In The News

Khaleej Times: UAE Tows Icebergs From Antarctica

Emirates News Agency July 16, 2018
The United Arab Emirates has launched a website to showcase a project that entails towing icebergs from Antarctica to the coasts of UAE. The hope is to use icebergs as new sources of water for the arid region and attract positive press coverage. Researchers aim to collaborate to conduct water research and create technology that will minimize ice melting during transport and reduce costs. “A...

Brookings: The World Cup and Limits of Globalization

Dhruva Jaishankar July 15, 2018
The World Cup and the soccer industry are symbols of globalization, with mass participation and players playing for clubs in countries other than their own. While some differences are swept aside, like Mohamed Salah being England’s player of the year despite Europe wrestling with Islamophobia, other incidents display nationalism and ethnic tensions, including fights and casual racism. Spain...

New York Times: Migration and Climate Change

Lauren Markham July 13, 2018
The Trump administration has targeted immigrants and asylum seekers, while rejecting scientific research along with programs that strive to stem climate change and promote family planning, despite the many connections and repercussions. Droughts, flooding and other extreme weather events contribute to environmental disasters and mass migration. “Drought and rising temperatures in Guatemala are...

Financial Times: Trade War Escalation Rattles Global Stocks

Joe Rennison, Pan Kwan Yuk and Gabriel Wildau July 12, 2018
The United States announced additional tariffs worth $200 billion on Chinese imports, and retaliation is anticipated from China. US tariffs would cover nearly half of Chinese imports. Global stock markets, especially chipmaker, industrial and mining sectors, are in decline. “The escalating trade war is adding to downward pressure on China’s economy from a slowdown in infrastructure investment and...

Washington Post: India Imposes Retaliatory Tariffs on US

Annie Gowen July 10, 2018
India has joined the global trade war alongside the European Union, China and other US trading partners in response to the Trump administration’s recent tariff hikes on steel and aluminum by increasing import duties on goods such as almonds, apples and select metal products. India notified the World Trade Organization of this decision on June 14. Annie Gowen reports for the Washington Post: “it...

New York Times: US Opposition to Breastfeeding at World Forum

Andrew Jacobs July 8, 2018
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend breastfeeding for the first six months of life “to achieve optimal growth, development, and health.” US delegates defied longstanding research on infant nutrition at the UN-affiliated World Health Assembly in an attempt to weaken a breastfeeding resolution. “American officials sought to water down the resolution by...

Wall Street Journal: US Dollar and Global Market Malaise

James Mackintosh July 6, 2018
Uncertainty is disrupting global markets and increasing volatility, and investors are becoming more cautious about riskier investments including emerging markets, bonds and investments associated with countries running high levels of debt, with Chinese stocks down 20 percent, and unconventional investments like bitcoin. In turn, some bank stocks and commodities are under pressure. The many trends...