In The News

NewStatesman: Why Sweden Is Turning Right

Andrew Brown September 17, 2018
The Scandinavian countries have long been a role model on human rights, equality and control over globalization. But Sweden is slowly showing a rightward shift, and its leading anti-immigrant party, the Sweden Democrats won 17 percent in the September election. Swedes worry about a loss of control with the shutdown of traditional industries like shipyards, increased crime and changes in culture...

Bloomberg: Global Economy Feels Lehman Fallout 10 Years Later

Simon Kennedy and Sam Dodge September 17, 2018
Investments in subprime mortgages and the collapse of Lehman Brothers contributed to the 2008 financial crisis with global economic and political fallout due to stalled growth and increased government intervention. The consequences linger today worldwide with increased debt, wage stagnation, widening inequality and lingering unemployment in some nations. “The deepest international recession since...

Global Finance: Consequences of Rising Oil Prices

Laurence Neville September 14, 2018
Oil prices have been volatile, moving from more than $100 per barrel in 2014 to $27 in 2016 to more than $75 today. Oil producers with budgets depending on oil revenue like Venezuela could benefit. Still, global growth depends on stable energy prices, and high oil prices could trigger inflation and threaten emerging economies, which are both more energy intensive and less energy efficient than...

Los Angeles Times: Criticism of Israel and Anti-Semitism

Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe September 13, 2018
Protesters and their targets increasingly reflect upon strategies and whether methods change or harden public stances. Specific questions emerge with protests and calls for boycotts and divestment targeting Israel as related to Palestinian issues, explain Jaweed Kaleem and Teresa Watanabe for the Los Angeles Times: “How much is Jewish identity tied to the modern nation of Israel? Is there a point...

African Business: Integrating Smallholder Farmers Into Supply Chain

Tom Collins September 13, 2018
About 70 percent of Africans rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, and growth in the sector reduces poverty. Some small farmers struggle to find markets and hesitate to expand, and business leaders suggest connections with larger supply chains. “Yet this is easier said than done,” explains Tom Collins for African Business. “Although large producers build smallholder capacity to secure crop,...

ReliefWeb: Building Climate Resilience for Food Security

September 12, 2018
One out of every nine of the world’s people is going hungry, one out of every eight adults is obese, and the health of hundreds of millions is at risk. “Hunger has been on the rise over the past three years, returning to levels from a decade ago,” reports the 2018 report on Food Security and Nutrition in the World. “This reversal in progress sends a clear warning that more must be done and...

News & Observer: Sea-Level Rise Is Here

Orrin H. Pilkey September 12, 2018
Climate change and sea-level rise are underway, yet the US government led by conservatives and supporters of fossil-fuel energies have chosen to ignore the growing body evidence. As a candidate, Donald Trump called global climate change is a hoax. As president, he “followed up on his non-belief in a warming planet by not supporting the Paris Climate Accords, thus forfeiting our global...