In The News

Extending a Hand, Obama Finds Cold Shoulder Abroad

Mark Landler, Peter Baker June 19, 2013
Following frank meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G8 Summit, US President Barack Obama is finding that some fellow heads of state are dispensing with diplomatic niceties. Even allies are disappointed, and Obama must contend with a notoriously difficult relationship with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, a brutal response to protests by...

G8 Leaders Side Step Fate of Syria’s Assad

Arthur Beesley June 18, 2013
Members of the G8 – the US, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, Japan and Russia – released a statement that reiterated their hopes for a political solution to end Syria’s civil war as well as a demand that both sides destroy Al Qaeda affiliates operating in the country. An isolated Russia objected to specific mention of Bashar al-Assad. The communique also endorsed proposed peace talks that have...

Bermuda Refuses to Sign Up to Cameron's Tax Evasion Deal

Patrick Wintour June 18, 2013
Tax evasion threatens government budget and programs. As the G8 meets in Ireland, UK Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to persuade G8 and other countries to sign agreements against tax evasion. The pressure may have been counterproductive. Craig Cannonier, Bermuda’s prime minister, is refusing to sign the OECD international agreement on tax information exchange. Crannoir argues that Bermuda is...

Turkey’s Economic Miracle Under Fire

Dilip Hiro June 13, 2013
Stability, democracy and integration with the global economy have transformed Turkey into a major regional power with a strong economy. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attracted admiration throughout the Arab world for his diplomatic stances – supporting Arab Spring protesters in Egypt and Libya in 2011 as well as the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in 2010 and, more recently, the Syrian rebels. Yet...

Turkish Stock Market Falls 10.5% as Demonstrations Escalate

June 12, 2013
Following several days of intense protests in Turkey, the country’s largest stock index, fell 10.47 percent and the lira dropped to a 16-month low. The protests were originally sparked by plans to transform an Istanbul park into a shopping center, but have since expanded into concerns over government policies with a religious bent. Foreign investment in the country had received a needed boost...

Paris Threatens to Block EU-US Talks

Hugh Carnegy, George Parker, Peter Spiegel June 12, 2013
France is threatening to block talks on a transatlantic free-trade zone if its demands to exclude music, film and other cultural industries are not met, reports the Financial Times. France issued the ultimatum even as China and Europe are exchanging charges over unfair trade practices in solar panels and wine. The US likewise demands that all industries start on the negotiating table, pointing...

China Says EU Must Recognize Its Decline Amid Trade War

Kathrin Hille June 7, 2013
Editorials in official Chinese media have urged Europe to “recognize its power is declining” and to avoid retaliatory trade tactics, reports the Financial Times. “Beijing is hitting out after Brussels imposed duties this week on solar panels imported from China… the Chinese government responded by launching an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation against European wine,” reports Kathrin...