In The News

Bulgarians and Romanians Free to Work in UK as Controls End

Mark Lowen January 2, 2014
The single market of the European Union is designed to allow most goods, services, money and people to cross borders of member nations. Mechanisms allow gradual introductions, even delays, for transition. Some in the United Kingdom express concern about Bulgarian and Romanian citizens relocating to the United Kingdom after controls in place since 2007 expired, reports Mark Lowen for BBC News. “...

The Bad Bargain

Daniel Altman December 27, 2013
Wages are largely stagnant. Data suggest that growing profits earned by corporate investors is coming from shrinking incomes of workers. “Labor's share of national income has been falling slowly since the 1970s in rich countries around the world,” writes Daniel Altman for Foreign Policy. Increasing technology along with global integration and competition has pressured unions and eroded labor...

Unpredictable Pope Challenges Journalists

Fiona Ehlers December 20, 2013
The world has more than 1.2 billion Catholics, and Radio Vatican translates the sermons and every other comment of Pope Francis into 44 languages. The pope adds to translation challenges with “free, spontaneous speech,” audience exchanges, opinions and jokes, reports Fiona Ehlers for Spiegel Online. One priest described the pope’s style as “down-to-earth” and noted, “’Sometimes it really makes us...

North Korean Purges Threaten Relations with China

Shim Jae Hoon December 18, 2013
The exercise of power is bizarre and tenuous in North Korea. Jang Song Thaek, second in command and uncle to dictator Kim Jong Un, was abruptly purged and executed. “Prospects of continuing purges loom, wiping out any lingering hopes that the Kim regime will follow the Chinese model and embark on economic reform,” explains journalist Shim Jae Hoon. The region, resentful about its desperate...

Energy Subsidies Don’t Work, But Don’t Try Telling the Poor

Tion Kwa December 4, 2013
Every facet of modern life requires energy. Tion Kwa, assistant editor of The National in UAE, analyzes the energy costs for struggling nations. “The dilemma for Nepal and other poor countries, including Egypt and Jordan, is that while the state can’t afford to keep underwriting the cost of fuel, citizens already can’t even afford the subsidised rates.” Economists discourage subsidies for...

Cambodians Refuse to Accept Rigged Elections

Elizabeth Becker October 15, 2013
Cambodians are connected to the world through trade, investment, tourism, cultural events, social media and dual citizenship. The connections influence how the citizens deal with their long-running authoritarian regime. With a per capita income less than $1000, many Cambodians refuse to support the government of Hun Sen, who has been in office for 28 years. The prime minister no longer convinces...

Nairobi Foreshadows Tomorrow’s Urban Conflicts

David Kilcullen October 1, 2013
The globe is more urban than ever with more than 65 percent of all people living in cities compared with 2 percent in 1800. Urbanization, the bulk of it near coasts, is a global megatrend challenging world leaders and planners along with climate change and population growth. The patterns expose vulnerabilities and encourage inequality: “The unprecedented pace and scale of urban growth will strain...