In The News

European Union Tries Rebooting the Economy

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller January 27, 2015
The European Central Bank announced dramatic expansion of its monetary stimulus plan to purchase asset-backed securities and bonds through September 2016 for a total of at least €1 trillion On the surface, the move has similarities to US stimulus measures in play since late 2008, with the US Federal Reserve purchasing billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities, bank debt and treasury notes...

EU Politics Could Look to Multiethnic India for Strategies

Pallavi Aiyar November 11, 2014
Visions of a united Europe are under strain as anti-EU parties have made political gains in France, Sweden, the UK and other nations. Although the European Union is often thought of as a “United States of Europe,” journalist Pallavi Aiyar argues that the EU more resembles chaotic India. “India, like the European Union, is the antithesis of the 19th-century European conception of the ‘nation state...

Immigrant Vote Could Sway Tight Scottish Independence Referendum

Lisa De Bode September 10, 2014
Scotland will head to the polls on September 18 for a referendum on independence from Great Britain, and immigrants could represent one in five likely voters. Like other Scots, immigrants are divided. Ending the 300-year union with England and Northern Ireland would have economic and political consequences, reports Lisa De Bode for Al Jazeera America, including reduced power of the Labour Party...

Russia's Putin Dominates G7 Summit in Absentia

The Associated Press June 16, 2014
The absence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin dominated the G7 summit. Leaders of seven economies snubbed Putin and issued a joint statement, urging the Kremlin to recognize the presidential elections recently held in Ukraine, withdraw troops from the borders Russia shares with Ukraine and stop the flow of weapons and militants. The G7 pointed out more sanctions were possible for Russia....

China Plan to Cap CO2 Emissions Seen as Turning Point in Climate Talks

Kathy Chen and Stian Reklev June 4, 2014
China, the world’s leading contributor to carbon emissions, has announced plans to set a cap on pollution levels, notably just a day after the US pledged to reduce its own global footprint: “[T]he fact that the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases made unprecedented announcements on climate within 24 hours of each other sparked optimism among observers hoping to see the decades-old deadlock...

Why the Ukraine Crisis Should Be a Concern, As We Mark the Centenary of WWI

Ailish O'Hora January 31, 2014
Protesters have turned out in Kiev, opposed to their president moving toward alignment with Russia. Ukraine, a former Soviet state is deeply divided over its political future, and remains a major concern for Europe. Of course, there are economic reasons – much of the gas supplied by Russia to Europe traveling through the country. But Ukraine also represents strong political divisions lingering...

“Snowden Effect” Threatens US Tech Industry's Global Ambitions

Gerry Smith January 28, 2014
Claims by a former US National Security Agency contract worker that multinational companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft cooperate in handing over user data has reduced global trust in the US tech industry. Equally alarming are Edward Snowden’s claims that the US engages in industrial espionage. “The impact of the Snowden leaks could threaten the future architecture of the modern Internet...