In The News

Concerns About US-Taliban Peace Deal: Reuters

September 6, 2019
The United States has fought extremist forces in Afghanistan since 2001, including the Taliban. The war resulted in more than 3200 US and coalition military deaths, more than 20,000 wounded along with tens of thousands of more deaths and wounded among civilians and Afghan forces. The Trump administration is in a hurry to withdraw US forces. “The deal, which would see around 5,000 U.S. troops...

Dorian, Climate Change, Bahamas: InsideClimate

Bob Berwyn September 5, 2019
Climate scientists have warned that climate change is picking up pace, with warmer temperatures, more rainfall and systems that linger over coastal areas damage. For example, Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas on September 1, slowing to 1 mile per hour with a storm surge of 23 feet and sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, reports Bob Berwyn for InsideClimate News. A study from NASA and...

Myanmar as Asia’s Last Frontier: Korea Herald

Jung Min-kyung September 5, 2019
Myanmar’s government opened its economy this decade, and South Korean firms see “economic potential and geographic attractiveness,” reports Jung Min-kyung for the Korea Herald. For example, Posco International, described as the trade and resources development arm of Korea’s leading steelmaker, has completed a rice processing complex in Myanmar’s rice-producing Ayeyarwady region. The facility...

Hong Kong Withdraws Extradition Bill: SCMP

September 4, 2019
Large crowds of Hong Kong protesters began organizing in mid-June soon after the government introduced a bill allowing extradition of criminal suspects to jurisdictions with which the city lacks a treaty, including China. Announcement of suspension on June 16 was not enough and spurred 2 million to take the streets in peaceful protest. Weeks passed and the protests took a violent turn with petrol...

YG Contributor: Immanuel Wallerstein, 1930-2019

September 4, 2019
Immanuel Wallerstein, a long-time contributor to YaleGlobal Online, died August 31, 2019, at the age of 88. He was also a member of the faculty of the Sociology Department at Yale. A prolific writer of many books and essays, he also developed world-system theory, suggesting the world has been caught up for centuries in a system of dominant and dependent nations and communities. “Wallerstein...

Dousing Sovereignty Wildfires: Project Syndicate

Jean Pisani-Ferry September 3, 2019
The world is more connected and informed on global events than ever before, and possibly more competitive over limited resources. Conflicts over sovereignty – the right for nations to do as they please, disregarding the interests of the world at large – could become more common. A quarrel between the presidents of France and Brazil over reflects a larger battle over national sovereignty: Emmanuel...

No-Deal Brexit Opponents Want Commons Control: BBC

September 3, 2019
The United Kingdom faces an October deadline, already extended, for exiting the European Union. A majority of UK parliament members from a mix of parties united in emergency debate to defeat the government on a no-deal Brexit after the prime minister announced a five-week suspension. The opposition fears economic chaos, disruption to travel and basic supplies and a hard border for Ireland, but...