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In The News

The ‘Mid-Life Crisis’ Of Latin American Democracy

As evidenced by this year’s elections in Mexico and Brazil, people across the region are increasingly disenchanted with traditional parties and the democratic status quo.

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In The News

Indian Elections: Gandhi Siblings v. Mister Modi

The full plunge of Priyanka Gandhi into Indian politics, alongside brother Rahul, is a whole new challenge for President Narendra Modi ahead of this spring’s general elections.

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In The News

Venezuela Crisis Unleashes Old And New Fears In Latin America

The sudden political crisis in Venezuela has major reverberations across Latin America and the world. Both old and new dividing lines in the region have emerged since Juan Guaidó, the leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself the country’s acting president in defiance of Nicolás Maduro, who has been ruling the country since 2013. In […]

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Eyes on the U.S. OneShot

Watch: OneShot — Tijuana, And The Other Sides Of Shutdown

Jonatan Matamoros, 36, climbs the border fence at La Playas de Tijuana, Mexico on December 8, 2018. He was part of a migrant caravan with his wife and son from Central America, and was scouting for possible places to cross to the U.S. eventually. He was just having fun at Playas de Tijuana border, looking […]

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In The News

Populism Or A United Europe? Italy Wants Both

A recent survey of Italian political views shows a seeming contradiction: a willingness to forego democracy but submit to EU economic and military directives.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Maduro, The Sequel: Can Venezuelan Democracy Be Saved?

-Analysis- BOGOTÁ — The Lima Group, a multilateral body of 14 American countries focused on resolving the institutional and democratic standoff in Venezuela, has declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s new term in office illegitimate, taking the firmest position so far on his conduct as ruler of Venezuela. But the group needs the support of more […]

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Ideas Rue Amelot

Racism And Soccer In The Time Of Salvini, A Napoli Homecoming

NAPLES — It was the last game of 2018, and I was looking forward to it. I had planned to go with my brother, a staunch Napoli fan, my soccer-loving Argentine husband and a bunch of old friends. It was also a symbolic gesture: I am back in Italy after almost two decades living abroad, […]

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Ideas Society

D&G Chopsticks Incident And China’s Quest For Cultural Power

WASHINGTON — My first encounter with China was, oddly, at the top of the Empire State Building. I was a young student, and climbing to the top of the Manhattan landmark was the last thing I did before returning home from my first visit to the U.S., where I now live. I was not particularly […]

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In The News

Je Suis Yellow Vest: Global Anti-Elite Claim Stake In French Movement

Far-right and far-left from around the world voice support for the popular uprising in France.

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In The News

Between AMLO And Bolsonaro, Can Argentina’s Macri Hold Center?

While Mexico lurches left and Brazil shifts right, Argentina, under Mauricio Macri, will try to stay a centrist course — at least until next year’s presidential elections.

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Geopolitics

Egypt Eyes U.S. Foreign Policy Changes After Midterms

CAIRO — The Democratic Party chalked up victories across the United States in the midterm elections on November 6, gaining control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years. And even if the Republicans still hold control of the Senate, the outcome of the midterms breaks up the Republican monopoly in […]

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In The News

Why Mexico’s Economy Needs More Than Just A Balanced Budget

Policymakers have, for the most part, learned to avoid fiscal deficits. And yet, growth numbers (with the exception of certain states) have been stagnant at best.

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Geopolitics Ideas

How Bolsonaro’s Brazil Will Turn Latin America Upside Down

The Brazilian president-elect’s plans for his first foreign trips offer just one clue to neighbors about how regional alliances are set to be turned on their heads.

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Geopolitics

Khashoggi Murder And The Miscalculations Of MBS And Trump

For Westerners, particularly the United States, Mohammed bin Salman had represented the hope of a kingdom finally prepared to open to the world. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi demonstrates the contrary. Donald Trump will not escape this unscathed.

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In The News

Companies (And Governments) Must Take A Stand On Saudi Arabia

-OpEd- MUNICH — A business conference will take place next week in Saudi Arabia, dubbed “Davos in the Desert.” It comes at a delicate moment to say the least: Nearly two weeks ago, the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared from a Saudi consulate in Turkey, and is now feared dead. Many have accused the regime […]

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In The News

In Iraq, The Revolt Of Generation 2018

Young people with little memory of the Saddam Hussein era are fed up with unemployment, public sector corruption and unfulfilled government promises.

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In The News

Rumblings Of War Against Venezuela? A Trap For Colombia

The Venezuelan crisis impacts Colombia directly. But military intervention, as hinted by Trump, could be disastrous.

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Geopolitics Society

Brazil’s Path To Populism Should Not Surprise Anyone

Jair Bolsonaro’s triumph in the first round of the presidential election is worrisome, but a simple response to economic hard times and a corrupt political class.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Macron’s Unpopularity And The Timeless Wisdom Of Machiavelli

After 17 months in power, Emmanuel Macron is touching the depths of unpopularity. He still has ways to bounce back, but should start by re-reading the author of ‘The Prince.’

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Geopolitics Ideas

Bolsonaro Blues: Why Brazil Can’t Afford A Far-Right President

Jair Bolsonaro is threatening to curtail rights and liberties, and bring the army back into politics. He’s also the front-runner heading into Sunday’s presidential election.

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Geopolitics Ideas Society

Argentina Measures The Political Price Of Financial Crisis

A worsening economy in Argentina may cause political shifts before the 2019 presidential elections.

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Eyes on the U.S. Ideas

On Political Correctness And The American Left, A French Take

-OpEd- PARIS — The gravity of the situation at the White House grows clearer each day. The anonymous article published by the New York Times in which a high-ranking official from the Trump administration describes the internal resistance, coupled with the publication of “Fear,” in which the investigative journalist Bob Woodward, celebrated for his role […]

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Ideas

Crisis Or Coup? Trump Presidency At Risk From Within

NEW YORK — The New York Times published an extraordinary column this afternoon by an anonymous contributor identified as a “senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure.” (In a tweet, and perhaps inadvertently, the Times also described its op-ed columnist as a man.) It’s readily apparent why the writer’s job would be threatened. His column describes a White House mired in subterfuge and scheming because President Donald Trump isn’t able or fit to carry out his duties. “The root of the problem is the president’s amorality,” […]

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Ideas Trump And The World

Pope Francis, Cornered Between Vatican Conservatives And Trump Allies

The Argentine pontiff, used to navigating politics in Buenos Aires, is battling at a whole different level now. And his papacy may hang in the balance.

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Economy Migrant Lives

In Kenya, A Refugee Camp With 2,100 Small Businesses

From individual artisans to prosperous wholesalers, this isolated place has developed a vibrant economy despite numerous obstacles.

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In The News

A Progressive Manifesto For Europe To Protect Its Borders

The do-nothing approach to migration being taken by the new Spanish government and others in Europe is untenable, and plays right into the hands of racist far right.

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Geopolitics Ideas

When Is Violence Acceptable? On Ending Tyranny in Venezuela

Modern Latin American history holds examples of insurrections to topple dictators, which contemporaries and posterity have judged positively. Why should there not be a rebellion today to free Venezuelans of its inept and tyrannical regime?

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In The News

Chinese Business Meets Confucius, On The Enduring Power Of Relationship

BEIJING — Chinese talk about ancient China as an “acquaintance” society, structured with a unique pattern of human associations. Such a pattern is also referred to as “difference in intimacy of relationship” and means that each person deals with their own social relations — close or distant, without regard for the people’s status — provided […]

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Geopolitics

Evolving Populism In Latin America, From Colombia To Mexico

The new presidents of Colombia and Mexico may fit into the populist mould, but their pledges and circumstances differ from those of their most notorious predecessors.

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Future Geopolitics

In Beijing, The Chilling Job Of ‘Stability-Maintenance’

China’s efforts to maintain control over citizens now include implementing volunteer ‘stability-maintenance information officers.’

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In The News

Future Defense, Europe Must Get Equipped For Post-U.S. Order

-OpEd- WASHINGTON — After many weeks of claiming, dishonestly, that European allies “owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back” — in fact, Europeans spend far more money on European defense than does the United States — and after referring to NATO members as “delinquent” and worse, President Donald Trump appears to have handed America’s European allies an ultimatum: Pay up, spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on the military, do it fast — or the United States will pull out. We can “go it alone,” he told them, by some accounts. During the news conference […]

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In The News

Brexit To Greek Debt: EU Is Easy Boogeyman, Brutal Negotiator

Promising voters to get the EU to change is easy, delivering that change is next to impossible.

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In The News

Latin America Deserves World Cup For Conspiracy Theories

-Analysis- Many of the Colombian players broke down in tears after coming up just short in last night’s World Cup match against England. Still, they can hold their heads high, and not just because of the valiant effort they put forth. The “truth” of the matter is they got robbed — at least according to […]

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In The News

Why Russia Is Not Like Venezuela — Yet

MOSCOW — Nicolas Maduro has been reelected as Venezuela’s president for a new six-year term. Alexei Kolesnikov in the Moscow-based independent magazine The New Times looks at international reaction to the election, specifically as it relates to Russia: “Last month’s election of Maduro was clearly flawed and not recognized as legitimate by neither the country’s […]

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot, Guerrillero Heroico – Alberto Diaz Korda

On this day 90 years ago, one of the world’s most famous revolution figures was born. OneShot commemorates Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s birthday with a photo taken at the funeral for the victims of the La Coubre explosion, on March 4, 1960 — a picture that stresses the intensity of his gaze and poise and that is recognized worldwide. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pm7ca1HxE3s expand=1] Guerrillero Heroico — (Alberto Diaz Korda/OneShot) OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot: [rebelmouse-image 27068863 original_size=”320×320″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068864 original_size=”174×174″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068865 original_size=”128×128″ expand=1][rebelmouse-image 27068866 original_size=”227×227″ […]

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In The News

The World Cup, Not Quite A Mirror Of Our World

The global soccer competition features teams from a fascinating mix of developed and developing nations. Not represented are the world’s two leading economies: the U.S. and China.

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In The News OneShot

Watch: OneShot — Thích Quảng Đức’s Saigon Self-Immolation

Our new OneShot commemorates Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức’s self-immolation, which took place exactly 55 years ago, on June 11, 1963. The images of this dramatic moment by Associated Press photographer, Malcom W. Browne, won both the World Press Photo of the Year and the Pulitzer Prize. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/embed/gaFZvscGsM8 expand=1] Thích Quảng Đức’s self-immolation, June 11, 1963 (© Malcolm W. Browne/Associated Press/Public Domain) OneShot is a new digital format to tell the story of a single photograph in an immersive one-minute video. Follow OneShot:

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Geopolitics The Endless War

BDS And Me: Time To Spread Boycott Of Israel Far And Wide

-Essay- CAIRO — As someone who fully supports the Palestinian cause, it is challenging to write an article about boycotting Israel for fear of being dragged into the particulars of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In a world that is very much manipulated by biased media, it is hard to resist the urge to first rebut Israel’s […]

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In The News

The Mercantilist: Why Trump Economics Are Stuck In 17th Century

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump often seems as though he’s stuck in the “80s. But maybe the better comparison is to the 1680s, not the Reagan era. Consider his announcement Thursday of new tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico. These countries not only supply about half of our imports of these metals; they are also among our closest allies. Astonishingly, the White House claims that alienating these important military allies is necessary “to protect America’s national security.” These trade policies, and the supposed rationale behind them, bear an uncanny resemblance to classical mercantilism. […]

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Future Geopolitics

What Voters Read In A Candidate’s Face

Researchers used visuals and scanning technology to gauge how people ‘feel’ about the contenders in Colombia’s current presidential election.

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