| | | | Fareed: Is the World Order Really Broken—and Are Elites to Blame? | | Elite-bashing populism is en vogue on both the left and right, Fareed writes in his latest Washington Post column: "On one side, President Trump and Fox News hosts slam the out-of-touch establishment that, according to them, has run things into the ground. On the other side, left-wingers decry the millionaires and billionaires who, in one author's phrase, 'broke the modern world.'"
But is this view—of "dysfunctional global order, producing stagnant incomes, rising insecurity and environmental degradation"—really accurate? Recent history is filled with progress, as more than 1 billion have risen from extreme poverty since 1990. While inequality is a concern, it's worth remembering that rights have expanded.
"After 400 years of slavery, segregation and discrimination in the United States, blacks have been moving up. After thousands of years of being treated as structurally subordinate, women are now gaining genuine equality," Fareed writes. "Once considered criminals or deviants, gays can finally live and love freely in many countries. The fact that these changes might cause discomfort to some is not a reason to pause, nor to forget that it represents deep and lasting human progress that we should celebrate." | | Venezuela's 'Game of Thrones' | | Opposition leader Juan Guaido has declined to rule out accepting US military support, which would only seem to highlight what The New York Times' Interpreter columnists had to say about Venezuela: that however the political crisis shakes out, it's not about democratic legitimacy, but rather about convincing the key players, inside and outside the country, to take sides.
That makes Venezuela sound more like a "Game of Thrones" power struggle than a constitutional dispute.
Speaking of outside actors, Russia has made a power play in Venezuela, propping up Maduro (and before him Chavez) with billions in investment, oil-and-gas partnerships, and nuclear-capable bombers flown there as a show of support. But that shouldn't worry the US too much, Latin America experts Brian Fonseca, David J. Kramer, Frank O. Mora write for CNN: Venezuela is not Syria, and while it's offered Russian President Vladimir Putin a chance to needle the US in its own hemisphere, a military standoff there wouldn't be worth it for him. | | The End of Nuclear De-escalation? | | | For decades, world powers have mostly agreed nuclear de-escalation is a good. It's been a rare point of compromise between the US and Russia on ICBMs and stockpile reduction, for instance.
No more. The US announced it will suspend participation in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which it accuses Russia of violating. Russian development of nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, and shorter-range systems have been a concern for some time. One question is: Was withdrawing the right move? "When someone breaks the law you don't repeal the law," nuclear nonproliferation expert and advocate Joe Cirincione, of the Poughshares Fund, tweeted.
President Trump's nuclear goals seem essentially different from his predecessors'—he has warned the US would build up its arsenal, breaking from tradition—and after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US would not be "constrained" by a treaty with Russia as China develops weapons banned under it, it's possible the long trend of nuclear de-escalation between the US and Russia has simply reversed. | | Europe Defies Trump on Iran—But It's a Small Start | | After President Obama's administration worked to get Europe, Russia, and China on board with the Iran nuclear deal, Europe simply hasn't bought President Trump's complaints about it—and has worked to preserve the deal after Trump pulled out.
The UK, France, and Germany have taken a major step toward that end, unveiling a financial workaround—effectively, a credit clearinghouse that will allow business with Iran while avoiding the US sanctions Trump slapped back into place. But it's less ambitious than some had imagined, Foreign Policy's Keith Johnson writes, noting that initially it will only apply to trade in humanitarian goods. With major French expansions into Iran pulled back—Peugot and Total each canceled major projects there—it appears Trump's sanctions are holding the line economically, even if his rhetoric isn't. | | For China's Economy, the Hits Keep Coming | | China's GDP growth already clocked in at its lowest rate since 1990 earlier this month, and The Wall Street Journal reports today that Chinese companies are facing a wave of losses—possibly over $43.1 billion spread among 395 companies. Trade tensions were a factor, but so was an overvaluing of assets, the Journal reports.
China still trails only India in GDP growth among large economies, per IMF data, but with the EU lagging and the US turning toward protectionism, China's fluctuations are as key to watch as ever. | | | | | | |
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