Wednesday , 17 December 2025

Opinion

TPP is much more than just a free-trade deal

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade deal involving the U.S. and many countries on the Pacific Rim, has become something of a bugaboo for those both on the left and the right. Republican nominee Donald Trump has denounced TPP, declaring it a sop to China, even though China isn’t included in the agreement. Bernie Sanders is against it as …

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People’s power needed to end Venezuela’s woes

  To say that Venezuela is in acute crisis would be an understatement. It is staring at a massive collapse that is getting harder to prevent by the day. The country’s economy is in a free-fall amid the financial and political commotion. In 2016, its GDP will contract 10% and inflation accelerate to around 700%. Its gold reserves are shrinking …

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After the South China Sea ruling, time for more FONOPs

  Joseph Bosco In its courageous and comprehensive decision on the South China Sea, the arbitration tribunal appointed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration has rendered an invaluable service to the region and the international community. It has established an international law overlay to China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims and thereby provided important guidance for all six competing claimants. …

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In Japan, monetary policy has run out of room

  For the past 70 years, Japan has been a crucible of experimentation in economic policy. During its go-go years, Tokyo’s unusual practices to spur rapid growth became a model for much of the rest of Asia, while its unconventional attempts to revive its post-bubble economy have helped economists understand what should and could be done to recover from financial …

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The extravagant gamble of Rio’s Olympic mayor

  The Aug. 5 opening of the 2016 Summer Olympics is still a week away, but Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes is already playing catch-up. A squad of blue overall-clad plumbers, electricians and custodians descended on the Athletes Village this week for emergency repairs. It turns out the brand new, $900 million complex of apartment buildings — “the best …

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Why it pays to tell Americans who they are

When President Barack Obama is trying to persuade Americans not to do something, he has a go-to line: “That’s not who we are.” Whether the issue involves discrimination, immigration, torture, criminal violence or health care, he invokes the nation’s very identity. And he likes to follow it by adding, “We are better than that.” In this way, throughout his political …

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India and Bhutan: Cross-country power connectivity

  Cecilia Tortajada and Udisha Saklani On July 30 and 31, 2012, India witnessed its worst power failure in a decade. Eight states were in complete darkness as the northern grid collapsed. The second day, July 31, saw another acute power failure that affected more than 600 million people in 20 states across the country. Essential services were interrupted for …

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How entangled with Russia is Trump?

  WASHINGTON To gauge the opportunism and hypocrisy that define Donald Trump’s Republican Party, consider this: Imagine the scalding rhetoric that would have boiled from the likes of Newt Gingrich, that Metternich of many green rooms, if Hillary Clinton had offhandedly undermined the collective security architecture of U.S. foreign policy since NATO was created in 1949. Vladimir Putin’s regime is …

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Turkey must restore financial faith

The Turkey turmoil triggered by a botched coup is weighing heavy on the psyche of the investors. They are alarmed. Worse, the spreading post-putsch purge of dissent is adding to the concerns of the businesses and companies. They are quite lost as what to do next. The lira has plummeted, equities have been dumped, the tourism sector is in a …

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Investor education seems to be going in reverse

  Barry Ritholtz SPECIAL TO EMIRATES BUSINESS Amid all the hoopla and theater of the national political convention you might have missed a noteworthy report about the financial literacy of the average American adult. It’s worth taking a look during the weekend if you want a break from the presidential race, which seems like it begins again as soon as …

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