Plain English Version – February 3, 2022

Unions make life better for workers. That is the idea. But what if the unions are corrupt? What if union leadership works for the benefit of employers? That is the reality for labor in Mexico.

Mexico has big factories. It is a rich country in Latin America. Yet its workers still earn low wages compared to other countries in the region.

The unions in Mexico are the reason. Big unions are closely allied with politicians and employers. They have kept wages low. They have made it hard to organize new unions. Their leaders have wealth and power. There is suspicion of corruption.

Continue reading In Mexico, It is the unions against the workers →

nikkei – From refugees to sanctions, Asian countries are being forced to pick sides in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Nikkei staff writers – March 18, 2022 11:43 JST

NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.

LISTEN HERE

Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of expert interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.

Continue reading The war comes to Asia →

nytime.com – Articles, maps, photos, videos, podcasts and more, as well as suggestions for using them in your classroom.

Residents salvage their belongings from their homes on March 14 after the shelling of a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine. Related ArticleCredit…Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

By Katherine Schulten, Michael Gonchar and Jeremy Engle

March 16, 2022

Young people all over are avidly following what some have called “the first TikTok war.” In late February, we created a place on our site for teenagers to react to the invasion, and within a week, over 900 had. This comment from Winn Godier, a high school student in North Carolina, echoes what we have heard from many teenagers:

Continue reading Teaching resources to help students make sense of the War in Ukraine →

Analysis by Simone McCarthy, CNN

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and other officials sing the Chinese national anthem during a ceremony to mark Martyr’s Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, in September 2019.

Updated 1005 GMT (1805 HKT) March 16, 2022

Hong Kong (CNN)In a year when all Xi Jinping craved was for things to be stable, 2022 is shaping up to be anything but.

After years of careful preparation, the Chinese leader is expected to step into an almost unprecedented third term at the helm of the country and its Communist Party this fall.

But instead of a smooth ride, dual crises are threatening to upend the status-quo, with China’s largest outbreak of Covid-19 in two years emerging at home while overseas, Russia embarks on a brutal, widely denounced invasion of Ukraine.

Continue reading This was supposed to be Xi Jinping’s big year. Instead, he’s dealing with Covid and war →

From Nixon’s 1972 visit to Beijing condoning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we investigate what went wrong in the U.S.-China relationship

Nikkei – February 25, 2022 13:08 JST

NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.

Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.

New episodes are recorded weekly and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major platforms, and on our YouTube channel.

LISTEN HERE

Continue reading PODCAST: Asia Stream: The old and new Cold War →

Asia is home to some of the world’s largest and most dynamic cities. Why do some of them fail?

Nikkei staff writersFebruary 18, 2022 11:59 JST

asia.nikkei.com

NEW YORK — Welcome to Nikkei Asia’s podcast: Asia Stream.

Every week, Asia Stream tracks and analyzes the Indo-Pacific with a mix of interviews and original reporting by our correspondents from across the globe.

New episodes are recorded weekly and available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all other major platforms, and on our YouTube channel.

LISTEN HERE

Continue reading Asia Stream: A tale of three cities →

Read the Court’s full text here >>

The full text of the operative clause of the Order reads as follows:

“For these reasons,

THE COURT,
Indicates the following provisional measures:

(1) By thirteen votes to two,
The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on 24 February 2022 in the territory of Ukraine;

IN FAVOUR: President Donoghue; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Bennouna, Yusuf, Sebutinde, Bhandari, Robinson, Salam, Iwasawa, Nolte, Charlesworth; Judge ad hoc Daudet;
AGAINST: Vice-President Gevorgian; Judge Xue;

(2) By thirteen votes to two,
The Russian Federation shall ensure that any military or irregular armed unitswhich may be directed or supported by it, as well as any organizations and persons which may be subject to its control or direction, take no steps in furtherance of the military operations referred to in point (1) above;

IN FAVOUR: President Donoghue; Judges Tomka, Abraham, Bennouna, Yusuf, Sebutinde, Bhandari, Robinson, Salam, Iwasawa, Nolte, Charlesworth; Judge ad hoc Daudet;
AGAINST: Vice-President Gevorgian; Judge Xue;

(3) Unanimously,
Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”

Further readings: Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

Click here to hover over a tile for details.

worldpopulationreview.com

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “war” as: (1) A state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country; (2) a state of competition or hostility between different people or groups, or (3) a sustained campaign against an undesirable situation or activity. There are many possible reasons for war to begin between—or more often, within—nations. Among these are economic gain, territorial gain, religion, nationalism, civil war, and political revolution. Often, countries’ leaders become primary motivators of conflict by instigating a territorial dispute, trying to control another country’s natural resources, or exercising authoritarian power over people.

Continue reading Countries currently at war 2022 →

Dave Keating Thursday, March 10, 2022 worldpoliticsreview

The European Union’s 27 leaders are in Versailles today for a summit that could prove to be historic. They are expected to sign the “Versailles Declaration,” intended to formalize the far-reaching but ad hoc policy changes the EU has implemented in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is now entering its third week. The measures under discussion would strengthen the union’s existing military, economic and border control capabilities, while also giving the bloc new powers in those areas that will push it further down the path toward federalism.

The symbolism of the decision to sign the declaration at the Palace of Versailles—where the Versailles Treaty, another pivotal document that proved central to the remaking of Europe after World War I, was signed in 1919—is not lost on anyone. In 1919, Europe’s leaders got it very wrong. Will they get it right this time? It’s very hard to say, since nobody knows what the world that emerges after the war in Ukraine will look like.

Continue reading The War in Ukraine is transforming the EU →

Nikkei – 50 years ago a major event in the history of money occurred — the “Nixon shock” of August 15, 1971. The “floating exchange rate system” that became the norm after this spurred the development of the global postwar economy. However, it has also frequently caused crises in emerging countries. Recently “digital currencies” have begun to spread, and there are signs that the reserve currency system based on the dollar may be changing. How will the future of currency impact the global economy?

Continue reading Currency adrift – 50 years after the “Nixon shock” →

nikkei – Feb. 21 marks the 50th anniversary of U.S. President Richard Nixon’s trip to China, a turning point in international relations.

Washington and Beijing joined together to counter the Soviet Union, but China did not democratize as the U.S. hoped. It has now become an economic and military powerhouse under the one-party rule of the Communist Party. A half-century after the handshake that changed the world, cooperation has turned to confrontation. The U.S.-China relationship and global affairs have all undergone tumultuous change.

Continue reading A handshake that changed the world: 50 years after Nixon’s trip to China →

thebulletin.org

By George M. Moore | March 6, 2022

 Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The two tall smokestacks are at a coal-fired generating station about 3km beyond the nuclear plant. Photo credit: Ralf1969 via Wikimedia Commons.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine began to unfold, Russia’s swift occupation of the Chernobyl reactor complex and the surrounding exclusion zone sparked widespread speculation and concern.[1] The concern was not limited to whether the occupation would cause further radioactive release from Chernobyl;[2] it also included possible Russian military action against other Ukrainian nuclear facilities. These fears were further accelerated when Russian forces shelled and apparently occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex near Enerhodar, Ukraine.[3] There have also been reports of attacks on a former Radon disposal site near Kyiv.[4]

Continue reading How international law applies to attacks on nuclear and associated facilities in Ukraine →

New Delhi has been silent on Russia’s actions in Ukraine so far.

thediplomat – By Sudha Ramachandran – February 25, 2022

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has put India in a particularly difficult spot. Since the conflict between Moscow and the U.S. over Ukraine began escalating late last year, India has avoided taking sides. But with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, that cautious approach will become increasingly untenable for New Delhi. It could hurt India’s interests in the long-run.

Continue reading India’s ‘neutrality’ on the Ukraine conflict could hurt it in the long run →

usnews – By Reuters – March 6, 2022, at 7:29 a.m.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leave after their joint news conference following the talks in Moscow, Russia March 5, 2020. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to declare a ceasefire in Ukraine, open humanitarian corridors and sign a peace agreement, his office said.

NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea and has good ties with both. Ankara has called Russia’s invasion unacceptable and offered to host talks, but has opposed sanctions on Moscow.

Continue reading Erdogan urges Putin to declare Ukraine ceasefire, make peace →