In The News

France Debates Downloads, With Teenager as Top Expert

Thomas Crampton May 17, 2006
At 18, Aziz Ridouan is a normal teen who likes to download music. But his adversaries compare him to a modern-day Robin Hood, and the French Interior minister gives him a note allowing him to skip school to meet with top government officials. Ridouan suggests that the internet is the library of the future and the entertainment industry must adapt. The teen started his own nonprofit –...

L’Europe face à la mondialisation – Partie I

Patrick Sabatier May 16, 2006
Pendant que la concurrence mondiale s’intensifie, les gouvernements conçoivent des stratégies pour protéger leur marché du travail, leurs industries et leur réputation. Cet article en deux parties analyse les diverses approches adoptées pour répondre à la globalisation qui ont émergé en Europe, une en France et l'autre au Danemark. La France semble en tant que membre le plus protectionniste...

Europe Faces Globalization – Part I

Patrick Sabatier May 16, 2006
As global competition intensifies, governments devise strategies to protect jobs, industries and reputation. This two-part series analyzes contrasting approaches to managing globalization that have emerged in Europe, one from France and the other from Denmark. France appears as the most protectionist member of the EU, yet is open to foreign investment. The government has no problem with French...

If This Is Ahmadinejad’s Bluff, It Is Bluff Worth Calling

Simon Jenkins May 15, 2006
A nuclear Iran is undesirable. But starting a war with Iran is the height of folly, argues author Simon Jenkins. Iran offers more avenues for intelligent diplomacy than Iraq did before the US invasion in 2003, but two factors must be recognized: First, Iran is divided and many Iranians desire no conflict with the US and, second, belligerent rhetoric from western leaders like US President Bush...

Globalization’s Grave Challenges for the West

Robert A. Levine May 12, 2006
Globalization will proceed despite protectionism, and the West would be wise to devise policies that incorporate globalization’s inevitability. Without such policies, the standard of living in both the US and Europe could diminish: In Europe, slow growth will leave the continent trailing the US and Asia, making it ultimately dependent on tourism. The US may abandon its own guiding principles of...

Prejudice Forms a New Line Between East and West

Nicholas Watt May 9, 2006
A new boundary is forming between east and west in Europe. While official policy in the west has extended tolerance toward the gay community, conservative governments in the east take a hard-line stance to control what they regard as a growing threat. In countries like Poland and Russia, politicians openly declare homosexuality to be a deviant lifestyle that must be reigned in. Often, anti-gay...

Step 1 in Bolivian Takeover: Audit of Foreign Companies

Juan Forero May 9, 2006
Bolivia is taking steps to nationalize its natural gas industry, announcing plans to revise contracts with foreign energy firms and audit financial records. The multinationals have six months to negotiate new contracts or face takeover with compensation. Landlocked Bolivia has Latin America’s second largest gas reserves, which are largely undeveloped, with Brazil serving as the major market....