In The News

Brussels Refuses to Back GM Food For Africa

James Lamont August 22, 2002
As globalization extends its reach, the use of technology becomes an issue that affects both advanced and developing nations. The United States has been supplying southern African countries with genetically modified (GM) crops as famine relief. But some NGO’s believe that the US is trying to use southern Africa’s poverty to push for global acceptance of genetically modified food. Although the WHO...

Nor Any Drop to Drink

August 22, 2002
Despite India's relative abundance of water, the majority of Indians wonder from where and for how much longer their water is coming. With farmers seeking more for their crops and villages demanding more for drinking, the central government is deferring to the states to regulate the available supply. Andhra Pradesh, a southern state, has created local councils to determine appropriations...

Boeing, Airbus Competition Puts Pakistan in a Fix

Masood Anwar August 22, 2002
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) must decide on more than which airplane to buy; it must also find a way to appease the country which produces that airplane. In an effort to help the ailing airline industry, the U.S. and France are using diplomatic power to force PIA to make a decision in favor of either Boeing (U.S.) or Airbus (France). For the moment, PIA has yet to make a final decision,...

War On ‘Blood’ Diamonds Ramped Up

Ursula Owre Masterson August 21, 2002
Civil war has ravaged countries like Sierra Leone and Angola for decades. These conflicts, as much about money as about politics, often center around one of the African continent’s most precious resources: diamonds. Rebel groups often sell the gems to developed countries and use the profits to fund their fighting. After years of benefiting from the cheaper stones, Western governments, led by...

Exxon Bigger than Pakistan: Survey

August 14, 2002
Some multi-national corporations are now larger economically and growing faster than many nations, a UN report says. The report was filed to answer the debate whether corporations were over-shadowing countries in economic stature. Among the corporations, Exxon Mobil Corp, an oil company, topped the list, and the next highest were automobile manufacturers. The rest of the list was a diverse group...

Brazil Relief Rests on Hopefuls' IMF Stances

Raymond Colitt August 14, 2002
After the 1998 Russian financial crisis and Argentina's economic collapse, the International Monetary Fund's latest target for support is Brazil’s struggling economy, lending that country 30 billion US dollars last week. This seemed like good news for Brazil which hoped that the IMF loan would attract international investment. However, despite the IMF's support, international...

Baffled by Brazil

Ricardo Hausmann August 14, 2002
Emerging markets such as Brazil and Uruguay need stability in order to sustain growth. The goal behind IMF and US foreign aid should thus be to provide stability. However, Paul O’Neill (US Treasury Secretary), the IMF, and US foreign aid serve more to hurt than to help economic stability, argues Harvard Government Professor Ricardo Hausmann. In order to protect emerging markets when financial...