Investors dumped Brazil’s stocks and currency last week as the country’s ever-proliferating corruption scandal spread to President Michel Temer. This latest twist in a seemingly endless saga not only threatens to stall vital economic reforms but also comes close to showing that the corruption in Brazil’s government is literally beyond control.Investigators in the three-years-and-counting probe into bribery and kickbacks set their sights on Temer for allegedly approving hush money for the jailed

May 23, 2017

To Indian eyes, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s big Belt and Road Forum -- which attracted 29 heads of government and representatives of 130 countries -- looked awfully familiar. It looked, in fact, like an imperial durbar -- the sort of grand spectacle that the British in India used to arrange periodically, with princelings from across the subcontinent turning up to pay their respects to the Raj.Many, of course, would contest this comparison. The Belt and Road initiative, China’s grand plan to b

May 22, 2017

The Industrial Revolution was probably the most important thing that has ever happened in human history. In the space of a few centuries, much of the human race, which had long hovered on the brink of starvation, was suddenly lifted into relative security through the power of new technology. But why did this amazing explosion happen? There are many theories and we’ll probably never have a definitive answer.　But there’s a strong argument to be made that communities of smart individuals, exchangin

May 22, 2017

Ukraine has receded from world attention since its peak in 2014 when it changed presidents, Russia annexed Crimea and fighting was active in its east. The world reacted, for the large part, with words rather than actions.　Independent since 1991 in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Europe’s second-largest country, with a population of 45 million, has often been through history a problem nation. Its geography does not provide natural defenses and it lies between sometimes a

May 22, 2017

Even now, after the chaos caused by India’s decision last November to eliminate nearly 90 percent of its banknotes, few people would argue with the policy’s underlying assumption: Going cashless is, if handled well, a good thing. Yet the fact is, most arguments in favor of demonetization don’t stand up to scrutiny. And those that do should raise other concerns.Proponents of moving beyond paper money cite several rationales. They say it’ll make life harder for tax cheats, terrorists and other cri

May 22, 2017

After campaigning on a promise to “cancel” the Paris climate change agreement, President Trump announced he would make a decision in the coming weeks. Senior officials within the administration remain divided on the issue, but the decision is clear: get out. Get out now.The agreement aims to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, largely by switching away from affordable, dependable energy sources that emit carbon dioxide to expensive, intermittent ones. For the US

May 21, 2017

The Washington Post recently put American security at risk, but let’s point the finger at President Donald Trump instead. The Post did.It printed a story saying Trump divulged classified, endangering information to Russians, and maybe he did, but any risk to security was hugely magnified by the Post’s divulging much of it to everyone else. It may even have created a risk that otherwise would not exist.This episode begins with Trump meeting in the Oval Office with two Russian officials, Foreign M

May 21, 2017

It‘s been an excellent few months for startups in China’s sharing economy. Perhaps too good. The bike-sharing industry landed its first unicorn, and companies that allow phone users to share battery packs have raised at least $150 million in recent weeks. But at the same time, one startup recently announced that it expects to share at least 500,000 umbrellas in Guangzhou this year while a Jiaxing-based basketball-sharing company is getting positive coverage in the state media. No doubt, given th

May 21, 2017

President Donald Trump has frequently denounced the North American Free Trade Agreement, promising either to renegotiate it with extreme prejudice or terminate it altogether. On Thursday his administration served official notice that he is serious, notifying Congress that it intends to start negotiations with Canada and Mexico in 90 days.So Nafta is as good as doomed? Maybe not. The agreement can easily be changed in ways that enlarge rather than shrink opportunities for mutually beneficial trad

May 21, 2017

During Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington, his “bodyguards” viciously beat and kicked Kurdish protesters outside the Turkish Embassy. It happened on a busy news day, to say the least, around the time of the revelation that President Donald Trump had asked the FBI director to stop investigating a former national security adviser‘s ties to Russia. But this shameful episode shouldn’t be allowed to escape analysis and serious follow-up. Federal law enforcement must investig

May 19, 2017

If there’s a silver lining to the toxic cloud hovering over the White House, it’s that our science-denying president hasn’t caused too much damage to the environment. Yet.　But nearly four months into the Trump administration, the risks to the nation’s air, land and water are large and looming, as is the threat to the country’s belated -- and still insufficient -- efforts to combat catastrophic global warming. If Trump supporters believe this is an overly regulated nation, they better prepare the

May 18, 2017

The particularly nasty computer program dubbed WannaCry that attacked hospitals, businesses and government agencies around the world this past weekend was like a cybercrime highlight reel, a compilation of by-now familiar elements that played out on an epic scale.　What is different this time is that the conscience-free hackers apparently had considerable, albeit unwitting, help from the US government. They used a stolen tool reportedly developed by the National Security Agency to exploit a hidde

May 18, 2017