In The News

Bloomberg: Trump on Trade Wars – “Easy to Win”

Joe Deaux, Andrew Mayeda, Toluse Olorunnipa and Jeff Black March 2, 2018
US President Donald Trump roiled US and global stock markets, sparking fears of trade retaliation in one day, with a plan for adding tariffs on steel and aluminum that was postponed and scheduled for later announcement. The plan would add 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum for an indefinite period with no details on exempted countries. Steel and aluminum are an intricate part...

Reuters: Final Version of Trans-Pacific Trade Deal

Charlotte Greenfield and Colin Packham February 21, 2018
Economies in the Asia Pacific region are among the fastest growing in the world. The United States walked away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal for reducing tariffs, but the other 11 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam – persevered and finalized the terms of what is now called the Comprehensive and...

The New York Times: Banks Could Control Gun Sales if Washington Won’t

Andrew Ross Sorkin February 20, 2018
Jurisdictions that restrict gun sales, like Australia or Connecticut, soon experience fewer mass shootings, suicides and other shooting deaths. The United States has the highest rate of gun violence among developed nations, yet the National Rifle Association and Congress resist background checks and other controls. In the wake of a Florida school shooting that left 17 dead, Andrew Ross Sorkin of...

CNN: US Tariffs on Steel Would Hit China and Entire Global Trading System

Julia Horowitz February 19, 2018
The Trump administration, after complaining about China’s low prices for steel, has a deadline of April 11 for deciding on new steel tariffs. “However, China is not the top country from which the United States imports steel,” explains Julia Horowitz for CNN. “The United States imports most of its steel – 16% – from Canada. It imports 13% from Brazil, 10% from South Korea, 9% from Mexico and 9%...

The Wall Street Journal: China Is Winning the Global Race to Control Batteries

Scott Patterson and Russell Gold February 15, 2018
China listed electric vehicles as one of seven strategic priorities in 2011 and now dominates the markets for batteries from mining cobalt in Africa to production. More than half of the world’s cobalt is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a Wall Street Journal articles describes small-scale miners, often working in unsafe conditions, selling ore to Chinese buyers. “Those buyers then...

Spiegel Online: Brexiteers Are Driving Britain Into a Wall

Jörg Schindler February 12, 2018
Great Britain faces a deadline in 13 months for reaching a deal to end European Union membership and retain some benefits. Hardliners pressure the British prime minister, dictating conditions for complete separation, or “a national reawakening, no matter the price,” writes Jörg Schindler for Germany’s Spiegel Online. “They seem to have forgotten that in the summer of 2016 the Brits only voted on...

The Diplomat: Central Asian States Step Up Afghan Diplomacy

Catherine Putz January 24, 2018
Challenges in any of the landlocked Central Asian nations impact overall regional security. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are taking steps for regional diplomacy and reduced isolation for Afghanistan. Regional discussions on water management, energy cooperation, transportation links and trade are underway; representatives express concern about terrorism and women’s rights. “Kazakhstan, the first...