In The News

The Guardian: Demise of the Nation State

Rana Dasgupta April 6, 2018
Nation states are losing influence, contends Rana Dasgupta for the Guardian, and the political systems are obsolete for confronting modern challenges that are either focused and local or global in nature. Systems based on borders struggle to deal with complex companies, technologies, immense wealth and social movements that no longer respect borders. “Exhaustion, hopelessness, the dwindling...

New York Times: Can the US Stop Trump Before It’s Too Late?

Madeleine Albright April 6, 2018
Terrorism, populism, sectarian conflicts and greed test democracy, writes Madeleine Albright for the New York Times, and disorder and volatility contribute to support for fascism and authoritarianism. Embracing nationalism, the Trump administration applies a wrecking ball to international agreements and political norms. “Instead of mobilizing international coalitions to take on world problems, he...

The Balance: Economic Impact of Rising Sea Levels

Kimberly Amadeo April 5, 2018
Sea levels are rising, and 25 percent of the rise since 1880 has occurred during the last two decades. An increase of a few inches may not seem dramatic, but the economic impacts are expected to be immense. “Higher levels will affect the eight of the world's largest cities that are near a coast,” reports Kimberly Amadeo for the Balance. Millions in coastal communities, especially in emerging...

Foreign Affairs: When Trump Meets Kim

Toby Dalton and Ariel Levite April 4, 2018
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un caught the world by surprise after the two agreed to meet in May and explore the possibility of nuclear disarmament. The promise of a peace summit, following a year of strained and at times threatening rhetoric exchanged between the two leaders, revives hope that Kim may be open to de-escalation. Toby Dalton and Ariel Levite recommend...

Financial Times: China and US in Trade Battle

Shawn Donnan and Yuan Yang April 4, 2018
Trade adds jobs and profits, and tariffs increase prices, reducing jobs and profits. Hours after the Trump administration announced a 25 percent tariff on 1,333 Chinese products including robots and locomotives, China responded with tariffs on 106 products imported from the United States. The United States claims decades of intellectual property theft from China, and China points to US violations...

The New Yorker: Egypt's Farcical Election

Lauren Bohn April 4, 2018
US President Donald Trump has broken with American diplomatic tradition by welcoming with open arms the current Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, a former general with a spotty human rights record. El-Sisi captured 97 percent of the vote in this year’s election, where only one opponent remained in the race long enough for voters to see his name on the ballot. That lone opponent, Mousa...

Jakarta Post: Water Privatization in Jakarta

April 3, 2018
Water privatization, in theory, is supposed to steady supplies and costs of the limited resource. But water is essential for survival and is regarded as a basic public service. Government handing control to companies seeking profits leads to problems including emphasis on increased costs, reduced maintenance, and emphasis on developers’ goals, according to Food & Water Watch. Courts in...