In The News

Xi’s Risky Power Play: Democracy

Manfred Elfstrom April 29, 2019
Western democracies struggle to deal with a rising China amid new policies on trade, security and cultural outreach. Manfred Elfstrom reviews trends including concentration of political power with increased oversight and demands for absolute loyalty; reduced emphasis and delays on domestic reforms, including work conditions or the social safety net; and attempts to contain grassroots efforts to...

Germany’s NATO Spending: Spiegel

Matthias Gebauer, Konstantin von Hammerstein, Christiane Hoffmann and Marcel Rosenbach April 3, 2019
Even the strongest organizations have disagreements over dues and approaches to problems, and this is true of NATO. NATO expects members to contribute 2 percent of GDP for NATO, but Europe’s economies are struggling. Germany spends less than 1.5 percent, attributed to lingering resistance to militarism that contributed to World War II. Meanwhile, members like Turkey and Italy drift in closer ties...

Brexit Proposal Fails for Third Time: CNBC

David Reid March 29, 2019
Criticizing big initiatives and relationships is easy, but developing a big fix is much more difficult, as the United Kingdom discovers in its attempt to exit the European Union. Members of parliament once again rejected a deal she made with EU officials, 344 to 286, despite her offer to resign in exchange for support. “Friday’s vote was considered slightly different as it only covered the ‘...

Brexit Damage for Asia and Africa: Global Finance

Andrew Woodman March 28, 2019
British voters and leaders are divided over whether and how to exit membership in the European Union. The economic damage could spread beyond Europe. The German Development Institute suggests that a no-deal Brexit would mean returning to World Trade Organization tariffs – with “49 vulnerable states will no longer have access to the UK market through an Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement that...

Costs of Global Uncertainty: Project Syndicate

Michael Spence March 27, 2019
Global economic activity is on decline as investors and businesses confront uncertainty. The US-China trade war contributes to the hesitation, as trade partners ponder the costs and benefits of global economic connectivity and players retreat toward old patterns. For example, China’s state-owned enterprises, a target for complaints from the United States and elsewhere over subsidies, have an...

UK to Lose £1 Trillion Financial Assets: FT

Stephen Morris March 21, 2019
Businesses prepare for the chaos of worst-case Brexit scenarios, reports an Ernst & Young Global Limited survey. For financial services companies, that includes plans to transfer £1 trillion in assets from the United Kingdom to Europe. British negotiators struggle to reach a deal that includes freedoms from immigration and European regulations, as desired by just over half of voters in the...

France Bans Some Protests After Riots: AP

Sylvie Corbet and Angela Charlton March 19, 2019
France’s prime minister has announced a ban on some protests after repeated and violent clashes in several locations, including the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris. France has been under siege by yellow-vest protests for four months and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the ban after “rioters set life-threatening fires, ransacked luxury stores and attacked police around the Champs-Elysees...