The United States on Sept. 24 announced a new set of arms sales to Taiwan. Valued at $330 million, this sale comprises mainly spare parts and equipment to support Taiwan’s air force, including its F-16s and C-130s. This marks the second major arms sale to Taiwan by the Trump administration, following a $1.4 billion sale in … Continue reading US Arms Sales to Taiwan Are Right Thing to Do.
Category: World
“It’s time for a coup in Venezuela.” That statement appeared in Foreign Policy magazine on June 5, two weeks after Nicolás Maduro was re-elected as Venezuela’s president on May 20 in an election widely considered to be rigged. José R. Cárdenas, the former Bush administration official who wrote it, argued that “the United States … Continue reading 5 reasons why Venezuela’s nightmare could get worse
Three minors have been euthanised in Belgium since euthanasia for children was legalised in 2014. According to the latest report from the government agency (PDF in French) which tracks euthanasia deaths, the children were 9, 11 and 17 years old. Two died in 2016 and 1 last year. Under the existing law, their request for death has to be … Continue reading Three children euthanised in Belgium
It was widely reported earlier this month that London experienced a higher number of murders over the first three months of 2018 than did New York City—the first time in modern history that has occurred. The United Kingdom has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the world, so the increased murder rate … Continue reading Amid Push for Knife Control, UK Shows Gun Control Doesn’t Increase Safety
Concerned with how trade is commonly discussed, Greg Mankiw recently issued a plea to journalists to halt the use of subjective terms to describe trade flows. Rather than words such as “deteriorated” or “improved,” the Harvard economics professor (and noted textbook author) proposes that writers employ more objective language such as “the trade balance moved towards surplus.” Mankiw’s … Continue reading There’s No Such Thing as a Trade Deficit
Satellite imagery indicates North Korea has begun to dismantle its Sohae rocket engine test facility and space vehicle launch stand. The dismantlement is a welcome, though limited, development, because Pyongyang indicated the site was no longer necessary after having successfully completed its missile and nuclear programs. In April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared that “we … Continue reading Don’t Be Fooled by North Korea’s Dismantling of Rocket Test Site
On March 22, the Trump administration lobbed its second volley in a planned escalation of punitive trade measures against America’s trading partners. The latest salvo targets China, the largest U.S. trading partner, and covers a much wider range of products than the first set of tariffs, which focused on steel and aluminum. There are many … Continue reading 4 charts show why Trump’s tariffs will hurt everyone – not just China
China’s plan to levy a 25 percent tariff on imports of U.S. soybeans may come as something of a surprise to most Americans. But to a professor of agricultural economics who studies international commodity markets for a living, this was not at all unexpected. Even before the conclusion of the 2016 presidential race, trade … Continue reading Why China’s soybean tariffs matter
It seems that Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro has finally found the way to bring the country out of the unprecedented economic crisis Venezuela is immersed in since 2012. The ineffable leader of the Bolivarian Revolution has recently announced the launching of a new currency, the so-called Sovereign Bolivar, which will replace the bolivar as the … Continue reading Venezuela’s President Tackles Economic Crisis by Deleting 3 Zeros From its Currency
I explained last month that the World Trade Organization’s dispute-resolution mechanism is the best way of discouraging China from short-sighted mercantilist and cronyist trade policies. The Trump Administration, though, thinks that the best response to bad Chinese trade policy is to adopt bad American trade policy. In this interview, I fret that tit-for-tax protectionism is bad, and might even … Continue reading Trump’s Failing Grade on Trade Threatens His Overall GPA on Economic Policy
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