In The News

Economist: Scrapping Iran Deal Could Embolden Hardliners

October 21, 2017
While US military forces have worked alongside Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, to counter the Islamic State in Iraq, political moves out of Washington may unravel any conciliatory efforts between the two countries. As Donald Trump works to undo many of former US President Barack Obama’s foreign and domestic policies, he simultaneously emboldens Iranian hardliners, argues the Economist...

The New York Times: Iraqi Forces Sweep Into Kirkuk, Checking Kurdish Independence Drive

David Zucchino October 17, 2017
The Kurds voted overwhelmingly in a referendum for independence from Iraq. Three weeks later the government of Iraq responded by sending the military to the oil-rich region. “In clashes that pit two crucial American allies against each other, government troops seized the vital city of Kirkuk and surrounding oil fields, ousting the Kurdish forces who had controlled the region for three years in...

CNBC: 3 Reasons the World Could Turn Its Back on the US Dollar

David Reid October 12, 2017
The US dollar may lose its status as the world’s reserve currency due to weak US governance and geopolitical pressures: the North Korea threat, diminished US-EU transatlantic ties and China’s prominence in global markets, including skill in managing credit excesses, so far, without disrupting the global economy. China strives to increase demand for yuan, announcing plans to buy oil in yuan and...

Reuters: Kurds Press Historic Independence Vote Despite Regional Fears

Raya Jalabi September 22, 2017
About 30 million Kurdish people are spread throughout the Middle East in Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, and in recent years many fought fiercely to protect their communities against extremists. Iraqi Kurds are expected to pursue independence starting with a referendum and transform their semi-autonomous region into a new country known as Kurdistan. US and United Nations officials have tried to...

Reuters: Saudi King Empowers Young Reformer Son

Stephen Kalin and William Maclean June 22, 2017
The king of Saudi Arabia changed the line of succession, replacing his nephew with a 31-year-old son. “Mohammed bin Salman's appointment may make Saudi policy more hawkish against long-time enemy Iran and other Gulf rivals such as Qatar, increasing volatility in an already unstable region,” reports Reuters. “Outside Saudi Arabia, that rapid advance and the sudden changes to longstanding...

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus: Will China’s New Silk Road Contribute to Export of Black Fossil-Fueled Economy?

John A. Mathews and Hao Tan June 19, 2017
Former US President Barack Obama imposed controls on fossil fuels to protect the planet and position the United States as a leader in the development of alternative fuels. Donald Trump has reversed course on such policies, and this could put China and other countries in charge of green energy. John A. Mathews and Hao Tan examine whether China might instead simply outsource the most polluting...

Bloomberg: The Saudi Oil Blunder That Will Keep Costing

Leonid Bershidsky May 30, 2017
On May 25, 14 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), along with 10 other oil-producing nations led by Russia, agreed to a deal that would limit oil production until March 2018. OPEC nations represent just over 40 percent of global oil production, reports the US Energy Information Administration, with Saudi Arabia and Venezuela among OPEC’s largest producers. With...