In The News

European Sting: Confronting Neo-Mercantilism

Paul Rawlinson January 8, 2019
Trade tensions run high, led in no small part by the US-China trade spat, Brexit negotiations and the need for World Trade Organization reforms. “Without agreed legal frameworks, the default becomes ‘might is right,’ where the most powerful countries leverage their positions to favour themselves over others,” explains Paul Rawlinson for the European Sting. “The unforeseen return of mercantilism...

Japan Times: Delay in UN Security Council Reform

November 25, 2018
Developed and developing nation alike are impatient for reforms in the UN Security Council with its governance structure of permanent members, any of which can veto actons. “The negotiations have been going on for the past 10 years with various groups representing different positions on how reform should be manifested and has relied on a consensus-based decision-making style,” report Kyodo and...

Foreign Affairs: The Next Arab Uprising

Marwan Muasher November 21, 2018
The Arab Spring uprisings, the low price of oil and the disregard for human rights as displayed by the murder of a journalist in a Saudi diplomatic consulate – ordered by the Saudi crown prince, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency – is prompting nations and businesses around the globe to reassess stability of the Middle East. Likewise, citizens living in the region under authoritarian...

New Statesman: Revenge of the Nation State

John Bew November 15, 2018
The death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi reveals that the international community has little control over rogue states that resist criticism by any means necessary. Khashoggi had criticized Saudi Arabia’s horrific and wasteful war in Yemen, and his murder “conforms to a general pattern of degeneration in 21st century international relations, in which respect for human rights is eroding,...

New York Times: Nationalism Reshapes Europe

Peter Baker and Alissa J. Rubin November 13, 2018
World leaders gathered to commemorate World War I’s end a century ago, and “a ceremony meant to celebrate the ties that bind the world today in effect showcased the divisions that are pulling it apart,” explain Peter Baker and Alissa Rubin for the New York Times. The global order and US alliances are under strain, even as the world’s most pressing problems require global cooperation. “Patriotism...

South China Morning Post: Concern Over Chinese Leaders of Global Bodies

Sarah Zheng October 9, 2018
Interpol is the world’s largest international police organization of 192 member countries that cooperate on solving and fighting crimes, and so the sudden disappearance of Interpol’s president activated immediate global attention. The detention of Meng Hongwei during a trip to China, followed by a bribery accusation with little explanation and his resignation, has shaken confidence in Chinese...

The Atlantic: Trump Issues Scathing Rejection of “Globalism”

Uri Friedman September 26, 2018
The US president’s speech before the UN General Assembly undercut the organization’s mission of global cooperation. Instead, he lashed out at what he called an unelectable bureaucracy, lacking accountability: “We reject the ideology of globalism and accept the doctrine of patriotism.” Uri Friedman writes for the Atlantic: “More than going after a specific leader or country, Trump used this year’s...