In The News

US, Japan and 10 Countries Strike Pacific Trade Deal

Shawn Donnan and Demetri Sevastopulo October 6, 2015
Twelve nations reached agreement on a huge free-trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership which covers labor conditions, environment protections, investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, intellectual property and packaging laws. The partnership is expected to cover 40 percent of world trade and is described as a success for US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for...

Should Governments Be Able to Look at Your Data When It’s Abroad?

September 9, 2015
Nation’s legal systems struggle to keep up with the internet’s borderless development – just how, where and when law enforcement agencies should access stored data. An article in the Economist explains that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation expects to access Microsoft messages stored in a data center based in Ireland with US warrants: “at the core of the case is one of the most knotty legal...

“Loss and Damage”: Climate Change’s Latest Byword

Renee Juliene Karunungan September 7, 2015
Less developed countries use just a fraction of the world’s fossil fuels and advocates are making plans to be “compensated for loss and damage from extreme events by rich [countries] mostly responsible for greenhouse gas-caused climate change,” writes Renee Juliene Karunungan for the Asia Sentinel. The world’s largest emitters are China, the United States, Brazil and India. The issue was raised...

Diplomacy at the Top of the World

James F. Collins, Ross A. Virginia and Kenneth S. Yalowitz August 31, 2015
Foreign ministers will convene to discuss the Arctic region August 31. James Collins, Ross A. Virginia and Kenneth S. Yalowitz, writing for Project Syndicate, point out the common interests for Russia and the United States. While at odds over the former’s interventions in Ukraine, the two cooperated on negotiating a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Russia, the United States along with Canada,...

No Plastic Bags? It's Already the Law in Rwanda

Karen Louise Boothe Acharya August 7, 2015
Rwanda has taken the lead on striving for clean, litter-free communities. Visitors to the country quickly discover that plastic bags are prohibited. Since 2005, the country has designated the last Saturday of each month for Umuganda – with all able-bodied adults required to participate in a morning community-cleanup program, explains Karen Louise Boothe Acharya for the Star Tribune: “Of course, a...

Is Uber a Threat to Democracy?

Kemal Derviş July 27, 2015
The nature of work is changing, not simply due to technology, but also a labor force willing to provide services and skills at low prices as well as consumers who demand low costs and fast service. Economists often point to Uber – a driving service that relies on the internet to match willing drivers with clients in need of car service – as a disruptive business, undermining official taxi...

Foreign Groups Fear China Oversight Plan

Andrew Jacobs June 19, 2015
China’s leaders can change regulations quickly, lending uncertainty for any investment. Foreign NGOs that have long promoted education, health care, and other social causes in the nation expect closer monitoring by the government, reports Andrew Jacobs for the New York Times. Proposed legislation would require NGOs to find government sponsors, run activities by police for approval and meet quotas...