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Lesson in Protectionism

December 9, 2003
US President Bush recently ended import tariffs on foreign steel in order to avoid retaliatory sanctions by the European Union. But during the period of tariff protection, the US steel industry restructured itself. Many firms closed down or were taken over, says this editorial in India's...

Why a New York Cheese Buyer Hangs On the Euro's Fate

December 7, 2011
Steady currency exchange rates smooth the way for global trade. But the threat of default by Greece, Italy and other European nations has reduced the value of the euro and upset predictability in pricing. Reporting for National Public Radio, David Kestenbaum explains the effect of the euro crisis...

Personal Misery in the Pursuit of Happiness

November 28, 2006
Economic growth used to produce widespread wealth – and a combination of low inflation and unemployment once reflected a content and productive society. A widening income gap between rich and poor, in countries as diverse as the US and China, however, is producing large groups of disgruntled or...

China’s Investors Are to Get Freer Hand Abroad

April 20, 2006
On the eve of Chinese President Hu’s visit to the US, China made a gesture toward a more open, market-based currency that pleases the US, but falls short of revaluing of the yuan. China will allow companies and individuals to make financial investments overseas, which could influence the country’s...

Coffee Rust Plagues Farmers in Mexico

April 2, 2013
Fungal diseases are a major challenge in farming, and coffee growers in Latin America must contend with coffee rust – a disease caused by the Hemileia vastatrix, an orange dust that causes the leaves on coffee bushes to fall away, reports Frédéric Saliba for Guardian Weekly. “The crisis seems...

Halt of SARS in Vietnam Could Hold Lessons for Other Nations

May 7, 2003
Vietnam, declared Sars-free by the World Health Organization just last week, is being heralded as an example of efficiency for other countries trying to contain and eliminate the Sars virus. The country was lucky in some regards, but its early containment and prevention efforts should not be...

China and the Iranian Nuclear Crisis

February 6, 2006
China has joined the US, Britain, France, Germany and the EU in deciding the time has come to report Iran’s pursuit of nuclear power to the UN Security Council. Despite joining the unified front, China has expressed less anxiety over Iran’s actions and continues to press, along with Russia, for a...

Algeria’s Shadow Hangs Over Egypt’s Revolution

July 11, 2013
Algerian Islamists advise supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi to resist militarization in avenging a military coup, or that could lead to civil war and foreign jihadists hijacking Islamist agendas, advise Algerian Islamists. “This was sound counsel from a North African state that suffered...
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