Moon Race 2.0: The Legal Regime Surrounding the Commercialization of Space
Nathan Donnelly, Staff Member On February 21st, 2019 SpaceIL, an Israeli nonprofit organization, successfully launched what could become the first private spacecraft to touchdown on the moon.[1] Although SpaceIL is currently the only private organization to successfully launch a moon rover, it is not alone in this endeavor. In 2007,
The Rise of Nationalism in Sweden and the 2018 General Election
Michele C. Perles, Staff Member On September 9th 2018, Sweden had one of the most unique elections in its history. In the highest voter turnout since 1985[1], the Swedish people destabilized their own government by not electing a majority party. One of the driving forces of the result was the
A Primer on Venezuela’s Crisis
Scott Hancox, Staff Member Venezuela is currently suffering from a serious economic crisis and humanitarian emergency so dire that it is now being referred to as “the world’s worst economy.”[1] Despite this, there has been confusion regarding the underlying causes of the crisis, exacerbated by Venezuela’s borders which have long
Will the U.S.–China Trade War Mitigate in March?
Wei Cui, Staff Member The U.S. and China are locked in an escalating trade battle in recent years. Before taking office in 2016, U.S. president Donald Trump has complained about China’s trading practices. [1] In 2017, the U.S. launched an investigation into Chinese trade policies.[2] Last year, the U.S. imposed
China Triggers Investigation at WTO over Tariffs Imposed by U.S.
Zihan Jiang, Staff Member Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in 2016, he has complained about China’s trading practice.[1] In order to solve this problem, President Trump has imposed three rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods, totaling more than $250 billion dollars.[2] The duties covers a wide range of
The USMCA and its Effects on Environmental Protections
David Woger, Staff Member After a year of negotiations, President Trump, Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto the President of Mexico, and Justin Trudeau the Prime Minister of Canada have signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While all three countries have signed
A Second Referendum for Britain?
By Gillian Gilbert, Staff Member As Brexit negotiations reach critical mass, the possibility of a second referendum on the Britain’s exit from the European Union has re-emerged. In 2016 British citizens voted, by a narrow majority, to leave the European Union.[1] Both the political and economic challenges of leaving the
Project Goldcrest, Amazon’s Elaborate Tax Arrangement
By Charlie Ryu, Staff Member In 2017, Amazon had a great year; it announced the opening of a second headquarters, inviting numerous biddings from many city governments and officials[1], bought Whole Foods for approximately $14 billion[2], and its stock price grew by 56%[3].[4] However, despite having such a successful year,
Déjà Vu? Argentina Is on Track to Default . . . Again
By Lindsey Schwalbach, Staff Member In the last twenty years a number of prominent sovereigns have defaulted, including most notably Argentina in 2001-2002 and 2014[1], Greece in 2012[2] and 2014[3], and Venezuela[4] and Puerto Rico[5] in 2017. Argentina is obviously no stranger to the sovereign debt restructuring process.[6] Since the
Advancing Primary Health Care Through The Astana Declaration
By Caroline Sell, Staff Member This October 2018, world leaders and stakeholders gathered to reaffirm the principles of the Declaration of Alma-Ata through the Astana Declaration on Primary Health Care.[1] Led by a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), under the direction of Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and