US Opinion and Commentary

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China, Japan and Europe Are Flashing Economic Warning Signs

Posted August 25th, 2015 at 8:48 am (UTC-4)
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Even before the recent plunge in commodity and stock markets, the world economy was weak. But recent data from China, Europe, Japan and other countries suggest that growth is slowing more sharply than many analysts had anticipated.

The Only Thing That Can Save This Market

Posted August 24th, 2015 at 9:24 am (UTC-4)
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The Chinese have lost control of the stock market; despite arresting short sellers (those who bet that stocks will fall), forbidding large institutions to sell and halting trading of a majority of the stocks, the Chinese stock market continues to fall.    

Give China’s Devaluation a Chance

Posted August 12th, 2015 at 12:05 pm (UTC-4)
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Politicians in the U.S. are sure to call the devaluation a threat to American jobs, and politicians in Japan will bemoan its effects on their deflation fight. But it’s important to keep a sense of perspective.

Kenya, Open for Business

Posted July 27th, 2015 at 8:25 am (UTC-4)
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The Chinese have built large numbers of roads, modern office buildings, schools, and ports, as well as other major infrastructure projects. From this, he is likely to conclude that Kenya — in a pattern that is true across the continent — is changing rapidly, and American commercial relations are not keeping up.

Tibet’s Tough Road Ahead

Posted July 6th, 2015 at 10:22 am (UTC-4)
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As joyful as the occasion of his 80th birthday is, however, it comes at a grim time for the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan freedom movement.

China Crosses Obama’s Cyber ‘Red Line’

Posted July 1st, 2015 at 10:11 am (UTC-4)
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Remember how President Obama failed to enforce his “red line” in Syria? Well, it’s happening again — this time in cyberspace.

China Exports Repression Beyond Its Borders

Posted June 10th, 2015 at 11:00 am (UTC-4)
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Now we are concerned about how China is attempting to punish the ethnic Uyghur journalist Shohret Hoshur of Radio Free Asia by imprisoning his three brothers in China.  

Where is China 26 Years After Tiananmen?

Posted June 4th, 2015 at 1:10 pm (UTC-4)
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“To this day, the Communist Party does not dare admit the truth of 1989.” The words of exiled Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng sum up what much of the world believes about the country’s current trajectory: Beijing’s grip on the public is as iron-like as it was 26 years ago.