In The News

Europe Divided Again: Wall Street Journal

Bojan Pancevski November 17, 2019
Three decades after the Berlin Wall fell, political divisions are again rising between East and West Europe, reports the Wall Street Journal. “Despite the economic success of German reunification and the triumph of democracy across Eastern Europe, the two regions are drifting apart again in a clash of values that is threatening the cohesion of the Western alliance and the European Union,” the...

Power Void in Bolivia: Associated Press

November 11, 2019
After weeks of protests, the Bolivia’s military chief convinced President Evo Morales to resign Morales had been president since 2006, and as many as 20 other officials resigned as well. “Crowds of jubilant foes of the socialist leader celebrated in the streets with honking horns and fireworks after Morales's announcement Sunday, treating as a triumph of democracy the ouster of a man who...

Sondland Deposition

November 6, 2019
US President Donald Trump often approaches foreign affairs topics as a dealmaker, hedging and withholding commitment in search of better terms. US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland describes the struggle of diplomats to discern the president’s goals and their concern that he might not follow through after they have given their word to overseas counterparts. Sondland's deposition also...

Yovanovitch Deposition

November 5, 2019
Ambassadors who represent their nations must have support from leadership or they cannot be effective at their jobs. Maria Yovanovitch left her post as US ambassador to Ukriane in May and describes her concern in congressional testimony. She described concerns about a shadow campaign to influence policies in Ukraine, undertaken by the US president’s personal attorney without going through normal...

Japan-Russia Territory Dispute: Wall Street Journal

Ann M. Simmons and Chieko Tsuneoka November 5, 2019
Russia and Japan launched a new program aimed at resolving a territorial dispute that has lingered since 1945 when the Soviet Union seized the islands of Kunashir and Iturup. Japanese with no ties to the islands boarded a ship for a visit. One scholar suggests that the trip may have been more symbolic with differences between Russia and Japan still wide. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and...

Morrison Targets Australia Climate Groups: The Age

David Crowe November 4, 2019
Australia is the world's top coal exporter and the country also endures severe consequences of climate change with wildfires, drought and rising seas, according to its own government reports. Yet the prime minister proposes a law to limit free speech and block climate protests. “Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being transparently political in targeting climate groups like Extinction...

UK December Election: BBC

October 29, 2019
Lawmakers in the United Kingdom failed to reach agreement about how to exit the European Union so they will give voters a chance to select a new set of members in parliament. “By a margin of 438 votes to 20, the Commons approved legislation paving the way for the first December election since 1923,” reports BBC News. Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggests “the public must be ‘given a choice’ over...