In The News

American Indie Filmmakers: Thinking Globally and Acting Globally, Too

Dennis Lim May 1, 2006
National cinema has expanded into international cinema, with directors of all nationalities chafing at audience expectations for a certain style or theme. Directors who are first- or second-generation immigrants in the US push film boundaries to explore new settings and characters, often beyond their own ethnicity. Author Dennis Lim suggests that the directors “go beyond dutiful multiculturalism...

New Globalization Battle Threatens Asia

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller April 26, 2006
The world today must confront a new economic policy conundrum: national governments doubting the benefits of cross-border mergers and acquisitions on the one hand, and the forces of economic globalization driving such partnerships on the other. The battle, already waged in Europe and the US, has now migrated to Asia. As global industry restructures, three major factors frame the conflict over...

The Silent Globalization of Remittances

Richard Reeves April 26, 2006
When immigrants work in wealth countries like the US, they often send money back home to families. Such remittance income far exceeds foreign aid or direct foreign investment in Central America and the Caribbean region. The World Bank estimates that such foreign exchange is on the rise, with more than $223 billion transferred from rich countries to poor in 2005. The distribution is direct and...

East Asia’s Troubled Waters – Part I

Wenran Jiang April 25, 2006
In recent history, Asian neighbors such as China, Japan and South Korea have transformed from traditional foes to complementary trading partners. But this three-part series explores how competition for natural resources rekindles historical grievances, fueling nationalism and confrontation. Rising tension over the waters demonstrate how increased interdependence brought about by globalization may...

We Are Globalized, But Have No Real Intimacy With the Rest of the World

Martin Jaques April 24, 2006
With globalization, most anticipate an inter-connected world with greater understanding of multiple cultures more than ever before. Author Martin Jacques argues that this assumption is at odds with the tone of globalization, based on a “one-size-fits-all” model of western cultural imperialism. Whereas European colonialism included exporting self-defined values of civilization, it did not strive...

Globalization Old and New

Ullrich Fichtner April 20, 2006
Globalization comes in many forms, some more pleasing than others. As Vietnam eagerly pushes for incorporation into the WTO, it could discover that globalization becomes colonization, “Part Two.” Hanoi emerged from European influence with its dignity intact, according to author Ullrich Fichtner, but new and rapid development could transform the city’s charm, with small shops featuring gourmet...

Globalization’s Second Death?

Niall Ferguson April 13, 2006
Globalization is in trouble when the US adopts a protectionist stance, argues Niall Ferguson. Extreme proposals, such as building an enormous fence along the US-Mexican border, reveal an isolationist attitude that could extend beyond the immigration issue. Politicians scrutinize the movement of labor, capital and goods in a way that calls to mind what Ferguson labels the “death of globalization”...