In The News

Is China the Next Mexico?

Jorge Guajardo November 5, 2015
China’s political and economic transformations should be compared with that of Mexico, suggests Jorge Guajardo, a former Mexican ambassador to China, in an essay for Zócalo Public Square. In the 1990s, during the negotiations for the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, analysts cheered Mexico’s economic expertise and openness to free trade by the ruling party with its lock on power. “Lost in all...

When a 127-Year-Old US Industry Collapses Under China's Weight

Joe Deaux November 4, 2015
Companies and consumers alike seek supplies with lowest prices. That trend is prompting Alcoa to cut back on making and refining aluminum. “For more than a decade, output has been moving to where it’s cheaper to produce: Russia, the Middle East and China,” reports Joe Dean for Bloomberg News, adding that low labor, energy and currency costs give overseas plants an advantage. China accounts for...

Hotspots: Europe Debates Initial Reception Centers for Refugees

Peter Müller November 4, 2015
EU leaders are divided over how to handle the thousands of refugees streaming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and trying to reach Europe. The reception in Europe can be hostile and disorganized. Some EU leaders hope to establish reception centers along Europe’s external borders to register refugees and conduct reviews on applicants’ status for asylum. Applicants meeting the standard would be...

Is the USDA Silencing Scientists?

Brandon Keim November 3, 2015
The US government may muzzle some of its research scientists who investigate controversial topics. Each department has its own rules, and federal workers are often expected to seek approval from before submitting articles or books for publication, which can delay release of findings or lead to outright denials from timid supervisors who fear funding cuts. Brandon Keim details the experiences of a...

Big Win by Turkey’s AKP Signals Vote for Stability

Chris Miller November 3, 2015
Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, also known as AKP, won 317 seats in the General National Assembly with Sunday's election– more than expected and more than the 276 needed for a majority, but not enough to change the constitution directly. The results confounded pollsters since AKP failed to win a majority in June elections or form a coalition government. “Confronting renewed conflict...

A Complicated Friendship Between China and Britain

James Richards November 2, 2015
Chinese and westerners enjoy cordial relationships in business, education and tourism. The best of relationships recognize differences and explore values. Yet “Party-controlled media virulently denounce [western] values and traditions” – employing cyber-surveillance and intrusive censorship of ranging from the internet to textbooks, explains former diplomat James Richards in an essay for the...

Iran's Involvement in Syria Talks Alarms Hardliners

Kasra Naji November 2, 2015
The United States, Iran, Iraq, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia agree that Islamic State extremists are a menace for the Middle East and must go – but are divided about whether the al-Assad regime can stabilize Syria and whether rebels opposed to that regime should be crushed or lauded. Iran is divided about participating in diplomatic talks to end Syria’s civil war and cooperating with the West....