World

As a conservative, I’m fully on record as a critic of President Obama’s policies. Today, however, I’m on board with the president’s decision to ask for congressional authority on Syria. Moreover, if the intelligence is solid, then Congress needs to give President Obama his requested authority. It is absolutely correct for the president to seek […]

SPECIAL REPORT — The Syrian civil war appears to have at least temporarily reached a point of stalemate, with neither rebel forces nor the military and allied militias capable of making a decisive push for territory that could potentially turn the tide for either side. The offensive launched by the fractious rebel camp in late […]

Recent developments in U.S.-Chinese relations again have crossed into the technological world, as the U.S. has become increasingly concerned over Chinese cyber attacks. In turn, the Chinese government has vehemently denied any participation, stating any actions taken were by independent hackers. Nevertheless, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan recently met […]

President Obama recently announced the appointment of a completely unqualified Caroline Kennedy as U.S. ambassador to Japan. This is a mistake. If there ever was a time to have an experienced ambassador with solid credentials, it is now. The increasingly important Japanese market, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which is the largest free-trade agreement in history, […]

SPECIAL REPORT—Over the last decade, much of Latin American growth was supported by strong international demand, especially for natural resources and minerals. And over time, China became a more important commodity customer, which boosted world prices. However, as the global economy has slowed in recent years, Chinese demand for natural resources also has decreased, while...

Comparisons almost always cause resentment. The French political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that when humans lived alone in the state of nature, they were happy with their lot and needed only their own self-approval. But the move to society, living cheek by jowl with others, invited precisely those comparisons with others that creates ill-will, envy […]

The broad coalition government formed in the aftermath of two snap elections held in May and June 2012 has not held up well under the strain of implementing a painful austerity program demanded by the EU and the IMF as a condition for two packages of bailout loans. The coalition was already leaking support when […]

Since 2009, the federation government has grappled with difficulties stemming from a debt crisis in Dubai and the threat of internal unrest amid the Arab Spring in 2011. To all appearances, the emirs have met those twin challenges with success. The wave of rebellion that swept across the region largely bypassed the UAE. It was […]

Someone tell Nestlé that Europe’s economy is on the ropes. In the past 18 months, the Vevey, Switzerland-based nutrition and food services giant has invested in new facilities in France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland — and three in the UK (not to mention China, Jamaica, the UAE, Malaysia and Argentina, among other places). It’s also expanding […]

President Enrique Peña Nieto has managed to enlist the backing of both the conservative PAN and the left-leaning PRD for the reform agenda of his PRI administration. The unprecedented tripartite alliance, dubbed the “Pact for Mexico,” has agreed to steer a total of 95 reform initiatives through the 500-member Chamber of Deputies, and has already […]

SPECIAL REPORT—Political tensions that had been simmering ever since the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) romped to victory at legislative elections held in late 2011 and early 2012 finally boiled over in early July 2013. In a scene reminiscent of the events that brought the downfall of the entrenched autocratic regime headed by […]

Although the number of deals increased, the value of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in China in 2012 decreased in line with global trends. Chinese M&A volume remained small at approximately 5 percent of total global activity, while more than two thirds of the transactions were domestic. There were large differences across sectors, with important activity […]

President Park Geun-hye has suffered a number of political setbacks since taking office in February. This includes the forced withdrawal of four prospective Cabinet nominees from consideration owing to various transgressions or questionable affiliations, allegations that agents of the National Intelligence Service engaged in illegal political activity on behalf of Park’s presidential campaign, and accusations […]

Just one year since his triumph in the 2012 election, French President Francois Hollande is struggling to reverse the collapse of popular support. His abandonment of key planks of the Socialist platform has contributed to a sense of betrayal among his left-leaning base, while the government’s lack of action on key structural reforms has fostered […]

The Bangladesh coalition government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed’s AL remains broadly stable. It also maintains a narrow lead over the opposition BNP in opinion polls despite weeks of labor unrest and political violence that have begun to take a toll on the economy. AL’s attempts to enhance its electoral advantage by rallying […]

The power struggle at the top of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) appears to have been resolved sufficiently to reduce the risk of an open rift in the regime. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Nguyen Van Dung has been weakened in the process. In addition, he still faces serious challenges in the form of a stalling […]

Since Daniel Ortega returned to the presidency in 2007, the former Marxist guerrilla leader has confounded his critics by implementing a generally liberal economic policy agenda in cooperation with the IMF. Ortega’s willingness to accommodate the private sector was highlighted in late November 2012, when the FSLN majority in the National Assembly approved a tax-reform […]

In a series of lawsuits spanning 10 countries over three plus years, technology giants Apple Inc. and Samsung Group have been fighting a high stakes international patent war. The heart of this and other patent wars revolves primarily around the infringement of technology patents used in both smart phones and tablet devices.

On February 13, 2013, the White House announced that the United States and the European Union would begin negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the hope of reaching a deal by late 2014. The declared goal is to achieve duty-free trade on industrial and agricultural products, with certain exceptions.

If you’re like many manufacturing and distribution executives, you recognize that exporting can play a compelling role in an organization’s business strategy. There’s a broad consensus among CEOs that exporting is a good idea and there’s a fair amount of evidence that a successful export program enhances an organization’s economic growth and sustainability.