In The News

Coronavirus and Globalization: Spiegel

Georg Fahrion, Kristina Gnirke, Veronika Hackenbroch, Martin Hesse, Martin U. Müller, Katharina Graça Peters, Michael Sauga and Bernhard Zand February 6, 2020
A coronavirus moves through populations with astounding speed. A Wuhan doctor identified seven cases as a public health issue on December 30. Local authorities berated him for breaking the law before he fell ill, too. The world reports 20,000 confirmed cases in 24 countries with more than 500 deaths. China, responsible for about one-third of global economic growth, responded by closing businesses...

Global Economy Without Cushion: Project Syndicate

Stephen S. Roach February 6, 2020
Global recessions are rare, but the world may have dodged one in 2019. The world posted GDP growth of 2.9 percent that year, far below the average 3.5 percent posted since 1980. Deviations from the trend signal a warning even for strong economies and corporations, suggests economist Stephen S. Roach with Yale University. “Unlike individual economies, which normally contract in an outright...

Disease Prevention Must Be Policy Priority: CNN

Sten Vermund February 5, 2020
Societies do not have to wait for diseases like the new coronavirus to emerge and spread. Ongoing preparedness and investment can go a long way in preventing global public health crises, argues Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. “Investing in one epidemic can have an impact that spans other diseases, future years, distant continents and disparate health systems,” he writes...

The US Losing Fight on Huawei: Wired

Garrett M. Graff February 2, 2020
Despite US lobbying, UK officials will allow the Chinese firm Huawei to provide components to its 5G network. British officials suggest they can mitigate risks, but the United States expects Huawei to undermine security and privacy. “Over the past two years, the Trump administration has mounted a high-profile, high-stakes, high-pressure campaign to stop its key allies – including the so-called...

WHO Calls Global Emergency on Coronavirus: BBC

January 31, 2020
The World Health Organization declared a global emergency on the new coronavirus. “The concern is that it could spread to countries with weaker health systems,” reports BBC News. Low-income nations lack public health personnel and resources to identify and contain the fast-spreading virus. Public health officials identified the disease in Wuhan, China, in early January, and it quickly spread....

Trump, Bolton and Pressure on Ukraine: NY Times

Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt January 31, 2020
US Senators have finished questioning house managers and the defense team in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Democrats called for witnesses, especially John Bolton after other witnesses described him as angry about attempts to investigate a political rival of Trump. Bolton, a far-right Republican, wrote a book to be published in March and describes Trump asking for help with his campaign...

US and EU Argue on Carbon Tax: Financial Times

Gillian Tett, Chris Giles and James Politi January 30, 2020
The European Union’s new tax plan on carbon imports may exacerbate transatlantic tensions. The Green Deal plan comes at the heels of France delaying imposition of a digital services tax, resisted by the Trump administration. According to Wilbur Ross, US commerce secretary, the United States could retaliate with tariffs if it finds the new carbon tax stems from trade protectionism. From the EU...