In The News

Reuters: Tighter US Rules for Chinese Students?

Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick November 29, 2018
The US is weighing the possibility of new background checks and restrictions for Chinese attending US colleges. The goal is to protect national security and prevent intellectual property theft in sensitive areas. “In June, the U.S. State Department shortened the length of visas for Chinese graduate students studying aviation, robotics and advanced manufacturing to one year from five,” reports...

Wall Street Journal: Fewer Foreign Students in US

Michelle Hackman and Douglas Belkin November 14, 2018
US enrollment of international students has declined for the second year in a row, amid worries about gun violence, harsh immigration policies, resentment over trade and a culture of nativism. “Foreign students are big business,” writes Michelle Hackman and Douglas Belkin for the Wall Street Journal, adding they added $42 billion into college and university coffers this current year. “The...

The Atlantic: Education Divides the US

Adam Harris November 7, 2018
Political divisions that linger over decades are difficult to resolve quickly. Adam Harris, writing for the Atlantic, points to an emerging divide among US white voters: 61 percent of those without college educations select Republicans and 53 percent with college educations select Democrats. About 50 years ago, college degrees were less common, more often held by Republicans. The civil rights...

Korea Herald: Rise of Startups in North Korea

Cho Chung-un October 30, 2018
Economic sanctions against North Korea over the past decade increased unemployment and poverty, but also encouraged innovation. As a result, the country reports a rise in startup businesses as North Korea engages in more dialogue with South Korea and the United States. Choson Exchange is a nonprofit based in Singapore that has trained more than 2,300 North Koreans on economic policy and...

Globe and Mail: Saudi Arabia Breaks Ties With Canada

Steven Chase August 7, 2018
Canadian officials called for the release of civil-rights and women’s rights activists being held in Saudi Arabia and expressed concern about a crackdown on dissidents. “In response, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador Sunday, recalled their ambassador and frozen new trade dealings with Canada, decrying what they called foreign interference in their domestic affairs,” reports Steven...

New Yorker: Obrador, Trump and the Error of Comparison

Jon Lee Anderson July 4, 2018
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as AMLO, won 53 percent of the vote along with taking the majority of legislature seats. Issues in Mexico include the war on drugs, complacency against the Trump administration and failure to prosecute major criminal cases. By building grassroots support over two decades, López Obrador ended the 88-year-old hold grip on power by two parties, PRI and PAN....

Brookings: Africa’s 3 Deadly Deficits

Indermit Singh Gill and Kenan Karakulah June 21, 2018
Despite sub-Saharan Africa’s rapid population growth, the region’s income growth matches the global pace and was even negative in 2016. The Sustainable Development Goals pioneered by the United Nations in 2015 seem out of reach for the region as income inequality widens. Three factors for the region’s slow economic growth are low quality education, limited access to electricity and weak domestic...