International Affairs – Interesting Items

Middle East Mess

The Syrian Debacle - Seymour Hersh’s extraordinary piece [Easily, the most insightful and original piece of reporting on the Syrian mess]

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n01/seymour-m-hersh/military-to-military

Columbia economist and world-renowned development expert Jeffrey Sachs on the fundamental drivers of political and economic chaos in the Middle East:

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/middle-east-sustaining-development-by-jeffrey-d-sachs-2015-12

Saudi Arabia and Islamic Terrorism

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/saudi-arabia-war-on-terrorism-by-brahma-chellaney-2015-12

John Kerry – Profile

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/21/negotiating-the-whirlwind

Economic Impact of International Migration

An interesting WSJ piece:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/some-countries-see-migrants-as-an-economic-boon-not-a-burden-1450881706

Institutional Development in China

Recently deceased Nobel Laureate Douglas North’s work on institutions continues to be relevant:

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-institutional-change-douglass-north-by-andrew-sheng-and-xiao-geng-2015-12