In The News

The Japan Times: Toward a New Global Compact on Migration

Antonio Guterres January 11, 2018
More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their games due to conflict or disasters. Many more people migrate in search of opportunities, and the total number of migrants approaches 250 million. “Managing migration is one of the most profound challenges for international cooperation in our time,” explains Antonio Guterres in an essay in the Japan Times. Migration confers many...

PRI: The Link Between Severe Winters and Climate Change

Carolyn Beeler January 9, 2018
Climate-change skeptics point to a severe winter, long stretches of below-average temperatures and a so-called “bomb cyclone” as confirming that average rising temperatures may not be a problem. PRI’s Carolyn Beeler reports that the term “bomb cyclone” refers to an intense course caused by a quick drop in atmospheric pressure. But the icy weather reaching far beyond the Arctic confirms a...

CNET: Details on Big Chip Flaws Spectre and Meltdown

Laura Hautala January 4, 2018
Silicon processing chips are reported to have security flaws known as Spectre and Meltdown that could expose computer to hacking attacks. Skilled hackers could view passwords, encryption keys and other secret data on those chips. “To make computer processes run faster, a chip will essentially guess what information the computer needs to perform its next function,” explains Laura Hautala for CNET...

Caixin: China’s Ban on Plastic Waste Imports to Choke World?

Yang Rui January 4, 2018
Discarded plastic for recycling is a major export for many nations. China was the largest importer of such waste, but that ends with a ban imposed on such imports as of 1 January. Yang Rui reports for Caixin: China “imported 7.3 million metric tons (8 tons) of plastic waste in 2016 mainly from Europe, Japan and the United States, worth billions of dollars. The country’s hunger for plastic has...

The Times of India: Virulent Symptoms of Global Inequality Need Concerted Global Response

Nayan Chanda January 2, 2018
The uncertainty of a topsy-turvy world has many implications for global security and the global economy. Turkey is backing away from the United States and working with Russia on Syria; Saudi Arabia has turned on neighbor Qatar; Australia, wondering about US dependability, works with China; Russia supported a social media campaign that influenced the US presidential election; and in the United...

The Huffington Post: Why Trump’s Strategy to Deal With North Korea Won’t Cut It

Jesselyn Cook December 29, 2017
North Korea fired another intercontinental ballistic missile in late November, and US President Donald Trump continues calls for China and President Xi Jinping “to crack down on its defiant trading partner with tougher sanctions.” North Korea does not appear to lean toward denuclearization despite Trump’s ongoing promises for “major sanctions.” While Trump counts on Xi and China’s economic...

The Guardian: "They Treated Her Like a Dog"– Tragedy of a Six-Year-Old Killed at Croatian Border

Emma Graham-Harrison December 28, 2017
The death of six-year-old Madina Hussiny has shed light on an enduring sociopolitical problem along Europe’s borders – the precarious status of asylum seekers and refugees. Emma Graham-Harrison observes for the Guardian, “The tragedy of the Hussiny family, who tried to reach Croatia after spending nearly a year in Serbia hoping for legal passage into Hungary, was the latest in a string of deaths...