In The News

Future of Globalization: Foreign Policy

Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman July 7, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed society’s dependence on globalization and the challenges. Trade went from predictable to uncertain as nations blocked and confiscated protective medical gear and other needed supplies. Leaders worry about similar disruptions for food or other necessary products. “But the crisis that globalization faces has roots that go far deeper than the current pandemic,” explain...

Appeasement Policy for China: Project Syndicate

Brahma Chellaney July 2, 2020
India’s buffer with China is shrinking, and India’s leaders should have anticipated China’s incursions in the Ladakh region, suggests Brahma Chellaney for Project Syndicate. China opposed India’s designation of Ladakh as a new federal territory, and labeled its recent moves as defensive. “While India was preoccupied with the COVID-19 crisis, China was apparently planning its next attempt to...

Uncertainty for Middle East: Syndication Bureau

Dnyanesh Kamat June 11, 2020
Rising Chinese-US tensions create strategic uncertainty around economic-development, foreign policy and even internal politics in the Middle East. US plans to relocate strategic industries, including healthcare and technology, away from China may benefit economies like Egypt or Morocco. “On the other hand, the increasingly zero-sum nature of economic competition between China and the US means...

North Korea Makes Millions Selling Sand: CNN

Joshua Berlinger June 10, 2020
North Korea is under UN sanctions for its nuclear-weapon programs, yet researchers with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies noticed heavy ship traffic near Haeju. North Korea typically evades sanctions by transferring commodities on the high seas. Relying on satellite imagery, the researchers determined more than 250 ships – lacking required International Maritime Organization identifiers –...

China-ASEAN Trade Strengthens: Business Times

June 10, 2020
With a trade war and rising tensions between China and the United States, ASEAN members offer substitute markets for both nations. To date in 2020, ASEAN members account for about 15 percent of China’s trade volume, compared with about 14 percent with Europe and 11 percent with the US, reports DBS Group Research. ASEAN accounted for more than 15 percent of Chinese exports and the US share...

Breaking Globalization Easier Said Than Done: DW

Mathilda Jordanova-Duda May 30, 2020
Equipment, whether routine appliances or life-saving ventilators, is manufactured with supply strains stretching over multiple countries. Mathilda Jordanova-Duda, writing for Deutsche Welle, describes how the Covid-19 pandemic prompted Boge, a German air-compressor business, to reassess its supply chains, including motors from Asia, piping from Eastern Europe, cooling systems from China and other...

US Moves to Audit Chinese Firms: WSJ

Dave Michaels and Akane Otani May 28, 2020
Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges have not been subjected to inspections by US regulators, and the US Senate approved legislation that would require the Chinese firms to meet US standards. “Unlike other countries, China has never given U.S. regulators routine access to audit records needed to review the quality of financial accounting, according to U.S. officials, who have sought a...