In The News

Beyond Minarets: Europe’s Growing Problem with Islam

Shada Islam January 14, 2010
Switzerland’s ban on building minarets is emblematic of a larger issue in Europe, according to Brussels-based journalist Shada Islam. It highlights not only the increasing divide between Muslims and non-Muslims in the continent, but also the need for Europe to embrace multi-culturalism. Indeed, the issues present a stark contrast between perception and reality. Many believe that Muslims are...

Cold War Offered Odd Benefit – It Limited Species Invasions

January 11, 2010
For supporters of globalization, isolationism is usually thought to have negative consequences. But for Eastern Europe, cut off during the Cold War, such isolation had a positive impact on preventing environmental damage that can occur from the influx of invasive species – birds, in this case. A study conducted by scientists at Oregon State University found that Eastern Europe saw its non-...

Falling Dollar Pushes Manufacturing Out of Europe

Dinah Deckstein, Frank Dohmen, Dietmar Hawranek, Alexander Jung December 10, 2009
With the secular decline in the US dollar, some manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz that face rising costs and lower competitiveness are moving some production from Germany to the US. Normally, such companies hedge their exchange rate exposure through derivative contracts to protect them against rapid depreciation of foreign currencies. But such contracts become more expensive amid a sustained...

Swiss Referendum Stirs a Debate About Islam

Deborah Ball, Anita Greil November 10, 2009
Switzerland has long been defined by its neutrality, a quality that has allowed its diverse population (of which one-fifth are immigrants) to avoid serious strife along ethnic or religious lines. Now, however, the rightist Swiss People's Party has initiated a referendum on the banning of minaret construction on mosques, raising questions about the status of Muslims in Switzerland. The issue...

Europe Must Stop 'Fetishizing' American Relationship

Gregor Peter Schmitz November 4, 2009
Globalization is shifting the balance of power in the world. A new report from the European Council on Foreign Relations argues that European nations need to stop concentrating so much on relations with the United States and instead set clear foreign policy goals for themselves. The report observes the many ways in which EU nations worry about perceived slights from Americans, becoming entangled...

Ancient Greeks Introduced Wine to France, Cambridge Study Reveals

Andrew Hough October 29, 2009
Recent discoveries by Cambridge Professor Paul Cartledge support the theory that it was the Ancient Greeks, and not the Romans or a local group, that first popularized wine in France. Backed by archaeological evidence, Cartledge explains that Greeks intermarried with locals to ensure the survival of their settlement at modern-day Marseilles, and in doing so established trade networks in France...

Globalization Boosts Europe’s Gangsters

Leigh Phillips October 28, 2009
Reduced trade barriers and ease of transportation brought about by globalization are also helping transnational criminal networks succeed in the European Union. A new report from the EU’s criminal intelligence agency says drug dealing, human trafficking, and trade in counterfeit luxury goods are on the rise. Criminal organizations are taking advantage of trade liberalization and low-cost airlines...