In The News

APEC Leaders Silent on South China Sea

Trefor Moss November 19, 2015
The attacks on civilians in Paris by the Islamic State have rallied world leaders to cooperate on combatting terrorism. Such coordination could ease tensions in other areas or distract attention. At the summit for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, held in Manila, 21 leaders urged cooperation on fighting terrorism and improving economic growth. “On the sensitive matter of the South China Sea, the...

G20 Leaders Endorse Crackdown on Tax Evasion

November 18, 2015
Global leaders are pledging to crack down on tax evasion and also work on sustainable growth. The group of the world’s 20 largest economies, including the European Union and 19 countries, “committed to the implementation of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS) which closes gaps that allow corporate profits to ‘disappear’ or to be artificially shifted to low or no tax environments...

Is It Time for Global Money?

Larry Hatheway and Alexander Friedman November 18, 2015
A fragmented set of currencies pose some risks, argue Larry Hatheway and Alexander Friedman for Project Syndicate, and a global currency could reduce currency wars and increase efficiency and price transparency. But such a currency is unlikely because the system would require legitimacy unavailable beyond the level of national-state. “At the supra-national level, legitimacy remains highly...

Shutting Out Refugees Puts the US on Wrong Side

November 17, 2015
Governors throughout the United States offer panicked proposals after the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed more than 125. Most of the attackers were French citizens; one carried a passport, suggesting he had entered Europe as a refugee. Some governors reject a US federal government plan to accept thousands of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria. Fear is natural, explains an editorial in...

Diaspora's Influence in India’s Domestic Politics

Dilip Hiro November 17, 2015
Huge crowds attending receptions for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Dubai’s Sport City and most recently London’s Wembley Stadium displayed spontaneous enthusiasm and patriotic pride with images broadcast to India. In reality, months of meticulous planning by the Overseas Friends of BJP preceded these extravaganzas, explains author Dilip Hiro. The...

Not Just Paris: Why Is Beirut's Brutal Terrorist Attack Ignored?

Anna Lekas Miller November 16, 2015
Every act of terrorism is an act against humanity. Anna Lekas Miller questions decisions by news and social media and the global audience to rally in support of France, after attacks killed more than 120 and injured more than 300, yet regard a Beirut attack, killing more than 40 and injuring 200, as routine. She expresses concern for “borders that are rapidly closing for Syrians and Iraqis...

Paris Attacks: The Global Consequences

Gideon Rachman November 16, 2015
Cosmopolitan cities like Paris, London and France are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, yet also resilient. The Islamic State’s would-be caliphate imposed by coercion and violence on communities in Iraq and Syria suffering from power vacuums could never hope to match the allure of Paris and French culture. Still, acts of terror challenge freedom and liberal ways in countries like France. Gideon...