US Opinion and Commentary

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Following the Money from ‘Panama’

Posted April 5th, 2016 at 4:32 pm (UTC-5)
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Tax shelters. Money laundering. Dodging sanctions. Shell companies. Tax havens. These are the loaded phrases associated with the findings of the so-called Panama Papers — documents that were leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca detailing how the rich and powerful park their assets to avoid scrutiny. Among those named in the year-long probe of millions of documents by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: 12 current or former heads of state, including Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, who resigned today amid questions of a conflict of interest regarding his holdings. The documents also indicate $2-billion in transactions were secretly shuffled through banks and shadow companies by associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putting money in offshore banks is not necessarily illegal. And there are many legal tax shelters and legitimate reasons to establish a holding company in another country. But ordinary citizens become outraged when their politicians and their close associates are the ones involved.

A Bright Hope for 2016: India and Pakistan Reconcile

Posted December 30th, 2015 at 9:16 am (UTC-5)
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While one summit does not make peace, the visit hints that the two countries may now be able to transcend difficult issues of territory, terrorism, religious divide, and national identity.

No Time for a Nuclear Deal with Pakistan

Posted October 22nd, 2015 at 11:16 am (UTC-5)
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Worst of all, the nuclear discussion shifts attention from the underlying causes of American anxiety with Pakistan and the greatest stumbling blocks to effective partnership between Washington and Islamabad.