In The News

Is This the End of Globalization?

Heather Stewart March 10, 2006
The anti-globalization message – protecting jobs and traditional industries – has powerful appeal in a fast-changing world. History shows that the most successful economies are those that open themselves to foreign competition, yet economists still struggle to explain how free trade can benefit all players, especially when markets specialize at what they do best. More citizens of wealthy...

Port Deal: Not a Foreign Idea

Laura Meckler March 10, 2006
US citizens have suddenly discovered the global intricacies of port operations throughout the country. While the outrage over the Dubai Ports World investment questioned safety, federal agencies such as US Customs and the US Coast Guard continue to control port security. Since the 1970s, US flag-shipping lines have faced increasing competition from foreign companies, which operate with low-cost...

Arab Firms Reassessing US Holdings

Jim Krane March 10, 2006
Conventional wisdom suggests that Arab nations and investors would scorn US investments after the US Congress objected to a Dubai firm taking over management of six major US ports. There is fear that the rejection of the deal, reflecting anti-Muslim bias, could trigger a short- or long-term backlash. Yet analysts report that the US – representing 50 percent of the world’s economic market –...

A Year Abroad (or 3) as a Career Move

Hillary Chura March 8, 2006
More US students are adapting to a globalized economy by working abroad. A surprising benefit is success in the job market after returning home. Teaching in a foreign country, bartending, taking care of children, typing or even traveling and picking grapes can demonstrate resourcefulness and other skills that employers find valuable. Organizations that help students work abroad estimate that 35,...

Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Melting Rapidly, New Study Warns Of Rising Sea Levels

Juliet Eilperin March 8, 2006
The Antarctic ice sheet is losing mass at a significant rate, which can be linked to global warming, reports the journal Science. At the same time, two other scientists from South Africa warn that climate change could seriously deplete the water supply in the southern and western regions of Africa by the year 2100. Satellites supplied data on the ice sheet and the global sea level, which is...

Is Globalization a Blessing or a Burden on Women?

Rezina Sultana March 6, 2006
Women, accounting for half of the world’s population and two-thirds of the world’s work hours, consistently have fewer resources and less representation at decision-making levels. Some industries, particularly in male-dominated societies, take advantage of eased movement of capital and reduced state controls on trade and investment to reduce wages for the poor, especially women. An example is...

Think Again: Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye Jr. March 1, 2006
In 1990, “Foreign Policy” first analyzed “soft power.” Here, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of the original article, returns to correct notions that have since become associated with soft power. The concept, he asserts, is the power of “attraction,” as opposed to the power of “coercion” or “payment.” Soft power is not exclusively cultural power, yet exporting cultural goods that hold attraction...