IHT/Oxford Analytica

Hm. This probably comes a bit late, but let’s stick to the old adage that it’s better late than never. (Actually, “last ditch” comes to mind.) If you’ve never really bothered to read the news, this IHT/Oxford Analytica collaboration would probably be a little more than useful to you. If you need a quick brief on what’s been going on, or (more probably) are severely desperate, these digestible and page-long analyses should be of some help. Sure there are lots of articles to read, but search enough and you’ll find the gems among them.

Just a quick look at the links down on the first page:
INTERNATIONAL: Global financial regulation is illusory
LATIN AMERICA: FTAs generate long-term benefits
INTERNATIONAL: Financial crisis goes global

And what to expect, taken from the article about FTAs:

A parallel argument suggests that the main benefits of FTAs in developing countries lie in their long-term qualitative effects, rather than short-term quantitative gains:

• Institutional and policy stability. FTAs, particularly with industrialized countries, and their prospective benefits provide a framework that helps to lock in pro-market structural reforms and, particularly, macroeconomic discipline.

• Environmental, phytosanitary and labor standards. FTA disciplines in these areas — although risking their use as non-tariff barriers — serve as an incentive for improvements that benefit local quality of life as well as long-term growth.

Thanks Yee Sian for dropping me this link on MSN just a few minutes earlier.