In The News

A Villain to Our Rescue

Robert J. Samuelson November 9, 2007
Politicians, activists and even some business executives in the West blame globalization for a lot of problems. But the US has benefited from foreign trade. “Contrary to popular opinion, the trade balance (deficit or surplus) barely affects total U.S. employment over long periods,” writes Robert Samuelson for the Washington Post. Some types of foreign competition do hurt some individual workers...

Sarkozy, The Ambivalent Globalizer

Jonathan Fenby November 9, 2007
When Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France, there was talk of a big rupture with the past and France’s full embrace of globalization and American-style capitalism. That stance is about to be tested. He has taken on the powerful public-service unions, cut taxes for the rich and tackled France’s convention of a 35-hour workweek. Yet this Gaullist politician is none too fond of...

The Sovereign Wealth Explosion

Stuart E. Eizenstat November 8, 2007
A rise in state-owned funds and companies investing internationally has triggered national security concerns in a variety of countries and even some protectionist measures. These worries can sometimes be valid – observers of Russia's state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom, for instance, understand how government-controlled businesses may be used as tools of policy. However, former US...

Globalization Offers Potential Boon for Africans

Dianna Games November 7, 2007
African countries, writes South African consultant Dianna Games, cannot afford to let globalization be foisted upon them. Instead, governments on the continent must actively engage in global trade and politics, so that “the benefits of the global order” will no longer elude Africans. Governments must move beyond international links built primarily to exploit Africa’s natural resources. That...

Falling Dollar, Inflation Feed Dubai Strife

Chip Cummins November 5, 2007
The countries of the Persian Gulf have long been destinations for migrants looking to take advantage of relatively high-paying construction jobs in these economically booming states. Of late, however, foreign workers find it less cost-effective to continue working in places like Dubai, where the local currency is linked to the falling dollar. This, in conjunction with inflation in the housing...

Myanmar, The Latest Petro Bully

Michael L. Ross October 30, 2007
Governments with ample supplies of energy products find it easier to commit human-rights violations. Governments can use their oil and gas products to "buy their way out of trouble," writes political scientist Michael Ross for the Los Angeles Times. "Myanmar is Asia's fastest-growing petroleum exporter; China is the world's fastest-growing importer," he writes,...

Organic Food Is Healthier and Safer, Four-Year EU Investigation Shows

Emily Dugan October 30, 2007
With the rhapsodizing of moms who want healthy children and the battle cries of right-wing skeptics, it can be difficult to depoliticize the debate about organically grown foods and root out scientific information about how they compare to conventionally grown counterparts. The European Union funded a four-year long study comparing the nutritional value of organic and conventional produce. The...