In The News

The Economist: Another Earthquake Strikes Mexico

September 25, 2017
Mexico is reeling from the onslaught of at least two earthquakes and aftershocks with the span of a few weeks. More than 270 people are dead and numerous buildings in Mexico City are destroyed. Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world, and the area around the city accounts for nearly 25 percent of Mexico's gross domestic product, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Although...

The New York Times: Fake Americans Used to Influence Election

Scott Shane September 12, 2017
Cybersecurity analysts suspect that Russian hackers created a large numbers of fictional social media accounts posing as US voters. This was followed by DCLeaks, a website designed to selectively target US candidate to channel outrage about candidates, particularly presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “The Russian information attack on the election did not stop with the hacking and leaking of...

The Guardian: Giant Portrait of Toddler Peers Over US-Mexico Border Wall

September 10, 2017
French Artist JR erected a huge photo of an amused toddler gripping the top of the US border wall with Mexico and surveying the territory below, “leaving the impression the entire thing could be toppled with a giggle,” according to the Associated Press. The artwork prompts discussion about proposals to extend the wall the full length of the border, about 2000 miles, and was unveiled the same week...

Washington Examiner: Trump Administration Waives Jones Act to Get Fuel to Florida Ports

Josh Siegel September 8, 2017
The US Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, is often referred to as a case study in protectionism. Generally the act “prohibits any foreign built or foreign flagged vessel from engaging in coastwise trade within the United States,” explains the Maritime Law Center, noting that the courts have given wide interpretation and the “term applies to a voyage that beginning at any...

Harvard Business Review: Prepare for Climate Change

Matthew E. Kahn, Brian Casey and Nolan Jones September 7, 2017
Flooding, wildfires and other risks associated with climate change are on the rise, and “and yet behavioral economics research argues that we are collectively underinvesting in protecting ourselves,” write Matthew E. Kahn, Brian Casey and Nolan Jones for Harvard Business Review. Reasons include a tendency to focus on short time frames, optimism on risk exposure and lack of preparation. The...

Deutsche Welle: Trump Has Europe Concerned Over Iran Nuclear Deal

Kersten Knipp September 7, 2017
The US president is signaling an opinion that Iran is not complying with the nuclear deal in place since 2015. Without providing specifics, the US ambassador to the United Nations suggests that the United States has technical reasons for ending the agreement, though these would “contradict the information provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency,” reports Kersten Knipp for Deutsche...

The Cairo Review of Global Affairs: The Case for Open Markets

Dany Bahar September 6, 2017
In the aftermath of Brexit and Donald J. Trump’s presidential ascension, a world that embraced globalization and free trade is turning its back on economic and political principles established after the Second World War. Dany Bahar, writing for the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, prefaces his advocacy for more global trade by arguing that protectionism – a policy championed by Trump to revive the...