In The News

Project Syndicate: The Risk of a New Economic Non-Order

Mohamed A. El-Erian September 19, 2017
The current global economic order is under strain, and the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund could pursue reforms and take steps to adjust to new economic realities, preventing disintegration and disorder, argues Mohamed A. El-Erian for Project Syndicate. The current order is rooted in “an economic paradigm that aimed to promote win-win interactions among countries, emphasizing trade...

The Economist: Muslims in Egypt Are Trying to Preserve Its Jewish Heritage

September 17, 2017
Egypt’s Jewish community, about 80,000 before World War II, has been whittled down to 20 in recent years. The Economist describes an organization made up of Muslims and Jews, Drop of Milk, that is making a concerted effort to “preserve Egypt’s Jewish heritage.” The nation has a contentious past after four devastating wars with Israel, forced conversions and “Jews who worked alongside Egyptians...

Nikkei Asian Review: Will North Korea Set Off New Arms Buildup in Asia?

Hiroyuki Akita and Tetsushi Takahashi September 15, 2017
North Korea, by threatening to “sink Japan” and firing a seventh ballistic missile over Japanese air space, is challenges the entire world community. The Chinese public grumbles after a hydrogen bomb test caused an earthquake and leaders responded with internet censorship. As North Korea’s lead benefactor, China wants to avoid a missile launched its way. The region, now realizing that China has...

The Guardian: Charities to Pick Up Bill for Sweeping Aid Cuts?

Kate Hodal September 14, 2017
Governments that reduce taxes and cut programs cannot expect charitable giving to replace funding for an array of health, education or foreign aid programs. The most vulnerable will suffer, with disease, conflict, pollution, illiteracy and poverty posing cross-border consequences. Charitable giving may have created an incentive for governments to pursue budget cuts in every area, then replacing...

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Corporations Tackle Forced Labor

Adela Suliman September 14, 2017
The EcoVadis Global Corporate Social Responsibility Risk and Performance Index evaluated corporate social responsibility efforts of more than 20,000 companies and found that human trafficking and forced labor are common in global industries where minimal skills are required, reports Adela Suliman for Thomson Reuters Foundation. The good news is that companies are pursuing transparency and audits...

The Globe and Mail: China Used Research Mission to Test Trade Route Through Canada’s Northwest Passage

Robert Fife and Steven Chase September 13, 2017
China used a research icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, to check if Chinese cargo ships could rely on Canada’s Northwest Passage rather than the Panama Canal, reducing delivery time by 20 percent. The report came from Xinhau News Agency, which “also reported that China sent six merchant ships through Russia's Northeast Passage this summer as the world's second-largest economy hopes to take...

The Hankyoreh: Chinese Support of Sanctions Suggests Increasing Concern Over NK Nuclear Program

Kim Oi-hyun September 13, 2017
The United States views China’s support for North Korea as key to ending the rogue nation’s nuclear-weapons program. After the North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test, the UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions. China accounts for the bulk of trade with North Korea. The sanctions boost enforcement and toughen restrictions on North Korea's oil imports, textile exports,...