In The News

Bloomberg: China Back on Kim’s Side

David Tweed March 29, 2018
North Korea's Kim Jong Un got what he wanted with nuclear weapons: global recognition. South Korea’s Moon Jae-in, in seeking peace with North Korea, served as a mediator with Donald Trump. Xi Jinping, in power for more than five years suddenly rustled up his first meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Thus, “Kim Jong Un just sent a powerful message to U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of...

Spiegel: EU Helped Fortify Turkey's Border

Maximilian Popp March 29, 2018
The European Union has funded Turkey to block Syrians fleeing the brutal war. “In March 2016, the EU and Ankara closed a deal under which the Europeans would pay 3 billion euros to Turkey if the country kept the refugees inside its borders,” writes Maximilian Popp for Spiegel Online. The funding contributes to harsh security measures from Turkey including a border wall, deportations, surveillance...

CNN: Worldwide March for Our Lives and Gun Reform

Dakin Andone, Amanda Jackson and Isabella Gomez March 25, 2018
A tipping point was reached after 17 students and staff were gunned down in an affluent high school in Parkland, Florida. Survivors swiftly and articulately pointed to the US leading in gun violence and the need for controls like background checks and limits on assault weapons. They criticized politicians who instead do the bidding of industry associations like the National Rifle Association and...

New York Times: Bolton Used Cambridge Analytica’s Data

Matthew Rosenberg March 24, 2018
The Guardian and the New York Times recently reported that the London-based consulting firm Cambridge Analytica harvested more than 50 million Facebook profiles and assessed them for targeting with political advertising. Days later, Donald Trump fired his national security adviser and selected John Bolton, 69. In 2014, Bolton created a political action committee that paid more than $1 million to...

Reuters: US Issues Alert on Utility, Infrastructure Cyberattacks

Dustin Volz and Timothy Gardner March 17, 2018
The US has publicly accused Russia of waging cyberattacks against the power grids and other key infrastructure sectors over the past two years. Some facilities and companies may not yet realize they have been infiltrated by malware, phishing and remote access. “The campaign targeted engineers and technical staff with access to industrial controls, suggesting the hackers were interested in...

Diplomat: China-India Chess Match in the Maldives

Sunaina Kumar and Angela Stanzel March 16, 2018
The Maldives have been in a state of emergency since February 6 with an arrest order for a former president and Supreme Court chief justice. “The crisis may appear to be an internal power struggle between the Supreme Court and the government of the South Asian island country, but it has wider geopolitical ramifications, and has spiraled into a power struggle between India and China,” report...

New Statesman: Putin’s New Cold War

Lawrence Freedman March 14, 2018
The Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok sickened a Russian man, his daughter and a police officer in a small British town. Prime Minister Theresa May gave Russia a deadline for an explanation, and after no serious response, she expelled 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers. Such incidents increase Russia’s isolation and increase wariness about Vladimir Putin’s expected victory in Russia’s...