In The News

China, India to Defy US Sanctions on Iranian Oil? CNBC

Sam Meredith April 23, 2019
The Trump administration continues efforts to constrain Iran. In 2018, the US abandoned a nuclear agreement designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program, and the administration announced nations purchasing Iranian oil will face sanctions after May 1. The United States had granted waivers over the past six months to India, China, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, allowing limited...

Secret Nuclear Power Work in Saudi Arabia: Reuters

Timothy Gardner March 29, 2019
The US Department of Energy has approved authorizations for companies to sell nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, reports Timothy Gardner for Reuters. The companies requested anonymity, and the ultimate plan is to build two nuclear power plants. “Perry’s approvals, known as Part 810 authorizations, allow companies to do preliminary work on nuclear power ahead of any deal but not ship equipment...

Brexit Damage for Asia and Africa: Global Finance

Andrew Woodman March 28, 2019
British voters and leaders are divided over whether and how to exit membership in the European Union. The economic damage could spread beyond Europe. The German Development Institute suggests that a no-deal Brexit would mean returning to World Trade Organization tariffs – with “49 vulnerable states will no longer have access to the UK market through an Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement that...

Thanking a Global Supply Chain: Times of Israel

Cindy Sher March 21, 2019
A lot of trade goes into a cup of coffee, and at the urging of his son, authur A.J. Jacobs wanted to express his gratitude. So he set out to research the individuals who helped make the routine of a morning cup of coffee possible and wrote a book. “During his quest, which took him from a farm in Colombia to a steel plant in Indiana, he discovered how interconnected the world is,” explains Cindy...

Brexit Delay: BBC News

March 21, 2019
The June 2016 vote for the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union, with faulty information distributed throughout the campaign, was the nation remains divided over how to leave. EU leaders agreed on a plan for delaying the Article 50 deadline of March 29: UK can have until 22 May if parliament approves a plan already negotiated with the EU. If the parliament rejects that plan the UK...

Investors and Globalization’s Decline: Barron’s

Avi Salzman and Nicholas Jasinski March 18, 2019
The bout of protectionism and transactional approaches to trade will linger even after China and the United States reach a trade agreemen. “Globalization is being overwhelmed by populism, nationalism, and protectionism,” explain Avi Salzman and Nicholas Jasinski for Barron’s, adding that globalization has long moved in cycles and is “no longer the dominant force.” Trade growth has slowed,...

Trump’s Overreach on Trade: Project Syndicate

Daniel Gros March 10, 2019
The US trade strategy may be to isolate China until the nation enforces property rights and allows foreign investment without technology-sharing requirements. In negotiating post-Brexit trade agreements with the United Kingdom or the European Union, the United States expects to prevent trade partners from making deals with non-market economies, specifically China, explains Daniel Gros, writing...