#trade

Africa’s economic prospects have always been a topic of great consternations for local governments and international analysts and commentators.  A continent rich in commodities (oil, diamonds, minerals), with a favorable demographic trends, and the potential for economic growth, has historically been ‘stuck in the muck’.  Yet, things are turning around, and the past decade has […]

As the Arab Spring is turning to its second (and harder) phase of conducting elections and forming legitimate transitional government, the need for an economic strategy is becoming painfully apparent.  The people, who marched on the streets demanding political freedom, were also demonstrating for economic freedom and the general improvement of their future economic prospects.  […]

It’s no surprise that the “biggies”—the McDonalds, the Microsofts, the Boeings—have a MENA presence (MENA=Middle East and North Africa).  But what about small to medium enterprises? How do they even begin to take advantage of this huge (and growing) market of hundreds of millions of consumers? A great answer can be found in an article, […]

We are a people who don’t have money, food or clothes. But we are sleeping on gold. ~ Mohammad Ibrahim Adel, former Afghan minister of mines. Afghanistan is the second most corrupt nation in the world and its people are the poorest outside of Africa. Developing a legitimate economy, effective government, and safety for its […]

Loosely defined, a climate shock is a deviation from typical regional climate conditions that often results in unfavorable conditions.  From floods, droughts and cyclones to hurricanes and tsunamis, these episodes affect livelihoods in many ways. They wipe out crops, reduce opportunities for employment, ratchet up food prices and destroy property. For wealthy households shocks can […]

This week, one of the biggest stories in the international media about Brazil focused on the Goldman abduction case and the latest international repercussions of the case. Sean Goldman was abducted by his Brazilian mother, Bruna Bianchi, in June 2004 from New Jersey. She brought him to Rio de Janeiro under the pretext of a […]

1) Speculation in Pakistan is increasing over whether President Asif Ali Zardari will survive in office much longer. The constant threat of military coups is the elephant in the room, especially after Zardari attempted to place the ISI under civilian control. Moreover, Pakistani politics are riddled with ever-shifting alliances and corrupt political actors lacking any […]

China’ economic emergence mirror’s America’s rise and how it was perceived by Britain at the height of the industrial revolution more than a century ago.

While I am not a specialist in green technology, I could not help but be depressed by an article in the New York Times Tuesday about China’s rare earth minerals and metals.   The Times and many other papers announced Tuesday that China which “currently accounts for 93 percent of production of so-called rare earth elements” […]

Is this WTO complaint taken by China against the EU regarding the importation of screws the first sign of an increasingly aggrssive Chinese attitude towards the EU regarding trade? With China being the only major economy with postive economic growth, it is less likely to kowtow to the rules of its trading partners.