In The News

The Straits Times: Aging and Immigration

Vikram Khanna February 6, 2018
Wealthy nations with low fertility rates have aging populations with decreasing numbers of working-age adults. Achieving economic growth and sustained living standards requires increasing fertility, productivity, immigration or increasing numbers of women entering the workforce, suggests Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, as described by Vikram Khanna, associate...

BBC News: Maldives ex-President Nasheed Seeks Help From India and US

February 6, 2018
Maldives is in turmoil after the current president defied a court order and refused to release political prisoners. The government declared a state of emergency with at least two judges detained and the president suggesting a coup was being planned. The government also threatened to block television and media sites that released reports criticizing the government. Former president Mohamed Nasheed...

Foreign Affairs: How Sharp Power Threatens Soft Power

Joseph S. Nye Jr. February 5, 2018
Authoritarian regimes strive to interfere with democratic governments via social media and other information warfare. Such interference can be regarded as “sharp power” as opposed to “soft power,” or government’s reliance on culture and values to enhance strength. “Over the past decade, Beijing and Moscow have spent tens of billions of dollars to shape public perceptions and behavior around the...

Newcastle Herald: 20,000 “Ravenous” Kingfish Escape and Hit Marine Park

Donna Page and Sam Norris February 4, 2018
Rough seas allowed thousands of predatory kingfish to escape a fish farm north of Newcastle in Australia. Officials worry about the escapees destroying wild fish, especially those in a nearby marine park. “The future of the controversial joint NSW government and Tasmania-based Huon Aquaculture project, which is 18 months into a five-year research trial, is under a cloud following the loss of...

The Toronto Star: Trump Is Showdown With His FBI

Daniel Dale February 2, 2018
US intelligence agencies report that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and warn about similar interference in November’s congressional elections. Key Republicans and US President Donald Trump lash out at the investigators, with attacks that could undermine trust in the nation’s Federal Bureau of Investigation and other institutions. “The until-recently-unusual spectre of the ‘...

Caixin: US Approval Offers Shot in the Arm to China’s Traditional Medicine

Coco Feng February 2, 2018
Traditional medicines, once customized for each patient, are increasingly standardized and manufactured in large modern factories, for delivery around the globe. To expand markets, Chinese manufacturers are conducting clinical trials and putting their products under the review of the US Food and Drug Administration, considered among the world’s toughest regulators for drugs. “Although China...

openDemocracy: The Origins of Populism

Seren Selvin Korkmaz and Alphan Telek February 1, 2018
Political movements focused on democracy and justice are more anti-populist than populist, argue Seren Selvin Korkmaz and Alphan Telek for Open Democracy. Deepening polarization between conservatives and progressives – the inability for governments to reach compromise – adds political uncertainty and threatens prosperity. “’The tyranny of the majority’ which is becoming the hegemonic power in...