Peter Schechter

President Zelensky is on a world tour to garner support for Ukraine’s defense. First Saudi Arabia for the Arab League Summit and then Japan for the G7 Summit. Not meetings he would have likely been attending before the war. axios.com/zelensky-saudi…

Have you heard of "de-risking"? A new viral term used by diplomats to replace "decoupling" when talking about China. But historically, the word "de-risking" was associated with the financial exclusion of minorities. nytimes.com/2023/05/20/wor…

President Biden had to rush home to deal with the debt crisis. So, he canceled a trip to Papua New Guinea designed to prove US commitment to the region. Once again, US internal politics damage the battle to counter Chinese influence. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/…

Anti-corruption authorities detained the head of the Supreme Court in Ukraine as part of an investigation into high-level corruption. He was accused of taking a $2.7 million bribe. His fellow justices have already filed a no-confidence vote. theguardian.com/world/2023/may…

There was an adjustment period for all of us after the strict COVID-19 lockdowns. We had to get used to socializing outside of our bubble again. But what about hiring a smiling coach? As people are starting to take masks off, is this a new trend in Japan? nytimes.com/2023/05/15/wor…

Big congratulations to the Thai reformists! Getting a high turnout for the youth movement is an impressive achievement. Now the question is – will it translate into a new government and PM? The odds are stacked against them after the 2014 military coup. reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

The Taliban, Pakistan and China agreed to extend the BRI to Afghanistan. Taliban needs the financial support – badly. China wants the Taliban’s help to control Uighur militant groups. The arrangement is unlikely to help either as much as they want. axios.com/2023/05/09/afg…

Is China taking on ChatGPT fake news? They detained a man for using ChatGPT to generate a fake story about a deadly train crash. China's new rules for deepfake content took effect in January. The first reported case of them using the new laws. So far. reuters.com/technology/chi…

The US Attorney-general Merrick Garland just initiated the process to transfer assets seized through Russian sanctions to Ukraine for reconstruction. So much is unclear about the logistics but that money could go a lot way towards helping Ukraine rebuild. ft.com/content/ef3501…

After two mass shootings in Serbia, there was a widespread call for officials to resign. So far, only the education minister has listened since one of the shootings happened at a primary school. Serbia hasn’t had a mass shooting in a decade. What changed? apnews.com/article/serbia…

Syria is being welcomed back into the Arab League. Syria’s membership was suspended 12 years ago after the country dissolved into violence. I guess it’s inevitable, but the Assad regime’s record on human rights is abysmal. npr.org/2023/05/07/117…

"Taa Sawang" or literally "bright eyes" has become a watchword for mass protests in Thailand. The younger generation is starting to talk about - and protest - previously taboo topics – like the monarchy. Will the energy spur any political change? bbc.com/news/world-asi…

The coronation festivities are beginning in the UK, along with protests. Queen Elizabeth was popular enough to hold the monarchy together. Will King Charles III's reign survive the anti-monarchists? washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/…

Brazil has a complicated history w/ social media & elections – sounds familiar. Now they are trying to regulate tech platforms with a new bill - the fake news bill. An important step for regulating fake news or potentially dangerous censorship? Maybe both. aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/2/…

A program in Botswana is trying a new way to protect wildlife – educating children. Check out this article by the talented @aizenglobe where she actually goes on a safari tour with school children to raise awareness for wildlife conservation. npr.org/sections/goats…

People protested globally for International Labor Day. In France, they are still angry over Macron’s pension reform which passed in March. The anger caused union membership to shoot up. The French labor movement is – unsurprisingly – not going away. france24.com/en/europe/2023…

More devastating news out of Haiti. Armed vigilantes are now brutally hunting down suspected gangsters. On the one hand, terrifying and horrific violence. On the other, people are fighting to regain control of their communities. It’s a country in meltdown. theguardian.com/world/2023/apr…

There’s a lot of talk about whether or not President Erdogan could lose the upcoming elections in Turkey. But do you know who is challenging him? Kemal Kilicdaroglu seems to be Erdogan’s opposite in a lot of ways. What do my Turkish friends think of him? apnews.com/article/turkey…

More bad news from Sudan. Foreign and Sudanese citizens alike are trying to leave the now violent country. And now, an armed faction seized a lab in Khartoum with measles, polio and cholera isolates. The WHO is very concerned. So am I. washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/…

The EU approved the first carbon tax on imports. There's talk of something similar being proposed in the US. This could incentivize reducing greenhouse gas emissions but could also cause problems for developing markets. What do my economist friends think? nytimes.com/2023/04/25/cli…