This post discusses the ways in which maternity leave policies discourage the participation of women of childbearing age in the MENA labor force, and particularly in Jordan. Continue Reading
The elections that will be held in Cuba on April 19 undoubtedly represents the most important election since 1979 — for the first time in nearly 60 years, someone from outside the Castro family will lead the country. Although the change at the top of the Cuban regime may not constitute a radical change in the political system, the symbolic significance of a post-Castro era cannot be overstated. Continue Reading
Chile’s seventh presidential election since its transition to a democracy in 1990 was decided in a run-off election on December 17, 2017. The incumbent, President Michelle Bachelet — from the center-left ruling coalition Nueva Mayoría — lost against Sebastián Piñera… Continue Reading
President Trump’s shake-up of his foreign policy team continues. He replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA director Mike Pompeo last week. On Thursday, Trump announced that he replaced national security advisor H.R. McMaster with John Bolton, a former… Continue Reading
In many ways, Rex Tillerson faced an uphill battle from the beginning. He struggled with a chaotic White House and a dysfunctional policymaking system. Tillerson may not have played his cards particularly well, but he was probably dealt a losing hand to begin with. Continue Reading
Costa Ricans head to the polls on Sunday (April 1) for a tight run-off election between an Evangelical pastor and a socialist. The country’s February 4 election was supposed to be about the economy, corruption and crime. But it was… Continue Reading
The new year has been difficult for the Iranian regime. Most recently, an Iranian oil tanker (flagged as Panamanian) collided with another boat off the coast of China and burned for a week, killing the crew and raising questions… Continue Reading