Justin Fox writes: Whenever anybody struck oil in the U.S. in the late 19th century, Standard Oil’s pipeline guys showed up within a few days and offered to hook the new well up to the network.

Carl Bildt and Javier Solana write:  Europe must capitalize on its significant significant strengths. It is a hub of high-level thought and innovation; it is home to some of the world’s most competitive regions and industries; and, perhaps most impressive, it has built a community and market encompassing a half-billion people.

But the world is changing: the Asia-Pacific region is increasingly influencing global developments, economic and otherwise. The Trans-Pacific Partnership – by which the United States and 11 other countries would create a mega-regional free-trade zone – would most likely accelerate this shift (all the more so if China eventually joins. Though the TPP faces no shortage of hurdles to clear before an agreement is finalized, its potential to augment Asia’s economic power cannot be underestimated.

Europe must work to secure its position in the new world order – beginning by enhancing its own trade and investment ties with the US.  Business leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are convinced that a successful Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement would bring substantial economic benefits – a perception that many studies reinforce. Yet trivial issues continue to dominate the debate.

The TTIP’s goal is to unleash the power of the transatlantic economy, which remains by far the world’s largest and wealthiest market.  If the TTIP was opened to other economies – such as Turkey, Mexico, and Canada – the benefits would be even greater.

There are the potentially catastrophic consequences of failure. For starters, a breakdown of TTIP talks would give considerable ammunition to those in the United Kingdom who advocate withdrawal from the EU.

Moreover, the perception that the EU’s internal squabbles had led it to squander a strategic opportunity would probably drive the US to accelerate its disengagement from the continent. And Russian President Vladimir Putin would invariably regard the EU’s failure as a major opportunity to exert more influence over parts of Europe.

All of this contributes to a starkly fundamental strategic risk: If the TTIP stalls or collapses, while the TPP moves forward and succeeds, the global balance will tip strongly in Asia’s favor – and Europe will have few options, if any, for regaining its economic and geopolitical influence.

When the TTIP was first proposed, Europe seemed to recognize its value and wanted to sign a deal quickly. But then EU leaders essentially abandoned the project, seemingly confirming American fears.

EU leaders must revive their commitment to conclude the talks successfully in 2015. This is not to say that resolving the remaining issues will be simple.  When the TTIP negotiations resume next month, EU leaders must push for genuine progress, with the goal of completing a deal by the end of the year.

McDonald’s Holdings Co (Japan) Ltd has embarked on the emergency measure of only offering small-sized french fries to customers as a protracted labor dispute at U.S. West Coast ports has contributed to long delays in imports.

The fast-food chain said it was importing more than 1,000 tonnes of frozen fries by air, which began arriving last Monday and had begun routing another 1,600 tonnes through ports on the U.S. East Coast which should begin arriving in late January.  Those steps alone, however, are not sufficient to prevent a shortage.

rToyama said the company, which has 3,100 stores in Japan, was not placing any limit on the number of small-sized fries a customer may buy but the resumption of medium-sized and large-sized fries remains unclear. She declined to comment on the impact on earnings.

The cargo backups at U.S. West Coast ports dragged on into a third month amid industry reports of prolonged shipment delays for goods ranging from yoga apparel and rice to NBA bobblehead collectibles and frozen french fries.

Cargo that normally takes two to three days to flow through the affected ports, accounting for nearly half of U.S. maritime trade and over 70 percent of imports from Asia, now faces lag times of up to two weeks, the National Retail Federation said.  The congestion has been most pronounced at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s two busiest cargo hubs, where marine officials reported 11 ships anchored on Thursday waiting for berths to open.

The number of freighters kept waiting outside the two ports has fluctuated from about eight to 18 on any given day since the slowdown began there around mid-October, said port of Los Angeles spokesman Phillip Sanfield.  Smaller backups have hit other West Coast ports, including Seattle and Tacoma in Washington state.

The slowdowns have coincided with prolonged labor talks between 20,000 dockworkers and the Pacific Maritime Association, representing terminal operators and shipping lines at 29 West Coast ports. Their latest contract expired June 30.

Management has accused the International Longshore and Warehouse Union of orchestrating some slowdowns on the docks to bolster its leverage at the bargaining table.  Union officials deny organizing protest delays but acknowledge individual dockworkers may have acted out of frustration over the pace of contract talks.

Other factors cited are a shortage of tractor-trailer chassis used for hauling cargo containers from the ports, a situation created when shippers decided to sell off their chassis to equipment-leasing companies.

Union and port officials also cite record import levels at the peak cargo season, rail service delays and the advent of super-sized container vessels delivering greater cargo volumes.

As Japan began reconstruction after the end of World War II, the paramount issue was to feed a nation of hungry people. Infrastructure was ruined and farmland abandoned. Agricultural reforms compelled landlords to sell off their large land holdings to the tenant farmers who worked those lands. Newly-incentivized farmers quickly brought the agricultural sector back into production.

Japan has been doing all right for itself. In terms of total volume of food produced, it is number five in the world. It’s a nation obsessed with food self-sufficiency and food security.

With the distorting forces of the global economy, a graying of the population who till the land, a huge agricultural cooperative that may not be representing the true needs of its constituents, and a ruling government party that actively opposes the cooperative, Japan is going through some huge changes.

JA Zenchu (Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives) is a mammoth organization that not only represents the interests of 47 prefectural agricultural co-ops and controls a huge insurance company and one of Japan’s largest banks. JA Zenchu has been steadfast in supporting tariffs on foreign rice (up to nearly 800 percent) and has been opposed to Japan joining the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

In the other corner of the struggle over food, there’s the current government, controlled by Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Abe and his allies would love to break JA Zenchu.

In the current battle between JA Zenchu and the LDP, the LDP seems to be winning. And it’s not just on the political front. Market concerns are changing the roles of middlemen, unions and wholesalers. A huge grocery store chain, Aeon, is beginning to buy rice directly from producers.

The farmers average age around 66 – and they’ve long depended on the advocacy of the JA Zenchu and protectionist policies of the government. Even parties like the LDP still depend on rural turnout during elections.  They’re pushing for an end to production controls by 2018, but still subsidizing farmers who switch to other crops or produce rice for livestock.

On one hand, a system is in place that supports small farmers and crop diversity. But the co-op that protects these farmers seems more concerned with insurance and banking.  The current government is focused on pushing Japan out of its decades-long economic slump through monetary policy and a rush to corporatize farming.   What direction Japan takes remains the big question.  Rice will remain on the Japanese table. How it gets there is up for grabs.

A.. J.  Corchado writes:  When the news of the biggest political thaw in more than half a century between the U.S. and Cuba finally came, Cynthia Thomas discovered an unusual longing.  For more than 14 years, Thomas faced an uphill battle in helping lay the foundation for Texas companies to do business in Cuba. President Barack Obama’s Dec. 17 executive order to normalize relations with Cuba provides Texans with a new opportunity.

While normalization won’t be complete until Congress ends its economic embargo, Thomas and others believe the move is a milestone for the United States, particularly Texas. Over the years, Texas leaders have touted possible deals for beans, cotton, rice, grain, packaged desserts, organic soaps, livestock, even airlines and ports. Success has come slowly, with overall sales of Texas agriculture products topping $89 million in 2009 before falling. Some agricultural products are exempt from the embargo.

The fact that Texas doesn’t carry the political baggage of the swing state of Florida bodes well for the Lone Star State.

Texas and Cuba — the Western Hemisphere’s last communist nation — may seem like an odd match, but they share intriguing bits of history. Both have had revolutions. Both have a passion for gritty cowboys, fine cattle and baseball. And both have unwavering pride in their independent spirit, underscored by their flags, each emblazoned with a single star.  On Fidel Castro’s first and only trip to the United States in 1959, he stopped in Houston, met with a Texas cattlemen’s group and donned a cowboy hat for the cameras.

Texas lore fascinates Cubans. Near Cuba’s heartland town of Camaguey, where Texas’ King Ranch once owned thousands of acres and raised the most prized cattle herd around, locals readily embrace norteño music, known in Texas as Tex-Mex. The properties were expropriated by the Cuban Revolution and are now known as Rancho King, said to be one of Fidel Castro’s favorite places for quiet reflection.

Cuba will require patience for investors and tourists. The island is packed with well-educated residents hungry for technology, new fashion styles, restaurants, etc. Yet much of the population of more than 11 million people is mired in poverty. With a per capita gross domestic product of about $3,900, most Cubans cannot afford pricey foreign products.  The key, he added, will be the development of the Cuban tourism industry, which boasts of its stunning beaches.

The higher women climb up the career ladder, the bigger the gender gap grows. Women still hold just 5 percent of CEO positions and 17 percent of board seats, according to research group Catalyst. One of the biggest obstacles to narrowing the gender gap for female leaders may be the employees who work for them.

According to a recent Gallop poll, employees of both genders prefer male bosses to female bosses. Among the 60 percent of employees who have a preference either way, women (40 percent) actually are more likely to prefer a male boss than men (29 percent).

Yet research from leadership consultancy Zenger Folkman shows that women are actually more effective leaders than men, scoring higher on 12 of 16 leadership attributes, according to Robert Sherwin, chief operating officer at Zenger Folkman.

So why don’t we like them more?

Misguided perceptions and stereotypes about female leaders at all levels of the workplace may be playing at play. People believe that women are less effective leaders.  But women score higher than men on developng others, building relationships and collaboration.

Women also scored higher on leadership traits often attributed to men, such as taking initiative, driving results and being a champion for change.

Another reason for the disconnect between the effectiveness of female leaders and the preference for male bosses simply may be that few employees actually know what it’s like to work for a woman.  One of the few subgroups in Gallup’s poll that did not tilt toward a male leader was the 30 percent of employees who work for a female boss. Those employees were equally split in their preferences—perhaps showing that gender equality among leaders creates gender equality among workers as well.

For workers to see the benefits of working for a female boss firsthand, the number of women leaders must increase.  Female role models help inspire women who are aspiring to leadership positions. But they also help educate men who already are in the executive suite about the strength of female leaders and the ways they can improve a company’s performance and results.

The increased adoption of family-friendly workplace polices such as paid maternity and paternity leave also could help drive the growth of female leaders.