In The News

A McDonald’s Ally in Paris

John Tabliabue June 23, 2006
Despite the theft of a plastic figure of Ronald McDonald and the bulldozer attack of one restaurant – all to protest the Americanization of France – the French continue to dine at McDonald’s. Learning from the attacks, a McDonald’s executive started an ad campaign to educate consumers about the corporation, its all-French ingredients and employees. Europe now has more than 6,000 McDonald’s, with...

Web Ads Present New Front in Hacker Wars

Riva Richmond June 15, 2006
“Pay-per-click” online advertising, how many websites charge customers, is a new target for computer hackers. Illegal software, which can be surreptitiously attached to private PCs, generates false clicks in massive numbers. The potential for false accounting could place advertisers in financial conflict with servers like Google and Yahoo and could be used by rival companies to attack one...

Outsourcing of Indian Education

Pratap Bhanu Mehta June 15, 2006
Despite high marks that India gets in the world media for an educated labor force, its sclerotic institutions of higher education are facing many challenges from globalization. While many extraordinarily successful doctors, businesspeople and scientists are from India, only three Indian institutions rank among the world’s top 500 universities. Since the market for talent has gone global, many of...

The Geopolitics of Football

Pascal Boniface June 14, 2006
Can sports – and football in particular – be globalization’s answer to deeply rooted conflict? Do football matches unleash or build tensions between countries who struggle diplomatically? Rituals of the match, such as waving flags or singing anthems, can inject new passion into national rivalries or also diffuse hostility. Games reflect larger issues and allow “for symbolically limited...

Move Over, Barbie

Amany Abdel-Moneim June 12, 2006
With Muslim women’s ever-growing adherence to traditional dress code, it is no wonder that a new doll, Fulla, is becoming popular in Egyptian and Middle Eastern markets. The doll’s physique and large assortment of accessories, from lace underwear to prayer mat, place her in the Barbie genre, but many young Egyptian girls feel more connected with Fulla’s dark hair, hazel eyes and ankle-length...

Panama: A Crossroad With Two-Ocean Views

Nancy Beth Jackson June 8, 2006
Panama has a history of invasions, but the latest comes from international investors, lured by favorable exchange rates, a mixture of European and American influences, along with amenities that include health-service discounts for retirees. Panama building permits have increased by 91 percent, and new projects begin almost every day. Two projects, both Spanish backed, compete to become the...

Islam and the West

June 8, 2006
Such a dichotomous opposition of terms as the “West” and “Islam” will inevitably be loaded with misunderstanding and contention. If words alone perpetuate misconceptions, then political, strategic and cultural relations between the two entities can be expected to be more complex. In discussing the current crises of understanding between countries like Iran and Iraq, and the US and Great Britain...