In The News

Putin’s Syria Move Raises Profile – With Risks

Thomas Graham October 6, 2015
Vladimir Putin, determined to revive Russia’s status as a global power, has rapidly mobilized forces to bolster the Assad regime in Syria. He orchestrated a meeting with US President Barack Obama at the September UN General Assembly meeting in New York, to give the appearance that he is taking charge of ending the Islamic State’s expansion in Iraq and Syria, explains Thomas Graham, expert on...

US, Japan and 10 Countries Strike Pacific Trade Deal

Shawn Donnan and Demetri Sevastopulo October 6, 2015
Twelve nations reached agreement on a huge free-trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership which covers labor conditions, environment protections, investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, intellectual property and packaging laws. The partnership is expected to cover 40 percent of world trade and is described as a success for US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for...

VW's Emissions Cheating Found by Curious Clean-Air Group

Jeff Plungis and Dana Hull September 25, 2015
A university lab in West Virginia, a state known for coal-mining and rejecting clean-air regulations, conducted exhaust tests that have rattled Volkswagen and a marketing strategy on “clean” diesel. Volkswagen is based in Germany, a country that promotes policies to protect the environment and stem climate change. The International Council on Clean Transportation had wanted to show European...

We Should Have Seen This Refugee Crisis Coming

Rana Novack September 23, 2015
Conflict combined with high rates of fertility, poverty, failed governance and lack of opportunity is behind the refugee crisis in the Middle East and Africa. The world’s developed economies should have prepared, argues Rana Novack in an opinion essay for Wired. “Predictive analytics provides the ability to extract meaningful information from vast amounts of data allowing us to identify patterns...

Border Chaos: Europe Reacts to Syrian Refugee Crisis

Chris Miller September 15, 2015
Thousands of families flee Syria, a nation devastated since 2011 civil war, a dictator’s crackdown with chemical weapons and infiltration by brutal extremists. Millions more people wait in barren refugee camps, lacking work and schools, near Syria’s borders. In just a week, more than 100,000 people fled to Europe, resisted by poor, conservative nations like Hungary and welcomed by others like...

What Will Jeremy Corbyn's Impact Be on Key Issues the UK Faces?

September 14, 2015
Jeremy Corbyn will lead the United Kingdom’s Labour Party with near 60 percent on the first vote. Conservatives remain in power and anticipate confronting a divided opposition. Corbyn is on the record for opposing inequality, austerity programs and war in the Middle East – and described as “passionate about foreign affairs.” Writers for the Guardian assess the Labour leader’s position on issues,...

Struggling Germany Urges Neighbors to Do More to Ease Refugee Crisis

Paul Carrel and Georgina Prodhan September 8, 2015
Tens of thousands of refugees flee conflict and head to Europe. Millions are displaced from fighting in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and northern Africa and seek secure places to settle. Refugees crossing Europe’s borders encounter varying welcomes – ranging from volunteers opening homes and distributing free meals to beatings and tear gas. The issue triggers sharp political divides for...