( 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 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 legitimacy of these claims could set … Continue reading Uighur Camps and the Belt and Road Initiative
The Circular Economy for a Regenerative, Greener Future
Living on the east coast of the United States, it is easy to look at bans on plastic straws and plastic bags as the first step towards a sustainable future. Certainly, finding alternatives to common, single-use plastic products is helpful, but these actions are often narrow and isolated within a community. It is strenuous to … Continue reading The Circular Economy for a Regenerative, Greener Future
Election Spotlight: Belgium May 26th, 2019
The countries of the European Union (including the United Kingdom) will cast their votes tomorrow to elect the members of the European Parliament, the main legislative wing of the EU. For one of its members, Belgium, tomorrow marks an electoral “triple threat”; Belgians across the country will be voting for EU, federal, and local offices. … Continue reading Election Spotlight: Belgium May 26th, 2019
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
Escalating US-Iran Tensions Leading to Troop Deployment
Relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have recently taken a turn for the worse following the attack of two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. This is the latest in a series of diplomatic finger-pointing gestures carried out by the US at Iran in what has been an especially … Continue reading Escalating US-Iran Tensions Leading to Troop Deployment
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