Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto gives the opening address at the annual IHS CERAWeek global energy conference, Houston, Tex., Feb. 22, 2016 (AP photo by Pat Sullivan).

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the potential impact on members’ economies. Mexican Trade Minister Herminio Blanco told a gathering of Mexican and Japanese business leaders earlier this month that “Mexico will become more competitive when the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] takes effect.” In an email interview, Raúl Francisco Montalvo Corzo, the director of the EGADE Business School, Guadalajara, discussed the potential effects of TPP membership on Mexico’s economy. WPR: What are the expected economic benefits and potential downsides for Mexico from the TPP, and who are the expected “winners” and […]

Government supporters stage a counter-protest to one held by Ladies in White, Havana, Cuba, March 20, 2016 (AP photo by Rebecca Blackwell).

Expectations for change in Cuba grew following the historic thaw in U.S.-Cuban relations that began in December 2014, and gained momentum with U.S. President Barack Obama’s equally historic visit to the island in March 2016. How have these epoch-making transformations altered Cuba’s newly dynamic domestic reality, which is often inaccurately assumed to be both monolithic and monochromatic? On one hand, Havana has responded by circling the wagons of the state and doubling down on political centralization under President Raul Castro and los historicos, as the old-guard revolutionaries are known. On the other, a variety of actors in Cuban society—including political […]

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a welcome ceremony at the Prime Minister's office, Jerusalem, April 19, 2016 (AP photo by Sebastian Scheiner).

Last month, during a visit to Jerusalem, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to expand cyberdefense cooperation. In an email interview, Emanuel Shahaf, CEO of Technology Asia Consulting, discussed Israel’s ties with Singapore. WPR: What have Israel’s ties with Singapore been like historically, and how have they evolved? Emanuel Shahaf: Singapore’s relationship with Israel started after the newly created Asian city-state requested Egypt’s assistance with setting up its military but was rebuffed. Israel responded positively, and the rest is history. During Singapore’s formative years, the relationship was primarily centered on military cooperation ranging […]