In The News

Britain Stuns World With Vote to Leave EU; Cameron Plans to Resign and Markets Fall

Steven Erlanger June 24, 2016
The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, 52 to 48 percent. A decision in the world’s fifth largest economy that the world’s largest political and economic union is beyond repair has roiled global financial markets. British Prime Minister announced he will resign in October, adding political uncertainty. Voters opposed to immigration and open borders for trade ended any hopes of...

Brexit Aftermath: Europe's Zero Hour Presents an Opportunity

Dirk Kurbjuweit June 24, 2016
The European Union is ready to shed a reluctant United Kingdom. The other 27 members could become stronger by moving on and taking advantage of new possibilities. The UK decision does not mean that the EU is a failure or blunder. “The desire for unity developed out of the zero hour following World War II and is a clear rejection of war,” writes Dirk Kurbjuweit. “It is a peace project, and a...

Brexit and Bust: Britain Plunges Into the Unknown

Daniel Twining June 23, 2016
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union has shocked the world and is a wake-up call for the single market of 28 nations and more than 500 million people. The fury over economic and political cooperation that led to the referendum could intensify. “In unsettling ways, the June 23 referendum has put the future of Europe, the transatlantic alliance and the international...

The Great Escape

Robert Winder June 22, 2016
In much of Europe, people are a short ride from another country, and the Schengen Agreement, formed in 1985, allows free travel for citizens of 26 nations with “significant effect not just on daily life but on tourism, trade and commerce,” explains Robert Winder for New Statesman. “Those who designed it to liberate movement in Europe did not imagine international migration on today’s scale....

Misplaced Charity

June 17, 2016
The aim of foreign aid is to alleviate poverty, while improving economies, services and governance and minimizing conflict. “Official development aid, which includes grants, loans, technical advice and debt forgiveness, is worth about $130 billion a year,” explains the Economist. Such aid transformed Taiwan and South Korea, but “can also burden weak bureaucracies, distort markets, prop up...

US Officials Say American Muslims Do Report Extremist Threats

Kristina Cooke and Joseph Ax June 16, 2016
The US has more than 3 million Muslims, about 1 percent of the population. A good relationship with the Muslim community is indispensable for law enforcement, notes James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation: “It’s at the heart of the FBI’s effectiveness to have good relationships with these folks.” His statement countered claims by US presidential candidate Donald Trump who, in...

Post-Withdrawal Britain: Why the Swiss Model Wouldn't Work for the UK

Christian Teevs June 14, 2016
British voters favoring leaving the European Union suggest that the country’s status could be similar to that of Norway and Switzerland. But the United Kingdom, with a population of 65 million, is not Norway or Switzerland, with 5.5 million and 8.5 million people, respectively. To access the EU market, the British would likely join the European Economic Area, like Norway, and could not escape...