In The News

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Immanuel Wallerstein May 9, 2005
The United States has long been the major power influencing Latin American politics and business, encouraging currency ties, controlling natural resources, and at times even helping to depose governments it no longer supports. But recently several small "cuts," as Imanuel Wallerstein writes, have undermined US control in the region. One example is the ouster of Ecuadorian President...

Public Diplomacy: America Is Job No. 1

Bruce Stokes May 9, 2005
As the Bush administration prepares for another round of international public diplomacy – at least its third campaign since September 11 – it is necessary to first examine the lessons from the past few years. In this National Journal article, Bruce Stokes writes that while the goal for US public diplomacy has been "to convince people overseas of the inherent merit of the US point of view on...

Brazil Spurns US Terms for AIDS Help

Sarah Boseley May 4, 2005
Washington's "global gag" – its refusal to fund any foreign-based organization with links to abortion – has caused a great deal of controversy in the international community. Brazil recently became the first country to publicly refuse to accept US funding for AIDS prevention and treatment programs, on account of the perceived strings attached. "I would like to confirm that...

Lou Dobbs Fuels American Immigration Paranoia

Evelyn Shih April 18, 2005
As the dollar continues its steady fall, many Americans have begun to fear a permanent downward spiral of the entire economy. According to this Yale Herald opinion, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs blames outsourcing and illegal immigration for this trend. For over a year, Dobbs has dedicated a permanent segment on his daily news show to those two subjects, speaking to a willing audience of middle-class...

Why Hasn't a Weak Dollar Slowed Imports?

Louis Uchitelle April 8, 2005
The dollar is dropping against other powerful currencies, but the appetite of US consumers for imported goods continues to grow. The ever-surging demand for imports is partly driven by fashion and trends, as in the case of jewelry made in Austria and China, which is being sold in the US in ever-greater quantities. Environmental awareness has also played a role, as US consumers select imported...

As China Sews, Few US Mills Left

Patrik Johnsson April 6, 2005
Towns like Erwin, North Carolina, are examples of the devastating impact of the mobility of textile manufacturing. Once a capital of denim fabrication, today Erwin is desolate and has few jobs to offer its citizens. Erwin's difficulties are linked to the greater decline of US textile mills – the number of people employed in them has dropped to 670,000 from 1.6 million in 1994 - and the rise...

Opponents of Wal-Mart to Coordinate Efforts

Steven Greenhouse April 5, 2005
Is Wal-Mart bad for workers? The global retailing giant says that consumers benefit from its consistently low prices. Critics, however, contend that those low prices are built on poverty-level wages and minimal benefits. In the United States, a newly formed alliance of labor unions, environmentalists, community organizations, and students will pressure Wal-Mart to change the way it does business...