In The News

The Guardian: UN Human Rights Body Meets on Gaza

Peter Beaumont May 24, 2018
The UN’s human rights council held a special meeting in the wake of mass killings by Israeli troops at border protests on May 14, the same day that the United States relocated its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. As of May 16, 60 Palestinians had been killed. The Palestinian foreign ministry has recalled its ambassadors to Romania, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic – four nations that broke...

The Economist: Iran Braces for Economic War with America

May 24, 2018
Donald Trump’s May 8th pullout from the Iran nuclear deal – which had promised sanctions relief in exchange for reduction, conversion and inspections of its nuclear facilities – has disappointed and angered Iranian business leaders. Trump’s strategy shifted from containment to a full-on economic offensive. According to the Economist, the administration “has told firms worldwide that they have...

Wall Street Journal: Chinese Smartphone and Made in America

Dan Strumpf May 24, 2018
The Trump administration has suggested it may lift an export ban on ZTE phones, the fourth largest supplier of US smartphones, and impose alternative penalties for the now-struggling company. US “companies haven’t been able to ship parts to ZTE since the U.S. Commerce Department’s mid-April order barring sales of products to the Chinese company,” reports Dan Strumpf for the Wall Street Journal. “...

Bloomberg: US Sanction Power Reaching Its Limit?

Ben Holland May 23, 2018
The United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and plans unilateral sanctions. Ben Holland of Bloomberg News identifies a pattern: the Trump administration’s increasing reliance on sanctions and disdain for diplomacy. Other major economies, especially the European Union, China and India may be weary of US demands that increase their costs. “...

South China Morning Post: China Won’t Interfere in Venezuela

He Huifeng May 22, 2018
Three years ago, the United States was Venezuela’s top trade partner, accounting for 43 percent of exports and 29 percent of imports. Rising animosity in US-Venezuelan relations increased Venezuela’s reliance on China including oil-for-loan deals. The country’s economy has collapsed and China may be giving up on Venezuela, too: Basic goods and food are unavailable, crime is widespread, and the...

Wired: Blockchain Follows Tuna From Fiji to Brooklyn

Louise Matsakis May 22, 2018
Blockchain technology provides tools who want to understand how their food or other products are sourced. Writing for Wired, Louise Matsakis describes tracking a yellowfin tuna from its catch in Fiji to the landing dock, processing facility and transport on to Brooklyn – with Ethereum blockchain by startup Viant. “A plethora of startups—as well as major companies like IBM and Walmart – are...

Spiegel: Trump Wedge for Germany and France

Markus Becker, Christiane Hoffmann, Peter Müller, Christoph Schult and Gerald Traufetter May 21, 2018
Donald Trump is withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement, re-imposing sanctions, and by doing so has divided Europe. The European Commission is considering a “blocking statute” to prohibit European firms from obeying US sanctions and pay out damages. “Behind the scenes, it was largely Macron applying the pressure, whereas Germany seemed to shy away from a confrontation with...