In The News

India’s Iran Challenge

Harsh V. Pant February 17, 2012
While the international community agrees that Iran’s development of nuclear weapons will destabilize the Middle East, responses to the West’s call for sanctions against Iran highlight diverse foreign-policy approaches, especially from India and China, ranked fourth and second, respectively, as the world’s largest oil consumers. China unequivocally prioritizes its domestic interests and energy...

In US, Every Four Years, Much Ado Over China

Edward Gresser February 15, 2012
Railing against China’s trade policies has long been campaign fodder in US elections, and a visit this week by China’s presumptive incoming president could turn up the volume. It’s an old pattern, observes trade expert Edward Gresser. The party out of power may rail against unfair trade practices – but once in office, US presidents quickly discover that campaign promises on China are tough to...

Can Social Media Campaigns End Child Labor?

Humphrey Hawksley February 10, 2012
Acts of intervention – with military action, aid and promotion of trade – have characterized international politics since the Cold War. Corporate intervention can now be added to the list of tools for alleviating poverty and encouraging development and education in impoverished nations. Social media and attention to global supply chains are exposing unfair labor practices, particularly child...

China Courts the Middle East

Dilip Hiro January 30, 2012
The advantage is mutual: The Middle East has great reserves of oil, and China’s foreign-policy based on non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs is popular with the region’s authoritarian regimes. So China rejects Western efforts to impose sanctions to stop the Iranian nuclear program. Beijing is the largest buyer of Iranian petroleum, accounting for 20 percent of Iran’s exports,...

France Deals With Globalization Crisis – Part II

Alain Renaudin January 27, 2012
Citizens of wealthy nations blame globalization and competition from Asia for unemployment and other economic woes. This two-part YaleGlobal series analyzes the temptations of protectionism, particularly in France during its presidential election campaign. Promoting labels that identify a product’s country of origin is not a solution, argues Alain Renaudin in the second and final article, and the...

France Deals With Globalization Crisis – Part I

Pierre-Noel Giraud January 24, 2012
Multinational companies have shifted manufacturing operations and research and development from West to East, taking advantage of low wages and huge Asian markets poised for growth. On the global trade front, countries like France feel battered, and political leaders increasingly toy with protectionism. This YaleGlobal series offers ideas on how nations can optimize globalization’s benefits. In...

Why a New York Cheese Buyer Hangs On the Euro's Fate

David Kestenbaum December 7, 2011
Steady currency exchange rates smooth the way for global trade. But the threat of default by Greece, Italy and other European nations has reduced the value of the euro and upset predictability in pricing. Reporting for National Public Radio, David Kestenbaum explains the effect of the euro crisis on a small cheese shop in New York City: “Through his cheese deals, Foster essentially trades in...