Exports Books

This is basically a "how to" Q and A book resembling what might be a FAQ sheet about Vietnam. As a result it is rather disorganized and has little in the way of analysis or opinion. Theoretically, the book covers most of the legal, financial and bureaucratic hurdles one might encounter while doing business in Vietnam. Unfortunately, theory and reality have yet to meet in Vietnam.

This is a great book that covers the economics at an easy level and has lots of good data. Trouble is that it is quite out of date by now since many things have occured since it was published.

This is one of the classic text in the area. It covers most of the main policy areas in a series of chapters written by separate authors. The multi-author thing is a bit disturbing given very different levels. Another drawback is that it contains relatively little economics and not all of that is up-to-date -- most of the book presents policy and institutional details. The latest version is quite up-to-date but nothing on the Constitutional Treaty and little on the 2004 enlargement.

Ms. Pond does a great deal of research for her piece, Friendly Fire, and the depth of her knowledge shows. She is able to cite with authority much of the progression of events and media coverage of the fallout between the United States and Europe up until immediately following the swift US victory against Saddam Hussein.

However, her book unfortunately includes several issues that have since either been refuted or made irrelevant by subsequent disputes. The Plame affair, involving Ambassador Wilson, have been thoroughly debunked, while relations between the allies underwent even more convulsions in the reconstruction period of the Coalition occupation of Iraq.

It cannot be said that this incompletenes is her fault, but for someone looking for a more complete review of post-9/11 US-European relations, this offers only half of the tale. Further, as she is a correspondent in Germany, he work is heavily weighted toward the US-German relationship, almost entirely ignoring the French leadership's crusade against American "hyperpower." Still, if you are looking for an in-depth exploration of the US-German relationship from 9/11 until the victory against Saddam, this is more than sufficient, clear and well-researched.

Overall, I found the book pricey given the quality... The layout is also not as user friendly as other textbooks in the field. For every topic it does give an example, but does not always clearly outline the steps obtained to achieve the displayed solution. Not to mention the fact that there is almost one error in every larger example.

I took this book with me on a recent trip to Japan and found it both endlessly fascinating and surprozingly useful in understanding the little dance our hosts did when making introductions, the subtleties of negotiations about seating and a host of other behaviors that were curious to American eyes.

While the examples of ceramics shown are well photographed and beautiful, the text is minimal. Many examples of Satsuma, for example, show signatures, which is helpful, but in certain cases the signatures are not identified for English readers. To say that the vase is marked with "red characters," and not translate them, is simple laziness in scholarship, especially given the credits to individual experts who could have read them. In at least one case, the signature translation matches no others in the same text. Visually, the book provides a great bit of eye training for that which is "good" in this field for the collector. In terms of background and intellectual edification, the text rates from beginner to worthless. Hence the middle grade of three stars. A good picture book.

Maryse Robert's book presents an extremely detailed account of the outcomes in four sectors, offering a lot of background information on the history of the negotiating stances. In many instances, it could even serve as a reference work to explain the differences of before and after NAFTA.

But as a negotiation analysis, it remains unsatisfying. While the book claims to be process-oriented, it actually offers little insight into how the negotiations evolved. The theoretical chapter is more of heuristic than explanatory value. I recommend Cameron and Tomlin's "Negotiating NAFTA" to anyone looking for a behind-the-scenes account that reflects recent developments in negotiation analysis.

By providing an alternative approach towards achieving a sustainable future, The New Protectionism is of interest to students of the environment, international trade and sustainable development. This book is co-authored by Professor Tim Lang, who has a wide background in consumer and environment movements, and Colin Hines, a professional environmental campaigner. They argue that to face the most serious global challenges today, world trade must be put on a different footing "The New Protectionism"to reduce international trade while protecting the environment and promoting local interests. They present a novel approach that would contribute more to prosperity and social justice, by way of creating much-needed local jobs, than would continued trade liberalization. They also attack the theory of comparative advantage and GATT.

"Protecting the future against free trade" necessitates the creation of a new economic order whereby concern for the environment is given top priority. But their rejection of international trade and their call for a more local and regional approach to economic activity are not popular messages. Lang and Hines make the distinction between what they term the old protectionism and the New Protectionism. The former is the historical practice of protectionism used by big business and powerful interests to pursue their goals while the latter seeks to protect public interests, against the interests of unrestrained trade.

The authors argue that free trade serves only a narrow range of established elitist interests where the pursuit of wealth and consumption for the world's richest inhabitants has led to global environmental degradation. This is a major feature of today's environmental crisis where the Western way of life depends on the excessive use of resources. These consumption patterns have put the green movement into a conundrum: on the one hand it wants mass public support, yet on the other hand it desires to change radically the lifestyle and production pattern of its very supporters.

I bought this book as study-guide/hornbook for International Business Transactions, International Trade, and Customs law courses. Overall, the book provides an excellent synopsis of the listed subjects. However, it is very dated. The book was purportedly updated in 2005. It was, but only partially. There are still references to Franks, Deutschmarks, the Soviet Union, etc. Additionally, the cases and examples cited are almost all at least 10 years old. Little since the 1990's apears to have been changed in the book. It looks like someone did a spotty, rushed job of trying to update the book. I frankly know of nothing better, so until there is one I can only recommend this book for international trade and business law topics.