In The News

Capitalism as Victim of Covid-19? Salon

Matthew Rozsa June 18, 2020
The pandemic and climate change demonstrate that survival depends on the ability to learn while relying on best evidence. Political leaders who downplay or deny the consequences of Covid-19 and climate change – trying to protect economies for the short term, rejecting early warnings and refusing to adapt – actually risk more economic damage. Such disasters also show that the free-market...

Keep the US in WHO: Foreign Affairs

Harold Hongju Koh and Lawrence O. Gostin June 7, 2020
The United States represents about 25 percent of the world’s confirmed Covid-19 cases. US withdrawal from the World Health Organization, as proposed by the president based on false claims, would damage global health security and the rule of law. The US Congress can hold hearings and opponents can go to court, arguing the president lacks constitutional authority. Trump is correct that WHO should...

How We Broke the World: NYT

Thomas L. Friedman June 2, 2020
Global insecurity has intensified with the gradual dismantling of protections. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve been steadily removing man-made and natural buffers, redundancies, regulations and norms that provide resilience and protection when big systems – be they ecological, geopolitical or financial – get stressed,” explains Thomas Friedman for the New York Times. Obsession with short-term...

“Dumped in Florida”: Bradenton Herald

Taylor Dolven and Samantha J. Gross April 3, 2020
Cruise ships with passengers and crew reporting symptoms of COVID-19 struggle to dock at ports during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Zaandam, operated by Carnival Corporation’s Holland America Line, has seen four passengers die and at least two test positive for COVID-19,” reports the Brandenton Herald. “Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford said in a statement Monday that the company is...

Global Financial System and the Abyss: Bloomberg

Molly Smith, Alex Harris and Matthew Boesler March 29, 2020
The United States, with more confirmed COVID-19 cases than other country in the world and a patchwork approach to testing and emergency closures, has not set a good example in slowing the disease's spread. On the other hand, the US Federal Reserve has led in preventing a global economic depression by applying massive, far-reaching and historic actions to ensure liquidity and stabilization....

Globalization Spreads Contagion of All Kinds: FT

Ian Goldin March 3, 2020
The swift spread of COVID-19 followed by market declines alarms citizens and policymakers. “As trade, finance, travel, cyber and other networks grow in scale and interact, they become more complex and unstable,” writes Oxford University professor Ian Goldin for Financial Times. “The super-spreaders of the goods of globalisation, such as major airport hubs, are also super-spreaders of the bads.”...

Taal Volcano Magma Still Rising: Rappler

January 19, 2020
Taal Volcano began exploding on January 12, the 12th time since the year 1900. “State volcanologists maintained Alert Level 4 for Taal Volcano in the province of Batangas on Saturday, January 18, which means a hazardous eruption could still occur ‘within hours to days,’” reports Rappler. “The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said magma is still rising within Taal, as...