In The News

Spiegel: Germany Prepares for Coming Tax Battle

Christian Reiermann February 15, 2017
The United States and the United Kingdom – intent on attracting foreign investment and jobs – may “begin stretching, undermining or completely redefining the internationally established tax framework,” reports Christian Reiermann for Spiegel Online. Finance ministers of the world’s 20 largest economies meet in March, and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants to lead a fight against tax...

Project Syndicate: Brexit in a Brave New World

Daniel Gros February 7, 2017
Trade increases efficiency, reducing costs for all parties. Large economies have advantages with tariffs, and “The advantage of the larger economy is even greater when it comes to non-tariff barriers, which often result from differences in regulations and standards among trading countries,” explains Daniel Gros for Project Syndicate. “In most cases, the smaller country must simply accept the...

The Economist: As America and Russia Talk, Ukraine Fights

February 4, 2017
Conflict in eastern Ukraine was frozen for two years but has “flared up with renewed force” soon after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, presidents of the United States and Russia, spoke by telephone, reports the Economist. “Following the flare-up, the American ambassador to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which monitors the ceasefire, blamed ‘combined Russian-separatist...

Don’t Bet on Enduring Republican Reset With Russia

Daniel Twining January 10, 2017
Donald Trump blasted critics who reject his plans to improve US ties with Russia on Twitter: “Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only ‘stupid’ people, or fools, would think that it is bad!” But Congress may not go along, including Republicans who worry about aggression in Georgia, Ukraine and Syria and criticized President Barack Obama for going too easy on...

Modern Servitude: Romanian Badante Care for Elders in Italy

Raluca Besliu January 3, 2017
As Europe confronts the challenges of an aging population, workers from relatively poor countries relocate to wealthier communities to provide care. “Badante” is an Italian term for caregiver that also refers to foreign women, especially the Romanians who leave home and family to work long hours for low pay in Italy. The women “voluntarily enter this modern version of servitude, caring for the...

Human Smuggling: Ruthless Crime or Invaluable Service?

Joseph Chamie December 22, 2016
Human smuggling is not new or easy to stop. Governments consider the activity a crime, yet migrants fleeing war, poverty, persecution or disasters seek out the services of experienced smugglers. The most desperate stories draw global sympathy. “For many unauthorized migrants, smugglers are freedom facilitators,” concedes Joseph Chamie, demography expert and former director of the United Nations...

Erdogan: “No Doubt” Russian Envoy's Killer Linked to Gulen

December 21, 2016
Russia’s ambassador to Turkey was assassinated in Ankara by a Turkish police officer who referred to retaliation for Russia airstrikes in Aleppo, according to witnesses. Turkey and Russia have taken opposite sides on the civil war in Syria, but relations between the two countries warmed in recent months. Turkey’s president quickly insisted there is “no doubt” the killing was inspired by Muslim...