In The News

European Allies Reject US-Iran Escalation: Al Jazeera

May 14, 2019
The United States and Iran are escalating tensions in a region already wracked with conflict, repression, economic struggle and millions of displaced people. Inspectors report that Iran is in compliance with an international nuclear deal, but the United States withdrew from the agreement and re-imposed sanctions. Most recently, the United States sent a aircraft bomber group to the region. Iran...

US Federal Reserve, Arctic Council, Climate Change

Michael S. Derby May 9, 2019
Climate scientists warn that global warming is underway, promising severe disruptions for economies. The Trump administration denies climate change is a crisis and resists pullback on fossil fuels. Yet officials at all levels of government and business – financial, insurance, health and more – must confront costly weather disasters, so the United States issues mixed messages. For the Arctic...

Iran-US Tensions: Financial Times

Andrew England and Najmeh Bozorgmehr May 9, 2019
Iran and the United States test each other. The US president withdrew from the 2015 accord to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons development, increased sanctions and most recently dispatched a aircraft carrier group to the region after suggesting that Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq threaten US troops. Iran’s president suggested that the country could step back from the accord, too. International...

US-China Trade Talks Changing the World: Atlantic

Matt Peterson May 8, 2019
Soon after announcements that the US-China trade talks were winding down, US President Trump suggested hiking tariffs from 10 to 25 percent. “The punitive action in the midst of a negotiation was a departure from Trump’s generally optimistic tone about the talks, but it was a return to form for [Robert] Lighthizer, an experienced negotiator with a reputation for brinksmanship,” explains Matt...

The US, Iran Inch Toward War: Syndication Bureau

Dnyanesh Kamat May 6, 2019
Donald Trump rejected expensive foreign wars during the US presidential campaign, yet a target seems to be on Iran. The US walked away from the international deal to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons program, ended waivers for nations that import Iranian oil, designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organizaiton and strives to push Iran’s exports to zero. The United States has made no...

North Korea’s Overconfidence: Korea Times

Kim Yoo-chul May 2, 2019
North Korea may be counting too much on its nuclear weapons program and getting its way through “negotiation through strength,” explains Kim Yoo-chul for the Korea Times. An opening for normalization of relations provided by South Korea and the United States will only last so long, suggests South Korea analysts, with professor of international relations Leif-Eric Easley suggesting that holding...

Why Venezuela Matters: New York Times

Megan Specia April 30, 2019
Maduro has presided over Venezuela's corrupt and mismanaged government since 2013, with violence, hunger and hyperinflation. Maduro refuses to engage in peaceful transfer of power. Venezuela, with ample oil supplies, should be among the world’s wealthiest nations. Yet 30 million citizens must contend with unreliable food, electricity, medicine and other basic supplies. Maduro curtailed power...