In The News

The Myth of Localism

George Monbiot September 9, 2003
Some delegates at the world trade talks claim to defend the interests of the poor but actually promote policies that are detrimental to developing countries, says British environmentalist and author George Monbiot in The Guardian. A proposal of particular danger, Monbiot argues, is localization, which advocates that everything that can be produced locally should be produced locally. Proponents...

Rich Will Pay If WTO Lets Poor Down

James Wolfensohn September 7, 2003
In advance of this week's WTO meeting in Cancun, World Bank President James Wolfensohn writes that the current Doha round of trade talks offers a real opportunity to improve the lot of developing nations. For this to happen, though, he says that both rich and poor countries have to understand what it means to give and take. "Rich countries must show leadership by reducing protection...

Cancun Trade Meeting Should Leave Investment Issue Alone

Susan Ariel Aaronson August 29, 2003
When the WTO meets in Cancun on September 10, representatives of the nearly 150 members will have a lot on their plates. It is their job to negotiate agreements on many divisive issues and to forge new trade policies on agriculture, services, and intellectual property rights to meet the needs of developing countries. These matters are complex and important enough to warrant adding another...

To Be or Not to Be at Cancun

Ernesto Zedillo August 29, 2003
World trade has increased nearly twenty-fold over the past fifty years, bringing unprecedented prosperity – but mostly to developed countries. As the development round of the World Trade Organization draws closer, many key issues – including agricultural subsidy reform and essential drug access – remain unresolved and deeply contentious. According to Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Yale Center...

Tough New US Rules a Challenge

August 22, 2003
Seaports have traditionally been very vulnerable entry points to the United States. And, as focus on homeland security has increased since September 11, American officials have sought to impose new security measures to better monitor the goods that are constantly entering US ports. To ensure that biological, chemical, or other weapons are not concealed in incoming cargo, US officials initiated...

Cutting Support Can Help Farmers to Prosper

Stefan Tangermann August 22, 2003
Farm subsidies remain an extremely contentious issue as the widely anticipated WTO meeting in Cancun draws closer. While farmers in developing countries plead with wealthy nations to eliminate trade distorting tariffs and subsidies, farmers in the developed world fear that doing so will destroy their farms and way of life. However, Stefan Tangermann, director for food, agriculture and fisheries...

A Head Trip: Indian Hair Finds Parts in Hollywood

Julia Angwin August 21, 2003
After the birth of a long-awaited son or the recovery of an ill spouse, Hindu women often visit a temple and shave their long locks as a gesture of thanks. Few suspect that their sacrificed hair may end up on the head of a European or American woman, possibly even a Hollywood actress. Yet temples across India make tidy profits selling the hair of pilgrims to foreign companies that make hair...