Gotcha! US Faulted by WTO on Susidizing Boeing

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,, at 3/31/2011 05:18:00 PM
Today, the WTO finally released its panel report on the EU's complaint against the United States regarding American subsidies for Boeing (case # DS353). This, of course, is the countersuit launched by the EU in the wake of the US launching a case against Airbus on launch subsidies (DS316). I have always thought both parties, EU-Airbus and US-Boeing, culpable of subsidizing aircraft development and that it would ultimately prove to be a wash. And so it has come to pass: it seems Boeing too is not scot-free alike its European consortium counterpart.The key part of the panel report faulting the US on aid to Boeing is here:The...
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Japan Says Don't Overreact to 'Nuked' Foodstuffs

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/31/2011 12:01:00 AM
With alarming news reports coming out of Japan on a nearly daily basis about how various foodstuffs are exhibiting raised radioactivity levels--whether the bulk of them are true or not I cannot ascertain for obvious reasons--its trading partners are becoming understandably wary of importing Japanese food products. In fact, a number of them have already begun slapping bans on imports from Japan. A few days ago, there were indications that Japan would voice its concerns at the WTO over this sort of overreaction:Japan will ask World Trade Organisation (WTO) members not to 'overreact' to the crisis surrounding the stricken nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture, which has prompted import restrictions on some Japanese food products over fears of radioactive contamination, trade and diplomatic sources said.The Japanese government delegates will make the request at an informal meeting of the WTO's Trade Negotiation Committee which convenes Tuesday, the first since the March 11 catastrophic...
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Inevitable Reform Candidate for FIFA President?

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/30/2011 12:01:00 AM
Governance of sport should be of considerable interest to its followers given how much attention and money fans devote to sporting events. At the same time, let's just say that global governance of sport often fails the smell test on justifiable grounds. If there ever were institutions that could use standard prescriptions of transparency and fair dealing, the backroom world of sports politics is long overdue for attention.Now, the words "FIFA" and "corruption" go together in popular discourse alike "America" and "bankrupt." Despite my tendency to favour new locations all over the world to host World Cups--especially in regions...
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The PR Art of Selling Authoritarian Regimes?

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,, at 3/29/2011 12:03:00 AM
Here we go again with the alleged dark arts of the marketing trade. Flipping through the London dailies, there's apparently a new cause celebre here in Britain. And no, I'm not talking about fish pedicures--that's so 2010, dahling. As a business major from days long gone, I think of marketing concepts as general-purpose tools of persuasion whose principles can be applied in many realms--selling products, services, candidates, or even countries. (Remember the notion of "nation branding.") As you will read, it turns out that among the most avid users of advertising and public relations services here in Blighty are authoritarian...
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Anna Chapman: Political Economy of Lousy Spying

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/29/2011 12:02:00 AM
Oh, I just had to make a post on this bit of kookiness out of respect for my boss. What do Andrei Arshavin, Roman Pavlyuchenko, and Anna Chapman have in common? They are all boosters of the pro-Putin United Front. I have mentioned the now-infamous Miss Chapman previously in connection with the notion of "erotic capital." As it turns out, I may have underestimated her hypermarketing in Mother Russia. All this because of being a rank incompetent at what she was supposed to do--spying. I am beginning to think of her as another Russian Anna who was not really a top-rank tennis player but was a looker nonetheless--Anna Kournikova....
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The UN Should Be Anywhere But New York

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,,, at 3/28/2011 12:03:00 AM
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger...
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India Shining: Rupee Symbol Now in MS Windows

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/25/2011 07:22:00 PM
Always one to play the foil, let me say that contrary to conventional wisdom among the self-styled digerati, I see no reason to chuck Windows 7 for OS X. Not only is the range of programmes for the former vast, but a smidgen of diligence means you can avoid catching viruses and malware. Yes, you can run software that allows you to run Windows software on a Mac, but it makes little sense to pay extra to run stuff more slowly on a Mac. What is more, ever since Apple switched to Intel from Motorola (PowerPC) processors, the hardware used by both contending operating systems is virtually identical--but Apple charges you significantly...
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The Slow Road to Southeast Asian Integration

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 3/24/2011 12:08:00 AM
Here is an update on something I follow quite closely from my home region: Southeast Asian economic integration. Unlike the European Union (liberal democracies) or the Gulf Cooperation Council (Islamic monarchies), Southeast Asia possesses countries with a range of political and economic systems. You also observe sizeable economic disparities between countries that span from Myanmar to the virtually first world Singapore.What's more, differences in institutional capacity mean that economic integration will be bound to occur in fits and starts since the respective starting points and learning curves of these countries are vastly...
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Opiate of the Masses? Predicting Religion's Death

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 3/23/2011 12:01:00 AM
Let us begin today's missive on the contemporary fate of religion with Karl Marx's famous "opiate of the masses" passage:Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.I am...
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Would You Stay in Libya as a Nurse for More Pay?

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,,, at 3/22/2011 12:03:00 AM
The Philippines is widely recognized as one of the world's top labour exporters. Although its Department of Foreign Affairs began evacuations from Libya shortly after the troubles began like many other countries, it appears that one of its main exports have chosen to stay. Among others, Filipino medical professionals--doctors, dentists, and nurses--have been in great demand abroad as evidenced by their sheer numerical strength.The situation is no different in the Middle East. With their ability to adapt to local cultures, Filipino nurses--particularly those of Muslim faith--have been practising in these countries. Loath to let them go, it turns out the Libyan government has promised increased pay in exchange for Filipino nurses not leaving the country immediately. While the risk-reward ratio of such an action is debatable, these nurses are hedging on medical facilities not being targets for the pro-Gadhafi forces, the rebels, or the Western no-fly zone enforcers. Risky? Yes,...
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Moammar, Italy & BRICs: The Battle for Libyan Oil

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in ,,, at 3/21/2011 12:03:00 AM
A few days ago, we had former UNDP head Mark Malloch Brown talk impressively about global events, especially goings-on at the UN in relation to the Middle East/North Africa. One of the things he pointed out was that perhaps an even worse humanitarian disaster is occurring in Cote d'Ivoire. While this is sadly and undoubtedly true, I'll take the crude Marxist route of economic determinism and suggest the difference boils down to energy. Possessed of the finest grades of petroleum reserves--light, sweet crude that is easy to refine--Libya will remain a prize far greater than the Ivory Coast. Tis the way of the world: I am afraid...
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Stephen Roach on Japan Quake Consequences

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 3/21/2011 12:01:00 AM
There's been something of a proliferation by the commentariat on the economic effects of Japan's crisis. Martin Wolf was among those first out of the chute with a paean to its historical resilience to such events which it both prepares for quite thoroughly and has experienced in the past. Moreover, he argues that Japan's private sector runs a surplus more than sufficient to cover government deficits. In the (virtual) pages of al-Jazeera, though, Morgan Stanley's Stephen Roach offers an altogether more pessimistic take--especially on the knock-on effects of this very unfortunate tragedy.Though the entire op-ed is worth reading, I'll excerpt what he think it means for subrime crisis-hit countries that have already run out of ammo in terms of using accommodative policies:Alas, there is an added complication that makes today's shocks all the more vexing; governments and central banks have exhausted the traditional ammunition upon which they have long relied during times of economic...
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Of Repatriation and Concerted G7 Yen Intervention

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/18/2011 01:16:00 AM
My goodness, things are happening so fast that my head is spinning. If the UN establishing a no-fly zone above Libyan airspace wasn't enough, we're now headed for a G7 currency no-speculation zone (of sorts) with regard to the Japanese yen. It certainly isn't everyday when the story on the Yahoo! front page is of G7-coordinated currency intervention. I'm comfortable suggesting that in no other circumstance would market intervention make the headlines were it not for post-disaster Japan being the beneficiary nation in question. You see, the currency of that calamity-stricken country recently hit all-time highs against the US...
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USTR Ron Kirk on Moving Doha Forward

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 3/18/2011 12:40:00 AM
I guess the points put forward here will not surprise many since the US trade representative is tasked with promoting trade liberalization first and foremost. For what they're worth, here is Ron Kirk on the US position regarding the aforementioned topic, all the while emphasizing the reasonableness of American demands vis-a-vis its trade partners--especially major emerging economies. From the USTR site:Right now in Geneva, Switzerland, a test is underway. It is a test of the willingness of World Trade Organization (WTO) members to move the decade-long Doha Development Round negotiations into the “end game” – as President Obama and other G20 Leaders have directed negotiators to do this year. The window of opportunity for the talks to avoid decline into futility is a narrow one. The United States will leave no stone unturned in its quest for an ambitious and balanced outcome. But key negotiating partners must share this motivation.The world has changed since the Doha negotiations...
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Why I Still [Heart] Trade War, US Federal Shutdown

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in at 3/16/2011 11:49:00 PM
I've just come from an engaging talk by Martin Wolf at the LSE. In his take on one of Aesop's fables, China and other industries have been, in recent years, industrious "ants" busy saving up through thrift and industry. Meanwhile, the likes of the US and the UK have been loafing around, singing a happy tune. Making his own elaboration, he adds "locusts" or financial intermediaries we've come to know more than we would probably like in the aftermath of the subprime crisis who perform the task of intermediating between the "ant" and the "grasshoppers."Depressingly, Martin Wolf lays out a global picture which is remarkably unchanged...
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Japan's Lean Mfg Becomes the World's Problem

♠ Posted by Emmanuel in , at 3/16/2011 12:01:00 AM
It's not always that you feel sorry for Japanese automotive behemoth Toyota, but I'm sure we should all wish it well at the moment. For several years now, the Japanese have been the world's "lean manufacturing" innovators as exemplified by the likes of the Toyota Production System. During conventional times--therein lies the rub, but more on that later--they have sought to minimize muda or waste, which comes in seven forms: (1) overproduction, (2) overprocessing, (3) unnecessary transportation, (4) excess inventory, (5) excess motion of workers and equipment, (6) product defects, and (7) downtime. Certainly, we can all do...
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