In The News

IMF Changing Tack on Greece

Astrid Prange September 4, 2015
The International Monetary Fund may have devoted too much money into efforts to rescue Greece from its debt crisis. Many of the IMF’s 188 members question the sum of loans for Greece - $25 billion from the IMF. “It seems paradoxical: The term debt relief is a taboo in Latin America, Asia and Africa, but that is exactly what Greece asked the IMF for,” writes Astrid Prange for Deutsche Welle. The...

IMF to the Aid of Ukraine: Well-Intended, But Misguided

David R. Cameron September 3, 2015
Ukraine, battling separatists and demands for autonomy in its eastern regions, confronts a debt crisis. The International Monetary Fund approved $17.5 billion over four years and also called for another debt operation. After five months of negotiations, Ukraine received another $15.3 billion, including a 20 percent “haircut” in the $18 billion of bonds held by the private creditors. More than...

Why Russia Is So Afraid of French Cheese

Brian Whitmore September 1, 2015
Russia is becoming a case study in pitting people who enjoy being told what to do, in the name of nationalism, against those who pursue their own preferences. The government, in what some call an attempt to back away from modern globalization, suggests that foreign foods pose a strategic danger. Neighbors report on neighbors for enjoying imported cheeses, fruits and meats. “The food snitches and...

Migrants' Bodies Pulled From Mediterranean

Ahmed Elumami and Marton Dunai August 31, 2015
Europe lacks coherent policies on the refugee crisis as thousands flee conflict in the Middle East and poverty in Africa. The desperate pay smugglers for transportation. The report from Reuters suggests that at least 2,500 died since January, but the numbers are likely much higher with more than 10 million displaced people in Syria and Iraq alone. “As bodies pile up, so does criticism of Europe...

Europe’s New Economic Divide

Chris Miller August 27, 2015
Europe still wrestles over how to resolve the debt crisis in Greece. The managing director of the International Monetary Fund warned this month that Greece’s debt remains unsustainable, and she urged the country’s European partners to prepare to provide significant relief. “Few voters anywhere in Europe are excited about bailing out Greece’s government,” writes Chris Miller, associate director of...

Inside the Migrant "Jungle" in Northern France

Peter Wieben August 26, 2015
An unprecedented mass migration is underway with millions displaced, fleeing poverty, conflict and unsustainable conditions in the Middle East and North Africa. The most resourceful leave all possessions behind to live in the squalor and relative security of European camps rife with ethnic, religious and racial tensions. Peter Wieben describes a crowded camp in Calais, near the entry to the...

France Seeks Help in Monitoring Suspicious Activity

Sam Schechner and Matthew Dalton August 24, 2015
France is calling on its millions of train travelers to remain calm and take quick action if they observe a fellow passenger with a weapon. One British and three American passengers tackled a fellow passenger carrying an AK-47 aboard a high-speed train. France recognized the rescue team with Legion of Honor. “In times of terror like that, please do something,” urged Anthony Sadler, one of three...