Nations laden with debt fret about investments by overseas cash-rich sovereign wealth funds. “The most common fears are that the SWFs, being government-owned, may be used not only for the purpose of receiving attractive returns on their investments but also for pursuing geopolitical objectives,...
The slowdown of the global economy experienced since late 2007 has provided fertile ground for trade protectionism. The threat has been made worse by this summer’s collapse (once again) of the WTO Doha Round...
Africa is often described as a victim of globalization. However, analyst Okechukwu Emeh argues that the continent’s developing states can join together to make the process work in their favor. On the theory that a rising tide lifts all boats, incorporating African industries into global markets can...
Click here to read the article in "Vanguard."
Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize for economics in 2001, complains about unfair trade, excessive debt and poverty, yet still argues that globalization offers enormous potential if managed properly by nations. He compares complaints about globalization to complaints about unemployment...
Click here for the original article on Project Syndicate's website.
A round of Somali peace talks failed to produce a power-sharing agreement between the fragile secular government based in Baidoa and the Islamists who control Mogadishu. The breakdown highlights a long and bitter rivalry between Somalia, largely Muslim, and Ethiopia, with equal numbers of...
Witnesses in Moote Moote, a village just outside Bur Hakaba, say hundreds of civilians have fled their villages in the past three days, as an increasing number of heavily armed Islamist fighters have arrived in the area...
The Asian financial crisis 10 years ago convinced many governments on the continent to become big, yet cautious savers. Developing nations account for 75 percent of the world’s $6 trillion of foreign exchange reserves – and have sovereign funds worth $2.5 trillion. By purchasing vast sums of US...
There is a delicious irony in the fact that U.S. banks have sought equity capital from the sovereign wealth funds of Asian and Middle Eastern countries to repair the balance-sheet damage inflicted by subprime mortgage...
Blood samples from Amazon tribes are ideal for certain types of research because their isolation from the outside world allows scientists to track illnesses through generations. Researchers promised future medicine to Amazon tribes in Brazil in exchange for donating blood. The first research teams...
Click here for the original article on The New York Times website.
Geologists who study the Arctic will remember summer of 2007 for a massive melt-off. Another surprise for scientists was that moving ice contributed so much to the meltdown. “The pace of change has far exceeded what had been estimated by almost all the simulations used to envision how the Arctic...
Click here for the original article on The New York Times website.
Surpassing action movies and McDonald's – and perhaps even democratic governance – soccer is one passion that unites far reaches of the globe. Watched by billions and played by millions, the sport's stars are global heroes, its teams global icons, and its history a global narrative....
Click here for the original article on the Inter-Press Service website.