In The News

For Now, Hong Kong Protests Do Not Faze Investors

Frank Ching July 29, 2003
In Hong Kong, the recent mass demonstrations against proposed anti-subversion legislation have not shaken foreign investors' confidence. In the following essay, Frank Ching argues that while anti-government political activism might scare off investors in most countries, Hong Kong has benefited from its international reputation as a stable and investor-friendly economy. However, Ching says...

Each Nation for Itself?

July 28, 2003
The World Trade Organization's 146 member nations will have a lot to talk about when they sit down in Cancun, Mexico in early September. With 23 categories of trade issues on the agenda, says this editorial in Singapore's Straits Times, one may reasonably wonder how much agreement can be reached in five short days. Member nations seem to be more divided than together, with heavy...

Bilateral Deals are No Threat to Global Trade

Daniel Griswald July 27, 2003
Critics maintain that the Bush administration's efforts to sign bilateral trade agreements with Chile, Singapore, and a few other small nations threaten the global trading system. However, international trade specialist Daniel Griswald argues that bilateral agreements don't threaten the multilateral system, but advance it. Bilateral agreements not only open markets to US exporters, he...

Hail Britannia!

Immanuel Wallerstein July 25, 2003
In the lead up to the invasion of Iraq – and especially with the difficulties the US has encountered since – there is a renewed interest in the historical experience of past imperial efforts. Not surprisingly, the publication of British historian Niall Ferguson's provocative history of the British Empire has aroused special interest. In this review of the book, noted historian and World...

We Didn't Start the Fire: Capitalism and Its Critics, Then and Now

Sheri Berman July 24, 2003
It seems that the recent era of globalization is what’s fueling a controversy over the merits of capitalism, but historian Jerry Muller’s book, “The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Modern European Thought,” reminds us that capitalism has had its critics since at least the 18th century. Capitalism is a relatively new system in the trajectory of human history, says this review essay. However,...

It's a Fat World, After All

Alison Langley July 20, 2003
Americans are not the only overweight people anymore. Thanks to food companies such as McDonald's and Kellogg, Americans are exporting their corpulence to the outside world. But the rising incidence of chronic, diet-related health problems such as diabetes and heart disease are leading to greater scrutiny of companies that manufacture processed foods. As with other goods, American food...

Setting America above the Law

Soha Abdelaty July 18, 2003
The US and Egypt recently signed a bilateral agreement guaranteeing the immunity of each other's officials and military personnel from prosecution in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Cairo's decision to exempt the US personnel from Court jurisdiction has angered those who uphold the need for an encompassing, multilateral judicial institution. Cairo was initially an enthusiastic...