In The News

US Warms to Hague Tribunal New Stance

Jess Bravin June 14, 2006
Critics of the US suggest that the country considers itself to be above international law. To counter the complaints, the Bush administration is gradually recognizing the International Criminal Court. Washington strongly opposed the move to create the ICC – but has come to realize that the US simply cannot ignore a court that has the support of 100 countries, including key allies such as the UK....

The Geopolitics of Football

Pascal Boniface June 14, 2006
Can sports – and football in particular – be globalization’s answer to deeply rooted conflict? Do football matches unleash or build tensions between countries who struggle diplomatically? Rituals of the match, such as waving flags or singing anthems, can inject new passion into national rivalries or also diffuse hostility. Games reflect larger issues and allow “for symbolically limited...

Global Capital on the Run

Robert J. Samuelson June 14, 2006
Around the world, stock markets are in a sharp decline, and analysts are trying to determine if herd mentality is at work or if the trend reveals other risks. At the same time, more investors venture beyond national borders in search of opportunities. Thirty years ago, foreign investing was tightly restricted, with the US as an exception to the rule, although the wealthiest of citizens always...

It’s Been Too Good for Too Long

Peter Hartcher June 13, 2006
Consumers, businesses and even countries have indulged in debt, funding all sorts of projects, from the luxurious to the ludicrous. But central banks around the world are acting to end the days of cheap liquidity, removing money and pushing up interest rates, warns journalist Peter Hartcher. After years of low interest rates and excessive spending, the US and its big spenders have most reason to...

Opportunities in Globalization

Rocco Leonard Martino June 13, 2006
The global telecommunications industries are potential sutures to wounds in the US economy brought on by corporate outsourcing to countries with low labor costs, according to Rocco Leonard Martino, the CEO of CyberFone Technologies. The technological advances of the internet provide the US with extraordinary opportunities to advertise innovative products at a rapid pace, allowing for increased...

Borders Fall for These Doctors

Arin Gencer June 13, 2006
Services emerge that connect physicians across the globe. Currently, medical outsourcing is limited to radiology, particularly employing physicians through an agency called NightHawk Radiology Services, based in Idaho, as well as other agencies in Switzerland, France, the UK and the Middle East. Doctors work at night in one nation and send images for analysis by alert radiologists based in other...

Report: Biofuels Poised to Displace Oil

June 12, 2006
As governments slowly come to realize that oil is a finite commodity, biofuels attract more attention worldwide. Brazil is the foremost producer of biofuels with the US gaining. The German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection released an in-depth analysis of the potential risks and benefits of biofuels. Among the risks posed are potential competition between food and...