In The News

Capitalism or Socialism? Common Dreams

Robert Freeman April 8, 2019
The United States prepares for the 2020 presidential election and Republicans as the party in power insist that their opponents, the Democrats, are increasingly socialist and want to upend the capitalist system. Proper economic governance cannot rely on all capitalism or all socialism, and the definitions suggest that successful and prosperous countries rely on a combination of both. “Tools of...

West Bank on Ballot: New York Times

David M. Halbfinger April 8, 2019
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a last-minute campaign promise of extending sovereignty over the West Bank. Thus, voters in Israel have a clear choice, explains David M. Halbfinger for the New York Times: Do they want permanent control over the West Bank and 2.6 million Palestinians, continuing antagonism, or do they support genuine negotiations working toward a Palestinian...

State of Emergency in Sudan: Economist

March 23, 2019
In response to tens of thousands of protestors mobilizing against rising food prices in Sudan and the resignation of president Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese leader instead declared a national state of emergency. On February 22, what began as a conciliatory national address, under rumors that Bashir would step down, ended with suspension of the constitution. The Economist observes, “in practice...

Netanyahu Should Step Down: Economist

March 23, 2019
Recent charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust against Binyamin Netanyahu have drawn the Israeli prime minister into tangled public controversy as opponents and critics call for his resignation. As a recent article for the Economist observes, “Netanyahu refuses to go.” From all indications, he has no intentions to resign and still hopes to be re-elected. He helped engineer an electoral...

Africa Drawdown: International Policy Digest

Steven Leach March 5, 2019
The United States is planning to reduce its forces stationed in Africa. The poorest nations in Africa are vulnerable to extremist ideologies due to poverty and poor governance. “It is no accident that al Shabaab evolved in a defunct Somali state (in some ways it is shocking that it did not happen sooner), that al Qaeda found a safe haven in rural Afghanistan, that Boko Haram resides on the...

Trump Blames Cohen Hearing for Summit Result: Fox

Edmund DeMarche March 4, 2019
Donald Trump in a tweet blamed the House of Representatives Oversight Committee for failure of the summit with North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un. During the daylong hearing, Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen who soon heads to prison for lying to Congress described Trump as a con and cheater, detailing manipulations of property values and a pattern of lies. As candidate and president, Trump...

Showdown Over Aid for Venezuela: New York Times

Nicholas Casey, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Ernesto Londoño February 23, 2019
Venezuelans have suffered for years from shortages of food and other necessities due to economic mismanagement by the regime led by Nicolás Maduro since 2013. More than 10 percent of the country’s population has already fled, the violence exacerbating a refugee crisis International aid supplies are waiting near the border in Brazil and Colombia. Opposition leader and head of the country’s...