In The News

The Guardian: UN Human Rights Body Meets on Gaza

Peter Beaumont May 24, 2018
The UN’s human rights council held a special meeting in the wake of mass killings by Israeli troops at border protests on May 14, the same day that the United States relocated its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. As of May 16, 60 Palestinians had been killed. The Palestinian foreign ministry has recalled its ambassadors to Romania, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic – four nations that broke...

The Economist: Iran Braces for Economic War with America

May 24, 2018
Donald Trump’s May 8th pullout from the Iran nuclear deal – which had promised sanctions relief in exchange for reduction, conversion and inspections of its nuclear facilities – has disappointed and angered Iranian business leaders. Trump’s strategy shifted from containment to a full-on economic offensive. According to the Economist, the administration “has told firms worldwide that they have...

South China Morning Post: China Won’t Interfere in Venezuela

He Huifeng May 22, 2018
Three years ago, the United States was Venezuela’s top trade partner, accounting for 43 percent of exports and 29 percent of imports. Rising animosity in US-Venezuelan relations increased Venezuela’s reliance on China including oil-for-loan deals. The country’s economy has collapsed and China may be giving up on Venezuela, too: Basic goods and food are unavailable, crime is widespread, and the...

Spiegel: Trump Wedge for Germany and France

Markus Becker, Christiane Hoffmann, Peter Müller, Christoph Schult and Gerald Traufetter May 21, 2018
Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement, re-imposing sanctions, and by doing so has divided Europe. The European Commission is considering a “blocking statute” to prohibit European firms from obeying US sanctions and pay out damages. “Behind the scenes, it was largely Macron applying the pressure, whereas Germany seemed to shy away from a confrontation with...

New York Times: Summary of US Russia Investigation

Mikayla Bouchard May 17, 2018
US special counsel Robert Mueller and a team of investigators have been at work for a year examining Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. A US Senate committee, also investigating, has released multiple documents. The New York Times presents a timeline summarizing themes of the investigation along with key dates, participants and targets. The investigation focuses on...

Los Angeles Times: US Tested by Sadr’s Victory in Iraqi

Tracy Wilkinson and David S. Cloud May 16, 2018
Democracy ensures that one nation may not appreciate election results of another nation, and a longtime opponent of the United States took the lead in Iraq’s parliamentary elections. “For years during the long U.S. occupation of Iraq, Muqtada Sadr was an intractable foe, blamed by the Pentagon for hundreds of deaths of American service members, as well as atrocities against Iraqi civilians,”...

Financial Times: Could the Euro’s Italian “Nightmare” Come True?

Mehreen Khan May 15, 2018
More than 10 weeks after its election, Italy’s Five Star Movement and the far-right League struggle to the finishing touches on a ruling coalition, extending negotiations over issues dividing the parties including who will serve as prime minister. Coalition proposals include a reduced income tax, a flat tax, social security payments and a return to old pension rules. Previous governments had...