( Burmese migrants peel shrimp in a processing plant in Thailand. (Photo: Thierry Falise/ILO) On October 15th, 2019 the Singaporean Ministry of Manpower (MOM) published the “Foreign Worker Experience Survey” depicting the “well-being and employment conditions” of migrants working in Singapore. The Foreign Workers Survey asked a number of questions, including two questions on food … Continue reading Overlooked and Underfed: Migrant Food Security in Singapore
Uighur Camps and the Belt and Road Initiative
On July 11th, 2019, twenty-two "Western countries", countries marked by substantial European heritage, signed a letter condemning major human rights violations in Chinese Xinjiang Uighur camps. The next day, thirty-seven countries signed a response in support of Xinjiang’s policies, calling out the “Western letter” as slander. With allegedly 1 million Chinese Uighurs in camps, the … Continue reading Uighur Camps and the Belt and Road Initiative
Ireland’s Citizens Have Been Making Their Constitution Less Catholic
On May 24, 2019, voters in the Republic of Ireland voted 82.07% in favor of amending the Constitution to reduce the period of separation required before divorce proceedings can be initiated. For a country which is 78.3% Roman Catholic, such a high margin favoring a more liberal divorce procedure seems surprising. Yet four of the … Continue reading Ireland’s Citizens Have Been Making Their Constitution Less Catholic
Regional Influence and the US-China Trade War
On June 2, 2019, Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Trade Negotiator of China declares that his country “will not back down” in a trade war with the United States. Wang’s statement, in response to rising economic tensions between Washington and Beijing, signals continued escalation of the trade war that some say is … Continue reading Regional Influence and the US-China Trade War