In The News

The Grexit Dilemma: What Would Happen if Greece Leaves the Euro Zone?

Nikolaus Blome, Martin Hesse, Alexander Neubacher, Christian Reiermann, Michael Sauga, Christoph Schult and Alexander Smoltczyk March 10, 2015
Europe cannot agree on more bailouts for Greece, and since electing a new leftist government, Greece is failing to offer a plan on how it will repay its heavy debt, reports an article in Spiegel Online. This opens the possibility of the nation’s exit from the European Union: “Greece's creditors … will not just have to reach agreement with Athens on interest rates and payback periods, but...

Grexit Grumblings: Germany Open to Possible Greek Eurozone Exit

Nikolaus Blome, Giorgos Christides, Christian Reiermann and Gregor Peter Schmitz January 6, 2015
The eurozone has economies in flux. Lithuania celebrates entry while Greece ponders an exit. Greeks vote in parliamentary elections on January 25 and many resent austerity measures imposed by Germany and other neighbors, explains an article in Spiegel Online: “the North-South conflict's focus is the German-designed austerity and reform program that all crisis countries have had to adopt in...

Barack Obama: “We Are and Always Will Be a Nation of Immigrants”

Paul Lewis November 21, 2014
The US president took steps to allow millions of immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation. He has authorized increased resources for border security, and set priority of removing “felons, not families.” Another program will defer action on 3.7 million immigrants who are parents of US citizens or legal residents – if they have lived in the country for more than five years,...

Who Is Chinese? Voices in Hong Kong and Taiwan Reveal Deep Cultural Divide

Victor Louzon November 6, 2014
Taiwan is turning against China’s "one-country, two-systems" approach to reunification, whether because of ongoing protests disrupting Hong Kong or the dismissive response by Beijing. China announced in August that Hong Kong could proceed with elections, but with a pre-approved slate of candidates. In proposing a two-systems approach for Hong Kong, Chinese leaders expected patriotism...

Dueling Elections in Ukraine Test EU-Russian Ties

Chris Miller November 4, 2014
Two sets of elections expose a deep divide among Ukrainian citizens over support for closer ties with the European Union versus traditional reliance on Russia: With a reported 60 percent turnout, the October 26 parliamentary elections gave the president and prime minister a majority that will allow them to pursue economic and political reforms and forge closer ties with Europe. Elections in...

The Political Implications of Latin America's Slowing Growth

Eric Farnsworth October 3, 2014
Brazilians head to the polls, and the results could be a bellweather for the whole region. Latin American economies have flourished during the last decade due to growing worldwide demand for their copper, iron ore, meat and soy. However, the region can anticipate a slowdown as the world continues to recover from recent economic crises and as growth subsides in China, their main market. Regional...

China’s Biggest Political Challenge Since Tiananmen in 1989

Gideon Rachman October 1, 2014
Tens of thousands crowd Hong Kong’s financial center, challenging the Chinese government’s insistence on selecting a slate of candidates for the 2017 election. Gideon Rachman for the Financial Times describes the eerie parallels with the crushed pro-democracy Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement 25 years ago. China is wealthier with more global standing, and so too are the Hong Kong protesters...