We’ve seen this story before: Chinese belligerence driving a neighbor into America’s friendly embrace.Japan is set to lend significant support to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an extensive U.S.-led free trade deal that would help integrate the economies of Asia and the Americas.Japan’s Prime Minister Noda is struggling to remain in power as he faces political gridlock, a […]

The corruption case that has captivated Brazilians for the past few months is going out with a bang, with Brazilian courts handing politicians some of the toughest jail sentences in the country’s history. Most notably, José Dirceu, who ran the vote-buying scheme in question, received a jail sentence of ten years and ten months, and the […]

Via Meadia is hiring!We are pleased to announce that Via Meadia is looking for three new staff writer positions; a senior writer and two junior writers.For more information on the senior writer position go here; and the junior writer positions here.

Iranian blogger and online dissident Sattar Beheshti has just died in prison, likely after being tortured by Iranian authorities. He is but the latest casualty of Tehran’s crackdown on free press and political activism.Beheshti’s death has brought Iran unwanted attention, including condemnation from the U.S. State Department, which termed the death “suspicious” and called for […]

Even among California cities that have declared bankruptcy, San Bernardino stands out as extraordinary in its own right: Its city officials had been lying about the city’s fiscal condition for nearly 20 years.A new Reuters piece explains how the city continued to raise wages and benefits for public employees long after it became clear that these moves […]

The 113-meter-long ARA Libertad, “the pride of Argentina’s navy,” is still being held in a Ghana port by the Ghanian police on behalf of an American hedge fund that says it is owed $1.6 billion by the Argentinian government. Last Wednesday, when Ghanian port workers tried to move the boat with a crane, the Argentinian […]

Last week’s dispute between Brussels and the IMF over the Greek bailout is getting worse. Less than a week away from an important Greek debt payment, both parties have been forced to postpone an agreement on another Greek bailout due to their inability to agree on a debt target or timetable for Greece.The disagreement came to the […]

WSJ: “The 22-member Arab League acknowledged the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as the legal representative and main interlocutor for Syria’s opposition.” The Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-member group of Sunni Gulf countries, quickly followed suit.So the new Syrian opposition council, the government in waiting, if you like, was immediately recognized by Arab countries as […]

The results are in from the 2012 presidential election and the winner is… not money. We’ve certainly heard ample warnings, especially from Democrats, about the all-powerful torrent of money that was going to buy the 2012 elections as a result of the Citizens United ruling. But as Karl Rove’s American Crossroads SuperPAC, and his affiliated […]

Here’s some worrying news: A new German public opinion survey shows an uptick in “right-wing extremist” attitudes, especially in the East and especially among the young. Up to 15 percent express Xenophobia, anti-Semitism and longing for a right-wing authoritarian ruler (dare we say Leader?).As a point of reference, that’s a little less than half the […]