Politicians are reaping gains by wrapping themselves in flags and directing hostility toward globalization. “Humankind is developing an emerging ‘global consciousness’ – a collective sensitivity to noble thoughts as well as to phobias and ignoble protectionism,” explains Farok Contractor, a...
Invasive species: Opponents of globalization reject foreign influences, cultural or economic – Hindu extremists oppose the celebration of Valentine’s Day, and US workers reject export of jobs.
NEW BRUNSWICK: Nationalistic politicians rising around...
While many are aware of the "triangular" slave trade among Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 18th century, few people realize that Asian-European trade was also instrumental in sustaining the exchange of human slaves. For example, French ships carrying European goods to Asia returned...
19th-century lithograph of a French ship transporting slaves to the colonies in the Caribbean (Source: Digital Media Lab, University of Virginia Library)
NEW HAVEN: The role that international trade has played in developing a globally integrated...
In the US, Indians and Indian-Americans make up the largest non-Caucasian segment of the American medical community, where they account for one in every 20 practicing doctors. In recent years, they have become a more vocal and visible presence, undertaking charitable activities and political...
Rahul Sharma, a resident physician of Indian origin, examines a patient at New York's Bellevue Hospital: The opportunities for his fellow countrymen to join his profession in the US may be shrinking. (Photo (c) Steve Raymer 2004...
Women and children have been among the biggest losers in this era of globalization, if we consider the massive increase in human trafficking in recent years. Cheated or sold into a life of sexual slavery or indentured servitude, the victims of human trafficking and their stories reveal the dark...
Red Light district in Amsterdam: Dark shadows cast by global flesh trade. (Copyright © 1996-2000 Bruno J. Navarro/Fotophile.com)
PRAGUE: Sasha sits across the table from me in a sun-filled room. It is mid-May. Pink tulips arch their long stems...
Scientists have long warned that temperatures will soar and people swelter as rising levels of greenhouse gases lead to global warming. However, new evidence suggests that these conclusions were somewhat off-base. Instead of sweating, people around the world may soon be shivering as high...
If you can remember back to the bitter winters of the late 1970s and early 80s you might also recall that there was much discussion in scientific circles at the time about whether or not the freezing winter conditions...
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviews US foreign investments in the United States and allows the president to suspend or block transactions if other laws do not apply even as “credible evidence” suggests a national security risk. The group of nine cabinet members and...
Wide security net: UAE-owned DP World manages ports around the world, including one in Vancouver, Canada, left, yet was forced to sell operations of six US ports in 2006; Beijing Kunlun Company divests from online dating site Grindr, as ordered by...
China started the new year by dispatching the country’s first freight train to the United Kingdom, part of a larger effort to stimulate global trade. The train will depart from the city of Yiwu, a major commodities center, traverse central Asia and continental Europe, and reach its destination in...
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In the Middle Ages, spices were valued commodities, but not, as most people assume, for their ability to preserve meat. Rather, it was because medieval cuisine placed a premium on a variety of flavors. Spices were also thought to have medicinal properties, adding to their allure. These are only...
Workers harvest pepper near Quilon, south India in the 14th century: The desire for flavor fueled building of empires. (Source: Marco Polo's Livre des merveilles)
The control over gold, silver, precious metals and recently oil has been a source of...
