In The News

Interest Rate Rise: Turning Point Looms for US Debt Binge

Eric Platt September 9, 2015
The world has become accustomed to low-cost loans since late 2007 and many dread a hike in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve. Low interest rates encouraged corporate borrowing and speculation, weakening some firms. “Companies have had easy access to cash to write cheques for multibillion-dollar takeovers, to fund buybacks and dividend strategies – all welcomed by investors as share prices...

Obama on Climate Change: Act Now or Condemn World to a Nightmare

Halimah Abdullah and M. Alex Johnson September 2, 2015
The effects of climate change – rising seas, depleted water supplies, burned landscapes and volatile weather patterns that contribute to mass migration, refugees and conflict – won’t be easy for future generations to repair. Foreign ministers of key Arctic and non-Arctic nations with an interest met in Alaska for a three-day conference intended to drive political will and momentum to stem...

Havana’s Hottest Spot Is a Crowded Ramp to WiFi Bliss

Nick Miroff August 17, 2015
Less than 5 percent of Cubans have access to the internet. Among the many goals for the United States in restoring relations with Cuba is “Initiating new efforts to increase Cubans’ access to communications and their ability to communicate freely.” The Cuban government has since opened free wireless access in 35 locations around the country, including five in Havana: “Walk along La Rampa on a...

Capitalists, Arise: We Need to Deal With Income Inequality

Peter Georgescu August 10, 2015
Billionaires are nervous about growing inequality. The United States is wealthy, yet 40 percent are in debt, living from pay check to pay check. Businesses that rely on ordinary consumers purchasing clothes, home products and more will see stagnation. “If inequality is not addressed, the income gap will most likely be resolved in one of two ways: by major social unrest or through oppressive taxes...

Barack Obama’s Climate Plan Makes for Canny Politics

Nick Butler August 5, 2015
President Barack Obama announced a Clean Power Plan for the United States – reducing carbon emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and increasing reliance on renewable energy; solar power is expected to expand by 700 percent with reduced costs. “Coal-fired power plants will be closed and, with export potential limited, dozens of US coal mines will close as well,” writes Nick Butler for...

Are Foreign NGOs Rebuilding Haiti or Cashing In?

Nathalie Baptiste August 3, 2015
Since the 2010 earthquake, billions of dollars in aid have poured into Haiti. But most of this money has gone towards salaries for expatriate NGO workers, not towards rebuilding Haiti. The trend has created a class of well-compensated expats who take jobs that might have gone to Haitians and drives up the island’s cost of living, suggests Nathalie Baptiste for Foreign Policy. Projects like...

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Professional Foreigner!

Samuel Massie July 24, 2015
Graduating in the midst of a recession, US graduate Samuel Massie went to Guangzhou, China, to become a business analyst. In an essay for the New York Times, he describes the cultural adjustment and the attention received for being the lone foreigner. The company used him for translation and recruiting videos. Colleagues sought advice, not complaining about “censorship, pollution or human rights...