In The News

Green Sovereign Bonds: Tactical Moves on an Emerging Market

October 20, 2016
France issued the first green sovereign bond in September and China may soon follow, joining the ranks of institutions like the World Bank and large companies. Green bonds fund programs aimed at stemming climate change and promoting alternative energies, energy efficiency, water treatment and other forms of sustainable development. So far, yearly issuances represent about 1 percent of the global...

Reuters: Ecuador Cuts Assange's Internet Access - WikiLeaks

Mark Hosenball October 19, 2016
The Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry confirmed claims by WikiLeaks that the nation forced Julian Assange offline to prevent interference in the US election. The country has granted political asylum to the WikiLeaks founder in its London embassy since 2012, and asserts it will continue to do so to protect free speech. The episode reflects complicated relationships among Ecuador, Russia and the United...

Study: Borders in Europe Would Cost Up to $3.3 Billion a Year

Valentina Pop October 19, 2016
A study by the RAND Europe think tank shows that to restore borders across Europe would cost the continent more than $3 billion yearly, a number calculated using the cost of restoring physical borders, administrative costs, and losses from trade and travel. As Europe has drawn millions of refugees from Syria and other war-torn areas, some countries in the Schengen zone – the border-free area...

Unlike the West, India and China Embrace Globalization

Bruce Stokes October 18, 2016
Globalization has won fans in India and China, where economic growth is projected to rise by 7.6 and 6.6 percent, respectively. “Indians and Chinese also express pride in their respective nation’s growing stature on the world stage,” explains Bruce Stokes, director of global economic attitudes at the Pew Research Center, in reporting on responses to the Pew 2016 Global Attitudes Survey. “In all,...

Yemen Isn’t Just a Proxy War Between Saudi Arabia and Iran

Laura Kasinof October 18, 2016
The United Nations announced a 72-hour ceasefire for the war in Yemen. The pause, just after the US Navy fired missiles into Yemen in response to attacks on US ships in the Red Sea, may prevent expansion of the war that has killed more than 10,000 and displaced more than 3 million Yemenis. Yemen’s war and politics are complex, explains Laura Kasinof for Slate. Communist South Yemen and North...

Warming Russia-Turkey Relations Send a Chill Through Ukraine

Fred Weir October 18, 2016
Despite rising tensions among Russia, Turkey and the West over civil war in Syria, agreements are emerging over sending natural gas from Russia to Europe. Proposed development of two new pipelines would allow Russia to pass Ukraine in sending gas to the rest of Europe, reports Fred Weir for the Christian Science Monitor: “With TurkStream, Turkey will stand to become the chief distributor for...

Angela Merkel Tells African Union It Must Do More to Stop Migration to Europe

Adam Withnall October 17, 2016
Germany will be at the helm of the G20 for 2017, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has signaled that Africa will be a primary area of focus: “But in return, she has asked that the African countries do more to stop the growing culture of young people leaving to seek a better life in Europe,” reports Adam Withnall for the Independent. In a tour to Mali, Niger and Ethiopia, Merkel implied that failed...