In The News

India’s Parliament Passes Citizenship Bill: NYT

Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj December 12, 2019
India’s parliament has approved a Citizenship Amendment Bill, expected to be signed into law soon.The bill “uses religion as a criterion for determining whether illegal migrants in India can be fast-tracked for citizenship” and “favors members of all South Asia’s major religions except Islam,” reports the New York Times. Muslim leaders regard the measure as discrimination; up to 15 percent of the...

Impeachment Hearing With Legal Scholars: NPR

Philip Ewing December 5, 2019
Constitutional law experts offered context on the impeachment inquiry that investigates the Trump administration’s delay in distributing congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine while requesting that country’s president to announce investigations of a political rival. Donald Trump and his supporters deny there was pressure. Three professors testified about holding deep concern over the...

¥13 Trillion Stimulus Plan in Japan: Japan Times

December 4, 2019
Governments with heavy debt loads are hooked on stimulus and low interest rates. Japan, the world’s third largest national economy, has national debt worth more than 230 percent of its GDP. The Japan Times reports that government officials could add more debt by finalizing plans for a ¥13 trillion stimulus package. The government hopes to take advantage of negative interest rates from the country...

Politics Overshadow NATO Anniversary: Spiegel

Matthias Gebauer, Konstantin von Hammerstein, Peter Müller and Christoph Schult December 2, 2019
Preparing to celebrate its 70th anniversary, NATO is under attack by some members. French President Emmanuel describes “brain death” and US President Donald Trump chastises allies who do not contribute 2 percent of GDP to defense. Jens Stoltenberg, general secretary of NATO, admits that the allies disagree on some issues, but agree in “substance.” Analysis from Spiegel Online describes two NATOs...

Netanyahu Indicted: Times of Israel

Raoul Wootliff November 21, 2019
Israel’s attorney general announced that charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust will be filed against Benjamin Netanyahu. This comes as both Netanyahu and opponent Benny Gantz failed to form a coalition government. Netanyahu describes the charges as false, calling for an independent commission to investigate the investigators. “He brushed off calls for him to resign so he can deal with his...

Postponed Drills as Peace Attempt: Washington Post

Simon Denyer November 21, 2019
The United States and South Korea have postponed military drills planned for late November. This action was not a concession, but “a good-faith effort” to promote peace in Korea Peninsula, according to Mark Esper, US defense secretary. Since the Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, joint military drills have been scaled back, though smaller...

Vindman Deposition

November 11, 2019
Nations must carefully assess the motivations behind any request from foreign leaders as well as the benefits for their country and the common good. Supporting or targeting a citizen of another country for questionable purposes, can jeopardize bipartisan support. In congressional testimony, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman detailed how he consistently issued warnings – advising the...