Laurel West
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laurelwest.bsky.social
Laurel West
@laurelwest.bsky.social
140 followers 180 following 100 posts
After 35 years in Asia, mostly with The Economist Group, now in Vancouver batting for the home team with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Laurel West
srossmktg.com
The Montreal Canadiens are playing the Minnesota Wild in Minneapolis tonight. The players have been recommended to stay in/eat at the hotel, take the team bus to the arena, and carry passports.

Perhaps we shouldn't be hosting the World Cup and the Olympics...
February 2, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
timothysnyder.bsky.social
I am accepting applications for a postdoc to work with me at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Area of Research: Democratic Institutions, Public Engagement, American History
Due by February 23rd
munkschool.utoronto.ca/current-oppo...
Current opportunities
munkschool.utoronto.ca
January 31, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
jonfasman.bsky.social
This week's cover:
January 29, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
wired.com
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · 29d
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
laurelwest.bsky.social
What a beautiful illustration of Jerome Cohen.
economist.com The Economist @economist.com · Sep 30
In a remarkably varied career, Jerome Cohen came to personify the value of deep engagement between China and America—and its frustrations
China’s most optimistic critic
Jerome Cohen kept a liberal vision of China alive
econ.st
October 1, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
washingtonpost.com
Law enforcement agents raided a Hyundai factory in Bryan County, Georgia, on Thursday, arresting nearly 500 workers in the largest worksite raid since President Trump retook the White House.

The majority of those arrested are South Korean nationals.
Raid at Hyundai factory in Georgia is Trump administration’s largest yet
Nearly 500 people, the majority from South Korea, were arrested at the Hyundai factory. Officials said the investigation involved allegations of “serious federal crimes.”
www.washingtonpost.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
financialtimes.com
Opinion: On the assumption that a chaotic, incoherent trade war was baked in the cake, FT Alphaville’s main bet for a financial-economic calamity under Trump 2.0 has long been that he launches a full assault on the Fed. Well, it's here now. on.ft.com/3HRQKgo
August 26, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
chadbourn.bsky.social
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
August 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
thebeaverton.com
Five adorable Victorian fashion accessories to go with your child’s measles
Five adorable Victorian fashion accessories to go with your child’s measles
The 19th century is back in vogue with a recent uptick in measles, mumps and irrational distrust of life saving medical procedures. But it’s not just healthcare that is going back 180 years, it’s also...
www.thebeaverton.com
August 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
laurelwest.bsky.social
This is a fascinating read. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China’s Border
The Kachin Independence Organization fought for decades in obscurity. Now it’s supplying essential minerals to manufacturers around the world.
www.bloomberg.com
July 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
laurelwest.bsky.social
“This is the most self-censored Milken conference I have ever been to.”
 andrewbogle.bsky.social @andrewbogle.bsky.social · May 10
(Mission accomplished?!?)

Milken mission: Trump dispatches Bessent to calm the financial elite

US Treasury secretary’s message in Beverly Hills got a mixed review from investors

www.ft.com/content/33f8...
Milken mission: Trump dispatches Bessent to calm the financial elite
US Treasury secretary’s message in Beverly Hills got a mixed review from investors
www.ft.com
May 11, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
shashj.bsky.social
“Mr Trump’s grin mocked the principle that America is a place where the government cannot suspend rights whenever it chooses and where the chief magistrate willingly defers to the highest court. In other words, that America is not El Salvador.” www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
In its pursuit of a policy, Donald Trump’s government is content to destroy a man
What’s at stake in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
www.economist.com
April 16, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
"The bond market is not like the Supreme Court, or Paul Weiss, or Columbia University, or any of the other institutions Trump has conquered, co-opted, or corrupted."

"He cannot scare it into submission. He cannot bribe it."

from @jvl.bsky.social

www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-fina...
Trump Finally Met an Adversary Totally Immune to His Bullshit
And it’s not the Supreme Court.
www.thebulwark.com
April 12, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
pickardje.bsky.social
now *this* is the anecdote of the day
While many Chinese businesses are reeling from the trade war, Qi, the Maga merchandise maker, brushed off any suggestion his might suffer. Trump supporters, he said, were willing to pay any price for items bearing the image of their beloved president - and US suppliers were making such a huge profit on them that they could afford to partially absorb the tariff impact. A Trump baseball cap, for instance, cost only Rmb7.50 ($1) to produce. Tariffs might raise that cost to Rmb2o, but the caps were being sold for $50 in the US. "American sellers could even use the tariffs as an excuse to raise the price to $60 - yet the extra cost will still be borne by the US consumers, " said Qi.
April 12, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
nkalamb.bsky.social
An Australian man with a US work visa was detained upon reentry, called a “retard” and told, “Trump is back in town; we’re doing things the way we should have always been doing them.”

He was held with 100 people including many Canadians.

Posters celebrating equity had DEI scribbled out in marker.
The disaster began at border control in transit in Houston, Texas, when he was pulled aside and taken to a “secondary” room, he says. Posters hanging on the walls that had once celebrated diversity, equity and inclusion, had been crudely updated with a black marker pen, with mentions of DEI scribbled out. About 100 people from around the world sat and lay in various states of worry and exhaustion, he says. “There were so many people in this room. A heavy percentage of them were from South America. I met a girl from Berlin. There were a bunch of people from Canada. There were two Brits.”
April 12, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
emma-briant.co.uk
Transparency nudges work.
zengaian.bsky.social Pamela @zengaian.bsky.social · Apr 8
Fabletics is posting a “Tariff Surcharge” on their receipts. I hope other companies follow suit.
April 9, 2025 at 1:32 AM
laurelwest.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Canada Warns Residents Their Phones May Be Searched at US Border
The Canadian government issued a new warning for travelers entering the US, saying they should “expect scrutiny” at the border and that their phones and other electronic devices may be searched.
www.bloomberg.com
April 7, 2025 at 3:44 PM
laurelwest.bsky.social
CNN is doing a great job with clarity in headlines.
cnn.com CNN @cnn.com · Apr 7
JUST IN: Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index plunged more than 8% on Monday, deepening a global stocks rout triggered by US President Donald Trump’s trade war. cnn.it/42eTF8Z
April 7, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Reposted by Laurel West
miafarrow.bsky.social
The president’s son Eric Trump posted this. Chilling.
He deleted it - but here it is
April 6, 2025 at 12:14 AM
laurelwest.bsky.social
Goosebumps. But as a Hong Konger who took part in the (then legal) protests of 2019, I worry that future events will be infiltrated by groups looking to cause bad trouble, thus giving Trump the excuse to bring in troops. May protesters be vigilant, and may leaders make wise decisions.
andrewfacini.com Andrew Facini @andrewfacini.com · Apr 5
The indivisible protest in New York is at least 5x larger than they planned. They originally cordoned off the sidewalk+bus lane on 5th but they've had to close the whole street, and it's not enough.
April 5, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
informor.bsky.social
I have never seen anything like this in NYC. 5th Ave covered from 42nd St well to the 20s. Nobody prepared for this volume. Volunteers are holding the traffic on all the side streets. No police in sight. #handsoff
Full of people down 5th avenue, view from 39th Street.
April 5, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
standupamerica.com
Hundreds of thousands of Americans around the country are showing up for democracy today and standing against Trump and Musk’s reckless agenda!
April 5, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Laurel West
financialtimes.com
Freshfields only large firm to sign on in support of legal fight with Donald Trump

https://www.ft.com/content/75be8888-64d3-45f0-8d49-3d96f9411c2d
Freshfields only large firm to sign on in support of legal fight with Donald Trump
The brief includes more than 500 groups but nearly all are small and medium-sized
www.ft.com
April 4, 2025 at 7:25 PM