In The News

Why Putin Doesn’t Care About Sanctions

David R. Cameron March 25, 2014
Europe’s advance on former Soviet satellite states unnerved Russia. After unrest in Ukraine and deposition of the president, Russia moved to annex Crimea – which in turn may “drive Ukraine into the arms of the EU and give NATO a new raison d’être,” explains David R. Cameron, Yale professor of political science. “Crimea in the hands of a hostile Ukraine would threaten Russia’s hold on its base for...

Why "Iran Style" Sanctions Worked Against Tehran (And Why They Might Not Succeed With Moscow)

Suzanne Maloney March 24, 2014
In responding to global crisis or conflict, leaders must choose measures that have a reasonable chance of success. The United States and the European are applying sanctions against Russia in retaliation for the abrupt, forcible annexation of Crimea. Suzanne Maloney, a senior fellow with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, writing for Brookings, details conditions for how sanctions pushed...

“Netflix for Piracy” Popcorn Time Saved by Fans

Dave Lee March 19, 2014
Consumers can’t resist the lure of free entertainment. The film industry may want to shut down software development that provides easy sharing, but Popcorn Time may have the last laugh. The service that freely streams digital content as BitTorrent files, including movies, has been released as open-source software posted free online and already translated into 32 languages. “This means that anyone...

Emerge, Splurge, Purge

March 7, 2014
Multinational makers of phones, cars, beverages, and household products of all types have long eyed the emerging markets – the “geography seduced everyone,” suggests the Economist. Then the US Federal Reserve announced in mid-2013 that it would reduce bond purchases. Currencies of emerging economies in India, Turkey and South Africa fell in value along with a drop in consumer demand. The...

Romania: Chinese Are Coming!

Raluca Besliu March 4, 2014
Communist Romania, in 1949, was one of the first countries to recognize the communist People’s Republic of China. In 2007, Romania joined the European Union and has felt like a second-class member since – a market for European goods and services, but not a full partner. Prime Minister Victor Ponta is striving to demonstrate to Europe that Romania has alternatives by selling resources to China: “...

US FDA Chief: If You Want Our Market, Meet Our Standards

March 4, 2014
US regulators seek cooperation on quality control from its supplier of foods and medicines. "If Indian pharmaceutical companies want to sell in the US, they need to comply with our standards, practices and expectations,” said Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, according to a report in the Times of India. She offered the comments during a trip to India and...

Ukraine After Yanukovych

David R. Cameron February 27, 2014
In November, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych rejected signing an Association Agreement with the European Union and later negotiated a bailout deal with Russia. Months of protests led to a week of violence and culminated in Yanukovych’s removal from office. The parliament moved swiftly to reorganize: demobilizing the police, firing most of the government ministers, and electing Oleksandr...