In The News

The Next Africa?

Nicholas D. Kristof December 10, 2002
Argentina has preceded its South American neighbors in one of the worst financial crises the continent has ever seen. Its once-prosperous inhabitants are scrounging for food and collecting recyclables to make a living, and Argentina is poised to become the next Africa, Nicholas Kristof writes. Tumultuous political situations and falling per capita income are leaving the people Venezuela, Brazil...

Hollywood in the Era of Globalization

Allen J. Scott November 29, 2002
Hollywood films represent more than half, and sometimes more than two-thirds of total box-office receipts in major markets. Films that succeed in the US market also tend to succeed in foreign markets. This suggests that a convergence of popular taste may be coming about, though in many countries this phenomenon also occurs against a backdrop of cultural contestation. Hollywood has been a success...

Mexican Immigration Still Up in Air

Dane Schiller November 27, 2002
A meeting between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castañeda ended with a $25 million pledge to help coordinate border security efforts between Mexican and US law enforcement officials. The larger issue of whether the US will permit temporary workers to enter the US from Mexico is still elusive, despite being one of Mexican president Vicente Fox's main...

A Camellia Grows in Boston

Peter Del Tredici November 26, 2002
According to many scientists, the Industrial Revolution and the explosion in the use of fossil fuels have led to a worldwide rise in air and sea temperatures. Although some skeptical politicians and scientists argue against the evidence for global warming, the personal experience of Harvard's arboretum director indicates otherwise. This seasoned horticulturalist finds a degree of joy in...

The Axis of Irony

Strobe Talbott November 26, 2002
The Iraq crisis could have the ironic but salutary effect of reinvigorating the United Nations, revealing George W. Bush to be more of a multilateralist than the rest of the world thought (and feared), and establishing a welcome degree of continuity in American foreign policy. - YaleGlobal

A Beleaguered Hemisphere

November 22, 2002
Hailed as a shining example of the merits of free trade and democratic reforms in the early 1990s, Latin America has become burdened by a series of economic downturns and tumultuous political conditions. Addressing its concerns in isolation does not seem like a viable option. With events in other world regions demanding attention from the United States, the problems of its southern neighbor have...

Tainted Soybeans Raise Fears About ‘Biopharming’

Mike Toner November 17, 2002
The discovery in a Nebraskan grain elevator of genetically modified crops for chemicals amongst crops meant for the nation’s food supply has led to the quarantine of a half-million bushels of potentially contaminated soybeans. This is the latest in a series of incidents in which the government has been forced to take drastic measures against the potential contamination of the nation’s food...