In The News

Project Syndicate: Brexit Strategy for a Weak UK Government

Ngaire Woods June 12, 2017
By calling for a snap election, Prime Minister Theresa May weakened rather than strengthened her hand in approaching negotiations with the European Union over Brexit. Negotiators have less than two years to reach a deal or request an extension. So far, Britain is making three elementary negotiating mistakes, explains Ngaire Woods for Project Syndicate. The country’s leaders have framed the...

Los Angeles Times: Muslim and Latino Groups Unite During Ramadan

Anh Do June 6, 2017
Activists are seeking to unite Muslim and Latino communities in Orange County, California, and joined in organizing an event to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with Taco Trucks at Every Mosque. “Organizers said the idea is to demystify Islam through the sharing of food and to unite two groups, Muslims and Latinos, facing increasing discrimination in the Trump era,” reports Anh Do for...

New Statesman: The Age of Lies

Mark Damazer May 25, 2017
Many politicians, desperate to stay in power, lack the courage to ask voters to make tough choices – often tax hikes or reductions in services. Many rely on catchy soundbites and clichés, and titles of specific pieces of legislation are often contrary to what bills purport to do. The media is tasked with holding political leaders accountable, analyzing the legislation and policies against...

Reuters: Iranians Deliver Emphatic Victory for Rouhani

Parisa Hafezi and Babak Dehghanpisheh May 20, 2017
Iranian voters have demonstrated patience, rejecting a populist hardliner and reelecting President Hassan Rouhani who has taken incremental steps to integrate Iran with the world. The pragmatist won 57 percent of the vote, a decisive win despite analysts’ predictions that the vote could be close. “Although the powers of the elected president are limited by those of unelected Supreme Leader...

The Guardian: Venezuela Plan to Rewrite Constitution Branded a Coup by Former Regional Allies

Jonathan Watts and Virginia López May 3, 2017
Venezuela has ample oil reserves and other natural resources, but its citizens must contend with unemployment, inflation, corruption and negative growth. Foreign investors and neighboring states are alarmed as protests and riots over food shortages overwhelm the country. The opposition won control of the national assembly by a large margin in 2015, but President Nicholás Maduro plans to revise...

Lace Capital Riven by French Politics: NYT

Liz Alderman May 1, 2017
Technology, changing fashions, competition in Asia combined with the European Union ending textile import quotes in 2005, eroded jobs in the lace industry, reports Liz Alderman for the New York Times. “From steel mills to auto factories, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs to globalization has created social distress – and competing visions from the candidates about how to fix it,” Alderman...

Stratfor: Changing the Scientific Climate in the United States

April 26, 2017
Throughout history, experimentation and science have delivered comfort and prosperity – electricity, road and air transportation, cures for disease, satellites and weather forecasting, communication technologies and more. US scientists are alarmed by political leaders who reject policy recommendations based on evidence – notably the near unanimous agreement among climate scientists that reliance...