In The News

No-Deal Brexit Opponents Want Commons Control: BBC

September 3, 2019
The United Kingdom faces an October deadline, already extended, for exiting the European Union. A majority of UK parliament members from a mix of parties united in emergency debate to defeat the government on a no-deal Brexit after the prime minister announced a five-week suspension. The opposition fears economic chaos, disruption to travel and basic supplies and a hard border for Ireland, but...

A Different Economy: Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins September 2, 2019
Advanced economies no longer work the way they once did, and no one should expect a return to "normal" anytime soon. Economists disagree about the reasons. For now, governments and citizens must adjust to a new normal, explains Ross Gittins for the Sydney Morning Herald. Some Australian leaders prepare to adjust for declines in economic growth, productivity and interest rates. Australia...

How a Lifeline From China Changed Greece: Fortune

Vivienne Walt September 1, 2019
China’s investment in the historic port of Piraeus has lifted Greece’s economy and dampened populist opposition to foreign investment. “Situated at the edge of Athens – a short sail from the Middle East and Africa – the port has been a strategic jewel for nearly 2,500 years, ever since the Athenians and Spartans defeated the Persian emperor in a nearby sea battle for Mediterranean supremacy,”...

China's Social Credit System: DW

August 29, 2019
China already ranks its companies and citizens on social reputation, and plans to extend rankings to individuals and firms with China operations by 2020. Large firms can expect to be ranked on about 30 categories and as many as 300 requirements including licensing, tax payments, environmental protections, billing, logistics and more. China’s government regards the system as a prerequisite for...

Uncertainty for Italy: Guardian

Angela Giuffrida August 21, 2019
Italy and its populist forces are in political crisis. Giuseppe Conte resigned as prime minister and “The president, Sergio Mattarella, is now calling the shots in a crisis triggered when Matteo Salvini pulled the plug on the League’s tenuous relationship with the Five Star Movement (M5S) in an attempt to capitalise on his popularity and become PM,” reports Angela Giuffrida. The president has...

UK Faces Dire Shortages With Brexit: Reuters

Kate Holton and William James August 19, 2019
Trade has represented more than half of the United Kingdom’s GDP since 2005, reports the World Bank. Leaked government documents suggest that the country will contend with dire shortages of essential goods by leaving the European Union without a trade deal. Government officials suggest the country is preparing for the worst-case scenario. “Setting out a vision of jammed ports, public protests...

Crumbling Global Order: Wall Street Journal

Greg Ip August 14, 2019
Major shifts in world systems can result in global downturns, argues Greg Ip for the Wall Street Journal. This was the case for the end of the era of cheap oil but not the advent of the internet. Increasing resistance to globalization and open markets fueled by nationalism and populism – and a general decline in diplomacy with Brexit, the US-China and South Korea-Japan trade wars, divisions in...