Wednesday, April 30

Globalization, Global Disintegration

Canada’s PM Promises to Never Forget the Lessons of the ‘American Betrayal’
29Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Domestic Politics, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Canada’s PM Promises to Never Forget the Lessons of the ‘American Betrayal’

Mark Carney Vows To Build New Economic And Security Relationships April 29, 2025—Canada elected Mark Carney to lead the country amid an atmosphere of tense relations with the United States under the presidency of Donald Trump. Carney is an economist and former central banker with extensive experience in managing financial turbulence. He led the Bank of England during Britain’s Brexit from the European Union and saw the Bank of Canada through the 2008-9 financial crisis. In March, he won the election to lead the Liberal Party with 85.9 percent of the party’s vote. He was sworn in as prime minister shortly thereafter, replacing Justin Trudeau. America Won’t ‘Break Us’ America played a central role in this year’s Canadian elections. In his second term, Trump has taken an ag...
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USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers
1Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers

April 1, 2025--On the week the Trump Administration is expected to issue tariffs that could potentially impact most U.S. trading partners, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a report detailing barriers to global trade. The 397-page report includes input from several government agencies and public comments from October 2024. Organized by country, it will likely serve as a compass for bilateral negotiations going forward. What's helpful is a description of 14 types of trade barriers discussed. They include: Import policies such as tariffs, import charges, quantitative restrictions, and licensing requirements, customs barriers and shortcomings in trade facilitation, and other market access barriers; Technical barriers to trade, such as restrictive standards, conformity ...
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Commentary: The Ironic Case of the ICE Agent Avenger Anti-Hero
24Mar By Guest WriterNo Comments
Migration, Immigration, Borders, Type of Post: Essays & Travel Writing, Types of News: Analysis

Commentary: The Ironic Case of the ICE Agent Avenger Anti-Hero

Editor’s Note: On Saturday, March 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia University and a lead negotiator on behalf of student activists who protested during the 2023-2024 school year. The controversial detention of Khalil, a green card holder and legal resident, is at the center of attention in the United States as the Trump Administration challenges foreign students based on speech. The commentary below examines the incident from a more profound human-interest perspective. Writer Matt Mikalatos notes the irony that the lead ICE agent is wearing a T-shirt promoting superheroes from the Marvel Pictures Avengers series. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hxC_LpyW4Gc By Matt Mikalatos One of the odd and ironic things about th...
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U.S. And China Establish Economic ‘Working Groups’
22Sep By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Economics, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Bit

U.S. And China Establish Economic ‘Working Groups’

Deputy Treasury Secretary Adeyemo Likely To Lead Talks For U.S. Interests September 22, 2023—The United States and China are establishing "structured channels for frank and substantive discussions on economic and financial policy matters," according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The department released a statement today saying it is establishing working groups with China's Ministry of Finance and the People's Bank of China to exchange information on a regular basis. The communication channels follow a series of diplomatic meetings between the two countries, the largest economies in the world. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo is likely to lead both working groups for the United States. For China, the talks will take place at the vice minister level.
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China Sees Sharpest Decline In Trade Since Early Pandemic
8Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

China Sees Sharpest Decline In Trade Since Early Pandemic

August 8, 2023—China's trade with the rest of the world fell by 14.5 percent year-on-year in July, according to government data. That was the sharpest drop in imports and exports since early 2020. The decline was more than the 12.5 percent fall predicted by a poll of economists conducted by Reuters. Exports from the world's second-largest economy have fallen for three straight months, as the consumer and business appetite for China's goods in Europe and the United States has fallen. The decline may reflect weaker demand for China-made products as well as other factors such as shifts in supply chain, high global inflation, and rising interest rates. The largest drops in foreign buying of goods occurred in the computer, steel, and clothing sectors, according to reporting by the Financ...
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Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.
16May By Patti MohrNo Comments
Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Currency Wars: Dollar Dominance Here To Stay? Maybe. Maybe Not.

China, India, and Others Vie For Status The United States has a significant economic advantage in having the U.S. dollar serve as the dominant form of global exchange. But several global leaders want to change that. China and Russia have long plotted to bring the dollar down. China wants its yuan to take over as the global currency leader. It's convincing trading partners like Argentina and Brazil to dump the dollar as a means for making trade and instead use the yuan. As Washington Post reporters Meaghan Tobin, Lyric Li, and David Feliba explained in an article today, Argentina's economy is in crisis, and its holdings of U.S. dollars are running thin. As a result, the government agreed last month to pay for $1 billion worth of Chinese imports with yuan. A New BRICS Currency ...
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A Critical Look At US Funds For Risky Science Abroad
10Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Foreign Aid, International Development, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Analysis

A Critical Look At US Funds For Risky Science Abroad

Former CDC Director Calls for Reinstatement Of Obama-Era Ban On Gain-Of-Function Experiments April 10, 2023—As a House Oversight Subcommittee investigates the origins of the deadly COVID-19 virus that killed millions of people around the world, new details about the role of global collaboration in science come to light. Today, the Washington Post published a groundbreaking and extensive report on how U.S. government agencies fund high-stakes research on unknown pathogens around the world. Specifically, since 2012, U.S. agencies spent billions of dollars on research of pathogens in at least 78 countries. And though the research includes dangerous virus hunting, safety standards and regulations have not kept pace with the experiments. Furthermore, according to the Post report by David ...
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Disney’s Shareholders’ Proxy Proposals Fail At Annual Meeting
3Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Finance, Investing, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

Disney’s Shareholders’ Proxy Proposals Fail At Annual Meeting

April 3, 2023—Shareholders weighed in on several political issues at The Walt Disney Company's annual meeting. They included votes about its charitable contributions, its political contributions, and its business in China. Voting is tallied based on the number of shares, and the shares weighed heavily in favor of the company's recommendations. Furthermore, it should be noted that 64 percent of Disney's 1.16 billion shares are held by institutional investors. Shareholder Proxy Votes On one proxy vote, the National Legal and Policy Center, NLPC, a Disney shareholder and a public-interest nonprofit group, asked Disney to publish an annual report on the company's dealings in and with China. That vote went down 7.1 shares supporting the proxy measure, 88.9 opposing it, and 4 percent a...
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Why The Wuhan Lab Story Matters
27Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Analysis

Why The Wuhan Lab Story Matters

Information Control Skewed Science And Public Opinion Feb. 27, 2023—On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal broke the news about a leaked classified U.S. intelligence report that says the Covid-19 virus most likely originated from a laboratory leak. The report matters in more ways than one. At stake are lessons for international cooperation in organizations, trust in government and responsible media management. The article carefully points out the disparate views of different U.S. agencies and says the newly leaked report comes from the Department of Energy. That's significant because DOE "has considerable scientific expertise and oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research." According to the WSJ, the DOE and the FBI believe t...
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House Committee To Examine US Economic Ties With China
27Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

House Committee To Examine US Economic Ties With China

Feb. 27, 2023—A new House committee designed to investigate U.S.-China economic relations is set to begin hearings tomorrow. The Select Committee on Chinese Communist Party plans to hear from a human rights advocate, former U.S. national security advisers, and the head of an association for U.S. manufacturing. The committee hearing comes at a time when U.S.-China economic ties are coming under pressure due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Taiwan, and most recently China's spy balloon entering U.S. territorial space. Looking At Business Ties The heads of the committee, Reps. Mike Gallagher and Raja Krishnamoorthi, plan to examine U.S. corporate, private equity, and venture capital investments in China. Appearing on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, the congressmen said they are reviewin...
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