By creating the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in 2002, the Bush administration attempted to reshape how the US distributes foreign aid. The MCC allocates aid based on more than a dozen criteria, such as control of corruption and civil liberties. Thus far, the MCC has not had any qualms...
WASHINGTON – Four years ago, the Bush administration came up with a way to allocate aid to poor nations based on how well they were governed, rather than how closely they were allied with the U.S. Now some in the...
The world has more than 1.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than 80,000 dead, and numerous countries tackle the public health crisis with mixed results. World leaders are in a hurry to reopen economies, and even public health experts have differed on how to contain the disease’s...
With the end of the Second World War and Japan’s defeat, the Soviet Union and the United States divided and occupied Korea. The Korean War soon followed, from 1950 to 1953. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Korean armistice agreement, the longest ceasefire in existence...
Verdict of history: North Korean leader Kim Il-sung meets with Chairman Mao Zedong decades after the Chinese intervention in the Korean war; thousands of Chinese troops were sent to fight in Korea in 1950
SEOUL: Caught in the grips of nuclear...
Osama Bin Laden's latest move to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe shows how "al-Qaida terrorists see Europe as a political unit with which they can play strategic games," writes Thomas Schmid in Germany's FAZ Weekly. An internet pamphlet titled "Iraq in...
It was a crude move when a man identifying himself as Osama bin Laden advised the Europeans last week to distance themselves from the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to gain a respite from death-spreading...
Governments have organized censuses since ancient times, and as the world’s population approaches 8 billion, governments have more people to count and analyze than ever before. Censuses help determine efficient allocation of government funds and political representation. A low median age suggests...
An age by any name? Nations face a variety of census challenges, whether a 69-year-old Dutch man, Emile Ratelband, who wants to reduce his legal age or population decline and aging in Japan
NEW YORK: Collection of population data is essential for...
British leaders’ cautious approach to Brexit demonstrates the challenges of withdrawing from tightly integrated trade. Analysts anticipate a cost of up to 6 percent of GDP, depending on whether the United Kingdom retains a relationship with the European Union or tries to trade on World Trade...
It is hard not to feel sympathy for British officials tasked with delivering Brexit—and indeed, Prime Minister Theresa May’s promise to “make a success of it”.
Less than two years ago, the civil service carried out a comprehensive assessment of the...
Protectionists assign blame for the COVID-19 pandemic on the trade, travel and migration associated with globalization. This overlooks how globalization has delivered prosperity and benefits. Still, an interconnected world cannot avoid shared risks, and even the most protectionist nations struggle...
Global governance fail? WHO declared a global emergency on January 30, yet many global leaders did not prepare; Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets with Xi Jinping, and President Donald Trump suspends US funding for the health...
The European Union’s heads of state avoided disaster for the time being, preventing impending collapse of Spanish banks and offering assistance to Italy, too. Europe has decided to move toward a more complete integration. The steps are cautious, but “the USE – United States of Europe – would seem...
No for a united Europe: French voters rejected the European constitution in 2004 (top); European leaders fail to see eye to eye (below)
LAUSANNE: Following the summit of the EU heads of state last week, European governments and markets heaved an...
