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Global

China’s Secret Genocide

“Never again” came sooner than expected. Kidnapped by their oppressive government, religious minorities are carted from their homes and held inside political prisons, where they are indoctrinated, tortured, raped, and experimented on. This is not Nazi Germany. This is Communist China, where up to 2 million Muslims currently reside inside concentration camps, the largest mass […]

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Global

Iran Sanctions and the Public Opinion Battleground

Following its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – commonly referred to as the Iran Deal – the Trump administration introduced a new wave of sanctions on Iran last Monday. The first wave of sanctions implemented this year targeted financial transactions with U.S. dollars, Iran’s automotive sector, and the purchase of commercial airplanes, […]

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Economics & Trade Policy Global Global Policy Studies & International Security

Trade Wars and Trump: Why the U.S. Might Rejoin the TPP

Thursday morning, President Donald Trump announced that he had directed his economic adviser Larry Kudlow and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to look into rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). To remind readers, the TPP was the subject of bipartisan scrutiny during the 2016 election cycle – every major candidate denounced the deal. President Trump withdrew […]

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Economics & Trade Policy Global Policy Studies & International Security

The TPP Precedent and the RCEP Reality: Multilateralism in the Asia Pacific, Part 1

In direct affirmation of his campaign promise, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) just days into his first term. This set an unmistakable precedent not only for the “America First” administration, but also for the future of greater Asia-Pacific-U.S. relations. U.S. disengagement has drastically altered the course of economic integration […]

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Global Global Policy Studies & International Security

Why Does Israel Matter to India?

Undoubtedly, it is the dawn of a new era in Indo-Israeli relations. This was visible from the great rapport between the premiers of the two nations – Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu. When Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel set his foot on Indian soil on Jan.14, 2018, he was welcomed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s […]

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Economics & Trade Policy

TribFest: U.S. – Mexico NAFTA Renegotiations Cause Worry Along the Border

Photo: Jonathan McIntosh (CC) At a Texas Tribune Festival panel on “Trump and Mexico”, fear and uncertainty underlined conversations for future policy agendas and proposals for U.S.-Mexico relations. Panelist and U.S. Representative, Henry Cuellar, said border communities receive about $1.3 million in revenue resulting from the constant influx of visitors and partnerships from Mexico. However, […]

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Economics & Trade Policy Global Policy Studies & International Security Politics and Governance

A Prisoner’s Dilemma: Why Spain and Portugal Won’t Support Greece

The Eurocrisis forced Spain and Portugal, like Greece, to ask Europe for financial support. In return, by mandate from their creditors these countries implemented budget cuts and unpopular structural reforms. As a consequence of these austerity measures, one out of two young people in Spain and Greece is unemployed; in Portugal, this number is nearly […]

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Economics & Trade Policy

The True Cypriot Honest Broker

In 1974, Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north. Turkey invaded Cyprus after supporters of unification with Greece organized a coup. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983, but are only recognized by Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there. For the first time in a generation there […]

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Economics & Trade Policy

No, the Dollar Is Not Dying

This article is in response to Trevor Whitney's article Is the Dollar Dying? — “In truth, the gold standard is already a barbarous relic.” John Maynard Keynes This year, the Republican Party polished off an idea formerly relegated to the dustbin of history. In its official party platform, the GOP calls for a commission to […]

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Economics & Trade Policy

Is the Dollar Dying?

It's rectangular. It's green. It doesn't dissolve after a cycle in the washing machine. The dollar is probably the most recognizable symbol of the United States’ economic strength. After the American economy emerged as the most powerful global economic force at the end of the second World War, the United States found itself the guarantor […]