In The News

Bolivia's Poor Proclaim Abiding Distrust of Globalization

Larry Rohter October 17, 2003
In a civil conflict that has already left more than 80 Bolivians dead this month, protestors have turned the issue of natural gas export through Chile to the United States into an indictment of globalization. Calling for the resignation of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, demonstrators are sending a powerful message – a resounding "no to the export of gas and other natural resources; no...

We Have to Make Globalization Work for All

Joseph Stiglitz October 17, 2003
Why has globalization gained such a bad reputation? It was once the phenomenon supposed to 'save' the world system and provide a framework for global equality and integration. So is the concept inherently flawed, or does the fault lie with the implementation of policies? Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz asks these questions and reflects on what went wrong with globalization during the...

Globalization: Preserving the Benefits

Anne. O. Krueger September 25, 2003
Facing mounting criticism around the world, proponents of globalization have risen to its defense. IMF First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger argues for a renewed commitment to the principles of free trade that have fueled the last half-century’s ever-increasing economic expansion. Though she accepts the frequently valid misgivings of globalization’s critics, Krueger claims that its...

Social Capital Key to Globalization

Leonard Wang September 24, 2003
The standoff at the most recent WTO meeting in Cancún has illuminated the plight of small farmers in developing countries, who struggle to compete with subsidized farmers in the US and Europe. Leonard Wang argues that the economic hardships these farmers face are only the beginning of a larger problem. When the world's economic powers transform developing countries, communities based on...

Two Years Later, a Thousand Years Ago

Robert Wright September 11, 2003
Until September 11, some viewed the globalization of American values in terms of a manifest destiny. However, on 9/11 nineteen hijackers "turned the tools of globalization against the system" and blew that view to pieces. Two years later, skepticism about globalization's benefits still persists. For evidence, one need only notice that anti-American terror networks still abound,...

Protests Greet Yet Another WTO Meeting

Pranab Bardhan September 8, 2003
As the World Trade Organization prepares to meet in Cancun, Mexico, backers and detractors of globalization are clashing again, with each side claiming to represent the interests of the world's poor. Those opposed to globalization in its current form point to an increase in inequality and poverty in countries that have opened up to international capital and corporations, while supporters...

Come Clean

Najam Sethi September 5, 2003
Officers and non-commissioned officers in the Pakistani Army were jailed recently in response to reports of their suspected collusion with Al Qaeda and other extremist organizations. But allegations run deeper. A recent book claims that Pakistan's late Air Chief Marshal knew about and helped to plan Al Qaeda's attacks on the U.S. And of course, Pakistan did provide support to the...