In The News

European Allies Reject US-Iran Escalation: Al Jazeera

May 14, 2019
The United States and Iran are escalating tensions in a region already wracked with conflict, repression, economic struggle and millions of displaced people. Inspectors report that Iran is in compliance with an international nuclear deal, but the United States withdrew from the agreement and re-imposed sanctions. Most recently, the United States sent a aircraft bomber group to the region. Iran...

Iran-US Tensions: Financial Times

Andrew England and Najmeh Bozorgmehr May 9, 2019
Iran and the United States test each other. The US president withdrew from the 2015 accord to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons development, increased sanctions and most recently dispatched a aircraft carrier group to the region after suggesting that Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq threaten US troops. Iran’s president suggested that the country could step back from the accord, too. International...

The US, Iran Inch Toward War: Syndication Bureau

Dnyanesh Kamat May 6, 2019
Donald Trump rejected expensive foreign wars during the US presidential campaign, yet a target seems to be on Iran. The US walked away from the international deal to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons program, ended waivers for nations that import Iranian oil, designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organizaiton and strives to push Iran’s exports to zero. The United States has made no...

A Million People Saved From Cyclone: New York Times

Hari Kumar, Jeffrey Gettleman and Sameer Yasir May 4, 2019
Weather forecasters pinpointed Cyclone Fani bearing down on the crowded coast of Odisha, and governments in India and Bangladesh responded quickly, reports a team of journalists from the New York Times. In Odisha, where the average income is less than $5 per day, disaster crews used lists of vulnerable people, warning them to head to shelters: “To warn people of what was coming, they deployed...

Pentagon on Chinese Submarines in Arctic: Reuters

Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali May 3, 2019
As the Arctic warms, more countries venture into the region and the US Pentagon monitors Chinese activities. In June, China released a white paper that describes plans for shipping lanes, a “Polar Silk Road” linked to the nation’s far-reaching Belt and Road Initiative. “China, despite being a non-Arctic state, is increasingly active in the polar region and became an observer member of the Arctic...

North Korea’s Overconfidence: Korea Times

Kim Yoo-chul May 2, 2019
North Korea may be counting too much on its nuclear weapons program and getting its way through “negotiation through strength,” explains Kim Yoo-chul for the Korea Times. An opening for normalization of relations provided by South Korea and the United States will only last so long, suggests South Korea analysts, with professor of international relations Leif-Eric Easley suggesting that holding...

Harris Questions Barr on Mueller Report: SFGate

Filipa Ioannou May 1, 2019
Senator Kamala Harris grilled William Barr, US attorney general, during the Senate Judiciary Committee about the Mueller report. Barr could not decisively answer yes or no if anyone at the White House had suggested he open an investigation into anyone. He admitted having discussions with White House staff about “matters out there” and used a series of negatives, suggesting those at the White...