There’s still a lot we don’t know as to the effects of regulated cannabis. What we do know is that legalization has presented policymakers with five persistent dilemmas. Canada is now embarking on a long-overdue review of its 2018 Cannabis Act, which could add some clarity over how to improve regulatory frameworks moving forward.
Speculation is heating up in Brussels over this week’s attack on the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. Many in the West suspect Russia to be behind the sabotage of the pipelines, but Moscow has denied any involvement, pointing the finger at the U.S. or Ukraine instead.
The U.S. has struggled to formulate an effective strategy for competing with China in Latin America, where China’s expanded economic footprint and a resurgence of the region’s left have dented U.S. influence. But real opportunities exist for the U.S. to deepen its relationships in the region. A case in point is Chile.
On Aug. 9, U.S. President Joe Biden helped bolster the United States’ technological lead over China by signing the CHIPS Act. Despite the hype, though, the history shows that governments’ best-laid plans to develop technology often falter amid bureaucracy, inefficiency and an over-reliance on state control.
As Britain changes both head of state and government, it’s fair to ask if, moving forward, the US and UK’s “special relationship” will remain all that special. Skepticism among the British foreign policy community, imperial nostalgia and the harm a relationship of unquestioning loyalty has done in the past point toward no.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss this week held her first set of bilateral meetings with world leaders since taking office earlier this month. But there are questions about whether London can forge productive partnerships in a post-Brexit world with the U.S. and EU, and Truss’ meetings did little to assuage those doubts.
Earlier this month, Zambia agreed to a $1.3 billion loan with the IMF that comes with stringent conditions. That development has sparked conversations elsewhere in Africa about a return to the kinds of IMF-imposed austerity programs seen in the 1980s and 1990s, and what the ramifications of those policies could be for Africans today.
It is tempting to think that the liberal international order might have stood a better chance absent Russian revanchism and Chinese ambition. But to do so ignores the degree to which the globalization narrative disregarded globalization’s real impact on local communities. If the war in Ukraine represents a meaningful change, it is about reasserting the centrality of the state in globalization’s violent practices.
Egypt took another major step toward rapprochement with Qatar last week, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made a two-day visit to Doha. The improved relations serve different purposes for each country, though, as Cairo looks to bolster its economy while Doha attempts to boost its diplomatic clout.
The week before last, the U.K. experienced unprecedented change, with both a new head of government and then a new head of state in just over 48 hours. King Charles III and Prime Minister Liz Truss will be left leading a United Kingdom that is profoundly divided, in large part due to still unresolved consequences of Brexit.
The practice of bullfighting has long been controversial and is already forbidden, outright or effectively, in several Latin American countries. Now, though, reeling from the pandemic, losing popularity everywhere, and facing political and social pressure, the bullfighting industry’s fate is hanging in the balance.
Throughout South America, leftist candidates have been sweeping to power, winning election after election with promises of tackling the region’s chronic—and recently aggravated—poverty and inequality. Once in office, though, the new presidents have struggled badly, confirming that it’s much easier to criticize than govern.
For Disney and other U.S. corporations operating in China, an apolitical stance amounts to deference to the status quo. But the status quo shifts according to political winds, and worsening U.S.-China relations combined with Beijing’s heavy-handed approach to U.S. companies have made the status quo tougher to navigate.
The global economic situation is dire, particularly for low- and middle-income countries. Yet, when it comes to solutions, relatively little thought has gone to the role that might be played by international financial institutions and tools—like debt relief—that could support countries in their fight against inflation.
The IAEA has found itself in the thick of two global political crises—securing a Ukrainian nuclear power plant and enforcing oversight of Iran’s nuclear program. Its chief, Rafael Grossi, has managed both files with dexterity, but his ongoing success will depend on his ability to avoid alienating any of the parties involved.
As part of an effort to build out a domestic supply chain for renewable technologies, like electric car vehicles, U.S. President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up domestic production of lithium and other critical materials. But the push to expand mining in the U.S. faces strong headwinds.
Zambia has agreed to a $1.3 billion loan with the International Monetary Fund that is intended to bolster the debt-laden country’s macroeconomic stability. But the agreement’s conditions are evoking fears in Zambia and elsewhere across Africa of the debt crises of the 1980s and 1990s, and are likely to be unpopular with Zambians.