In The News

We Won't Trigger Article 50 Until After 2017 – and That Means Brexit May Never Happen at All

Denis MacShane August 19, 2016
United Kingdom leaders are in no hurry to trigger action on Article 50 or begin formal negotiations to separate from the European Union. No planning has started. Likewise, other countries will hold back on negotiating new trade deals with the UK until a detailed understanding of separation is reached. “No-one in Europe wants to ‘punish’ Britain but no EU leader dare deny his or her own citizens...

Will South Africa Split Apart?

David Adler August 8, 2016
Majority control by South Africa’s dominant political party is slipping in metropolitan areas. “The ANC has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, but it faces growing threats from the left, from the right, and from within the party itself,” explains David Adler for Foreign Affairs, as voters reject “economic stagnation, official corruption, and poor public services.” The hope is...

Through the Venezuelan Looking Glass

Ricardo Hausmann August 4, 2016
Despite history’s many warnings about leaders’ erratic behavior ending up in catastrophe, similar stories are unfolding today. Venezuela, despite having the world’s largest oil reserves, is suffering from severe shortages of basic supplies, a crisis that’s the consequence of increasingly absurd government policies, suggests Ricardo Hausmann, economist, Harvard professor and former minister of...

In Humayun Khan and His Family, A Complex Portrait of Patriotism

AJ Willingham August 1, 2016
US Army Captain Humayun Khan, 27, the son of Pakistani immigrants, died in service of his country in Iraq. Twelve years later, Khizr Khan, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of candidate Hillary Clinton. The father’s speech, a powerful testament to American values, criticized Donald Trump and resonated in the convention hall and beyond, demonstrating the ability of US citizens...

With Globalization in Danger, G-20 Double Down on a Defense

July 26, 2016
The world’s largest economies have prospered from globalization, yet G20 finance leaders must confront the growing opposition to trade and immigration among their citizens: “finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 put a stepped-up emphasis on fiscal and structural policies to boost growth, and renewed a pledge to promote inclusiveness,” reports Bloomberg News. The article...

The Failure of Free Migration

Robert Skidelsky July 20, 2016
One immigrant’s brutal crime – using a truck to kill 84 people and injure hundreds during Bastille Day festivities in Nice, France – heightens mistrust for all immigrants and boosts support for a swift crackdown. “Throughout the Western world, a toxic mix of physical, economic, and cultural insecurity has been fueling anti-immigration sentiment and politics precisely at the moment when the...

Britain Stuns World With Vote to Leave EU; Cameron Plans to Resign and Markets Fall

Steven Erlanger June 24, 2016
The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, 52 to 48 percent. A decision in the world’s fifth largest economy that the world’s largest political and economic union is beyond repair has roiled global financial markets. British Prime Minister announced he will resign in October, adding political uncertainty. Voters opposed to immigration and open borders for trade ended any hopes of...