Yearly Archives: 2021

With a New Chief, the WTO Aims for a Return to Relevance

The World Trade Organization made history last month when its members chose Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as director-general, the first woman and first African to hold that position. A former Nigerian finance minister and senior World Bank official, Okonjo-Iweala enjoyed near-unanimous support, but her candidacy had been stalled by opposition from the …

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China’s Boycotts of Western Brands Aren’t Very Effective

China has a long history of wielding its immense market power as a tool of economic coercion. During the first half of the 20th century, it fought back against colonial powers by organizing boycotts of goods from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. Nearly a century later, China …

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Europe Is Souring on China

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to freeze a massive investment deal with China that had taken seven years to negotiate. The Guardian reported that the resolution suspended “any consideration of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), as well as any discussion on ratification” until China lifted sanctions on …

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Biden Won’t Say It Out Loud, but He Might Want a Weak U.S. Dollar

“The exchange rate is the most important price in any economy, for it affects all other prices,” as Harvard political economist Jeffry Frieden put it. Since the U.S. dollar is the most widely used currency for cross-border exchange and investment, it is fair to say its value is the most …

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John Bolton joins newly launched Turkish Democracy Project

The group describes its mission as “encouraging Turkey to adopt more democratic policies and responding to the steady erosion of Turkey’s democratic institutions.” John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, says he’s joined the advisory council of the Turkish Democracy Project, a newly launched nonprofit, “to …

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Allies Abdel-Fattah, Al-Kadhimi, Abdullah II Assemble to Address Area’s Affairs

The leaders of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan on Sunday held a historic meeting in Baghdad, looking to strengthen trilateral relations and shore up regional alliances in the face of growing Iranian aggression. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became the first Egyptian head of state to travel to Iraq since the two …

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US Strikes in Syria, Iraq Again

The United States early Monday morning conducted airstrikes against Iran-backed targets in Iraq and Syria, the second such military attack since President Joe Biden took office. No casualties were mentioned by Washington after the bombing, which destroyed “operational and storage facilities” recently utilized by the militias supported by Tehran for …

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Syrian Groups Retaliate Against US Strike

Iran-backed militia groups early Tuesday morning responded to the United States’ airstrike the previous night, firing rockets at American troops and at the al-Omar oil field in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zur, held by US-aligned forces. According to military spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto, the troops fired back at the …

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Israeli Foreign Minister Kicks Off Visit to UAE

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday touched down in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first minister from Jerusalem to formally visit the Gulf nation. Lapid met with counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and will later inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as well as Jerusalem’s Consulate …

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