In The News

Foreign Policy: Mexico Could Take Left Turn on Foreign Policy

Richard G. Miles June 29, 2018
Mexican voters are expected to elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president on July 1– and “relations with the United States could fall into new depths,” reports Richard Miles for Foreign Policy. By taking the leftist turn, Mexicans may think they are resisting the far-right and anti-immigrant policies of the US president but they could actually be following his lead by embracing populism,...

New York Times: Erdoğan’s Victory in Turkey

Carlotta Gall June 25, 2018
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won reelection in Turkey, convincing a slim majority that a strong centralized government and increased controls contribute to security. Critics express concern about increasing authoritarianism for Turkey. The president will oversee a polarized country with fewer checks on his power and “a pliant Parliament, with his conservative party and its allies having won about 53...

The Economist: The Calculations of Muhammad bin Salman

June 22, 2018
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman proceeds in stifling political dissent in exchange for the loosening of social restrictions. While the holy month of Ramadan had once been a time for pardons and royal amnesties in Saudi Arabia, the tide has turned. Instead, bin Salman adds to the 2,000 or so political prisoners detained since September. Over the past month, 17 activists were arrested: “Nine...

The Guardian: Immigrant Children in Cages at Texas Warehouse

June 21, 2018
Widespread media coverage of a south Texas warehouse sheds light on the physical manifestations of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy vis-à-vis illegal immigration. An estimated 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the initiative, “which directs homeland security officials to refer all cases of illegal entry into the...

NPR: US Announces Withdrawal From UN Human Rights Council

Colin Dwyer June 20, 2018
The US ambassador to the United Nations and the secretary state announced that the country is withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council. The diplomats insist withdrawal is not a retreat from human rights commitments and called some of the organization’s endeavors “hypocritical” and “self-serving.” Ambassador Nikki Haley has complained about the Council’s bias against Israel for its treatment...

Spiegel: Time for the EU to Isolate Trump?

Roland Nelles June 19, 2018
European leaders wrestle with how to deal with disruptive US policies. The G7 meeting in Canada reflected the divisions and erosion of US disdain for strongmen’s ways. Writing for Spiegel Online, Roland Nelles describes the brutish approach: disdain for agreements made by predecessors, rejection for the rules of international order or rational arguments, fawning over leaders of Russia and North...

Al Jazeera: Jordan Crisis – Gulf States Rush to Step In

Ali Younes June 14, 2018
Large protests have erupted in Jordan as a result of a new income tax law, leading to fears of expanding unrest in the Middle East. King Abdullah II of Saudi Arabia hosted a regional summit on Jordan’s economic crisis and a $700 million budget deficit with the aim of providing financial assistance. The Gulf Cooperation Council seeks to prevent the protests from spreading similar to the Arab...