In The News

Quartz: US Tax Bill Is a Massive Victory for Globalization

Tim Fernholz December 21, 2017
The US tax bill is a big win for corporations, with corporate income taxes reduced during a time of record profits, reports Tim Fernholz for Quartz. Emboldened multinationals may expect other countries to do the same. “The US corporate tax rate is being cut by 40%, and rather than taxing global earnings, the US will move to a territorial system, with foreign revenue taxed at a bare minimum,” he...

The Guardian: US Will “Take Names of Those Who Vote to Reject Jerusalem Recognition”

Peter Beaumont December 20, 2017
The United Nations is an organization where small and less powerful nations can speak out against the powerful. A letter by Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United States, could be regarded as patronizing at best and bullying at worst. She warned UN members that she would be “taking names” of countries rejecting Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Jerusalem, controlled...

Politico: How Facebook Changed the Spy Game

Asha Rangappa December 19, 2017
Law enforcement agencies strive to thwart propaganda and disinformation campaigns, but social media has opened up a new frontier in shaping public opinion. Facebook reported deleting hundreds of accounts based in Russia and paid to promote polarizing material during the 2016 US presidential campaign. “The rise of social media platforms makes the pervasiveness and impact of these operations today...

BBC: China Condemns US “Cold War Mentality” on National Security

December 19, 2017
A new US security policy labels China and Russia as “rival powers” that threaten US economic dominance, reports BBC News. A China spokesperson suggested that the United States is “distorting China’s strategic intentions,” and Russia responded by suggesting it “cannot accept” being regarded as a threat. The United States, in emphasizing “America first” policies, must prepare for other countries...

Financial Times: The Real Price of Brexit Emerges

Chris Giles December 18, 2017
Brexit supporters had suggested that Britain, by leaving the European Union, would have more money to invest in health care. Most economists at the time suggested the opposite was true, and updated analysis confirms the bad news: Britain can expect an annual GDP loss between £20 billion and £180 billion. The 2017 growth rate has already slowed to 1.5 percent even as the global economy is...

The Korea Times: North Korea Threatens China, Too, Notes South Korea’s Moon

Kim Rahn December 15, 2017
North Korea’s government continues to develop and test ballistic missiles – 15 this year alone – along with nuclear tests despite a flailing economy. The international community recognizes that the rogue regime is not above extortion and could nuclear weapons to coerce any country. “North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations are threats to the peace of not only South Korea but also China...

Quartz: US Sets Bad Example on Inequality

Eshe Nelson December 15, 2017
Despite ample warnings, including the book “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” by Thomas Piketty, inequality continues to rise in most parts of the world: the top 10 percent in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil, India and the Middle East own about half the wealth. More than 100 researchers from 70 nations monitor the dangers through the World Inequality Lab, based at the Paris...