December 2, 2005
As the Doha round of trade talks approaches, the perception that agriculture is the principle issue that will determine success or failure remains accurate. Common assumptions, however, about the magnitude of EU and US subsidies are, in many cases, profoundly inaccurate. The conclusion that the Doha talks are bound to fail because of the obstinacy of developed nations is based on fuzzy math. It...

Putin Promises Oil Pipeline for Japan

James Brooke November 23, 2005
Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has promised a pipeline that will carry Siberian oil to Japan. His recent visit to Japan, where plans for the pipeline were discussed, appeared designed to incorporate Japan back into the Asian power triangle that currently emphasizes Russian and Chinese relations. The pipeline will unite Russia – the world’s second largest oil exporter – and Japan, one of...

Asia’s Polite Reception To Bush Masks Declining US Influence

Daniel Sneider November 17, 2005
Following mass anti-American protests and blistering criticism at Mar del Plata, President Bush has found a bit of respite on his East Asian sojourn. But, as Daniel Sneider, columnist for the Mercury News, is quick to note, “beneath the polite appearance, however, there is no less a challenge to American leadership in Asia.” Plans are afoot, spearheaded by China, to forge an East Asian Community...

No Wonder Anti-Free Traders Are Angry

Gregory Clark November 16, 2005
The gospel of free trade has the potential to unfairly restrict the opportunities of developing nations to industrialize. A prevailing view is that workers in developing nations do not have the capacity for sophisticated industry and should focus on producing simple farm and other labor-intensive products for export. Another line of reasoning suggests that unquestioned support for free trade is...

Why American Free Trade Area Runs Aground Again?

Wu Hongying November 16, 2005
Viewed from Beijing, the failure of the Free Trade Area of the Americas reflects a rift between the US and the whole of Latin America. Wu Hongying writes that George Bush (following in his father's footsteps) sees the FTAA as a way of consolidating Washington's economy hegemony in the Americas, and says that the rest of the hemisphere will not stand for it. In particular, Wu argues...