In The News

The Diplomat: Asia and the Fall of Coal

Nithin Coca June 26, 2017
Asia, accounting for about 60 percent of the world’s population, is abruptly shifting away from coal toward renewable energies, especially solar. The most populated nations could lead the continent. “From 2002 to 2012, the global coal trade doubled, with the four largest Asian economies – Japan, South Korea, China, and India – accounting for the majority of imports,” reports Nithin Coca for the...

The Guardian: Qatar Given 10 Days to Meet 13 Sweeping Demands by Saudi Arabia

Patrick Wintour June 24, 2017
Saudi Arabia is demonstrating insecurity and intolerance for other points of view by leading a trade and diplomatic embargo against tiny neighbor Qatar and then issuing a 13-part ultimatum. Saudi Arabia’s population is 15 times larger than Qatar’s 2.2 million. Qatar denies that it funds or harbors terrorists, and certainly not more than Saudi citizenss have been reported to do. The demands...

Wired: Inside Google’s Global Campaign to Shut Down Phishing

Lily Hay Newman June 23, 2017
Phishing schemes tempt users into clicking on problem websites or hand over passwords, and the setups are increasingly sophisticated and customized, designed to appear to come from friends, banks and other legitimate sources that might interest a particular user. Internet users can protect themselves by pausing before clicking, and companies like Google also set up war rooms to provide early...

Middle East Review: Iraq and a “Road to the Sea”?

Seth J. Frantzman June 22, 2017
Iraq is a Shia-majority nation and its neighbor Iran is more than 90 percent Shia. Dozens of Shia militias known as popular mobilization units are securing Iraq by controlling territory taken from the Islamic State. The units have established a strategic corridor linking Tehran and Syria. This extends Iranian influence in the region, explains Seth J. Frantzman for the Middle East Review of...

Reuters: Saudi King Empowers Young Reformer Son

Stephen Kalin and William Maclean June 22, 2017
The king of Saudi Arabia changed the line of succession, replacing his nephew with a 31-year-old son. “Mohammed bin Salman's appointment may make Saudi policy more hawkish against long-time enemy Iran and other Gulf rivals such as Qatar, increasing volatility in an already unstable region,” reports Reuters. “Outside Saudi Arabia, that rapid advance and the sudden changes to longstanding...

Harvard Business Review: Calculating the Cost of Letting Climate Change Happen

Dante Disparte June 21, 2017
Climate change is already contributing to economic consequences, and policies that prevent flooding, drought, rising temperatures and other risks offer economic opportunity, argues Dante Disparte for Harvard Business Review. He adds that more than $2 trillion in economic output could be at risk over the next decade. “Military leaders in both the [United States and the United Kingdom] have argued...

Council on Foreign Relations: US Temporary Foreign Worker Programs

Claire Felter June 20, 2017
Each year, the United States allows temporary workers to enter the country to work for seasonal agriculture, tourism and other industries and skilled labor, too: “more than one million visas were granted in 2014, up from some four hundred thousand in 1994,” reports Claire Felter for the Council on Foreign Relations. Opponents to such programs worry about visa tracking, illegal immigration,...