In The News

Newsweek: NY Bank Regulator Scrutinizes Kushner

Jessica Kwong March 2, 2018
Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to the US president, confronts charges of conflict of interest on numerous fronts. New York’s banking regulator is requesting details on loans to Kushner, his real estate company and family members from three banker including Deutsche Bank, reports Newsweek. This follows a New York Times report that Kushner received loans after meeting with top...

AL.com: Listen Up, America, Alabama Has Spoken

December 13, 2017
US elections have big implications for the rest of the world, and all eyes were on the special election in Alabama for a single US Senate seat. Turnout was heavy and voters elected Democrat Doug Jones over the Republican candidate who expressed opposition to immigration and rejected scientific consensus around climate change. Roy Moore also supported increased military spending and described...

The New York Times: Fake Americans Used to Influence Election

Scott Shane September 12, 2017
Cybersecurity analysts suspect that Russian hackers created a large numbers of fictional social media accounts posing as US voters. This was followed by DCLeaks, a website designed to selectively target US candidate to channel outrage about candidates, particularly presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “The Russian information attack on the election did not stop with the hacking and leaking of...

The Economist: Kenya’s New Government Faces Serious Challenges

August 30, 2017
Kenya’s recent presidential elections have come under scrutiny with candidate Raila Odinga calling the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection a “computer-generated fraud.” In Nairobi and in Western Kenya, protestors have “blocked roads and burned tires,” reports the Economist. “The police responded [by] firing tear gas and live rounds into the crowds. After a few days, at least two dozen...

Challenge to US Power – Chinese Exceptionalism: WSJ

Te-Ping Chen and Josh Chin July 27, 2017
China’s rise has been steady and fast since the country embraced trade and globalization in the 1980s. If the trajectory continues, China will soon surpass the United States in GDP and other areas. Chinese people have taken notice and take increasing pride in their country’s growth and strength, report Te-Ping Chen and Josh Chin for the Wall Street Journal. Surveys suggest that 80 percent of...

Project Syndicate: Trump’s Sugar Swamp

Jeffrey Frankel June 29, 2017
In a prelude to renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement that US President Trump promised on the campaign trail, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross recently concluded a deal with Mexico over sugar production. The sugar industry, however, still wants stricter protections from imported Mexican sugar when negotiations begin. In Project Syndicate, Jeffrey Frankel argues that the...

EurasiaNet.org: Moscow’s Perennial Quest for Recognition

Igor Torbakov June 13, 2017
US intelligence agencies point the finger at Russia for attempting to intervene in US and other democratic elections, but the shenanigans won’t increase Russian influence. “The rise of Donald Trump’s administration in the United States was supposed to be a boon for Russia,” explains Igor Torbakov of Uppsala University. “Instead, it has become a source of profound disappointment for the Kremlin.”...