Do sanctions work? The evidence isn’t compelling.

Sanctions are again the talk of Washington. At the time of writing, the United States is considering or is in the process of extending economic sanctions on several countries, including some major geopolitical foes: Russia, North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. The use of sanctions in such contexts is far from unusual. You could probably argue that […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/08/02/do-sanctions-work-the-evidence-isnt-compelling/

America’s Justin Trudeau obsession is getting old

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter. A poll conducted in June found that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had higher favorability ratings among Americans than President Trump. In fact, given the […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/08/02/americas-justin-trudeau-obsession-is-getting-old/

Scaramucci’s name perfectly encapsulates his brief, insane White House stint

There's a Latin proverb that Italians often quote: “Nomen omen” — a person’s destiny lies in his name. That couldn’t be more true than in the case of Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director who lasted just 10 days on the job. Scaramucci’s name comes from the Italian word “scaramuccia,” which means “brief fight” […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/08/01/scaramuccis-name-perfectly-encapsulates-his-brief-insane-white-house-stint/

59,000 farmer suicides in India over three decades may be linked to climate change, study says

Every year, thousands of Indian farmers commit suicide. Now one researcher thinks it may have something to do with climate change. Tamma Carleton, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley, compared almost five decades worth of suicide and climate data and concluded that temperature variations in India may have “a strong influence” on suicide rates […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/08/01/59000-farmer-suicides-in-india-over-three-decades-may-be-linked-to-climate-change-study-says/

How a photo of empty bus seats triggered an anti-Muslim fear-fest on Facebook

Posted by Sindre Beyer on Friday, July 28, 2017 Last week, a photograph that appeared to show six women wearing burqas on a bus sparked a heated debate in a private Facebook group for Norwegians critical of immigration. For many members of the group, which is called “Fedrelandet viktigst” or “Fatherland first,” the image encapsulated the problems Norway was […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/08/01/how-a-photo-of-empty-bus-seats-triggered-an-anti-muslim-fear-fest-on-facebook/