In The News

Denmark the “Happiest Country” and Burundi the “Least Happy”

March 21, 2016
Wealth and weather may not influence happiness as much as many may assume, and inequality contributes to unhappiness. The UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network ranked 156 countries by analyzing surveys in which people are asked to evaluate their lives on a scale of 1 to 10 and measurements of GDP per capita, social supports, health and life expectancy, freedom to make life choices,...

UN, Rights Groups Say EU-Turkey Migrant Deal May Be Illegal

Stephanie Nebehay and Gabriela Baczynska March 9, 2016
European nations are trying to stop the flow of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East with tight border controls, and some leaders hope to return migrants who arrive by boats. A Turkish proposal to accept the return of some migrants in exchange for funding and visa-free travel for Turks could be illegal, warns the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. International law would require...

North Korea Sanctions Largely Depend on China’s Implementation

Lee Je-hun March 3, 2016
A day after the UN Security Council imposed 52 new sanctions against North Korea, the isolated regime fired six short-range projectiles about 100 kilometers off the Korean Peninsula. The sanctions “places a legal responsibility on UN member states, who will be found in violation of the resolution if they do not implement these sanctions,” reports Lee Je-hun, staff reporter for the Hankyoreh in...

Sunnylands or Rancho Mirage? ASEAN and the South China Sea

Donald K. Emmerson February 23, 2016
China and its neighbors have competing claims to sections of the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long trusted that regional diplomacy might resolve the overlapping claims and, in the meantime, the United States would keep China in check. But China has been more assertive in recent years, building up small islands and adding military installations. The hope for...

The World Is Hemorrhaging Methane, and Now We Can See Where

Christina Nunez January 19, 2016
Since late October, a natural gas storage well in California has been leaking 100,000 pounds of methane per hour. The colorless and odorless gas is hazardous to health and the environment. The Aliso Canyon leak is accidental but many companies deliberately burn off excess natural gas at energy sites, explains Christina Nunez for National Geographic. Researchers with the US National Oceanic and...

COP21: A Potluck Dinner in Paris

John Cassidy December 4, 2015
Nations will likely agree to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but governments must ensure enforcement. The climate conference in Paris does not aim for a treaty. Instead leaders “have agreed to hold a huge potluck dinner, in which each country brings what it can,” explains John Cassidy, writing for the New Yorker. The result is a hodgepodge of targets and pledges to reduce emission levels by some...

ISIS Rampage: A Threat to Cultural Heritage That Belongs to All

James Cuno November 26, 2015
The self-proclaimed Islamic State is ruthless in imposing its version of Islam on others. The rigid beliefs cannot withstand the joys of the modern world or a cultural heritage and ancient history that is a connecting force for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. ISIS contends the world is borderless and belongs to Allah – and claim their leaders alone interpret Allah’s wishes. “This complicates the...