Podcast: What the Weimar Republic Can Teach Us about Trump

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 24, 2018

On the latest episode of the Departures podcast, we’re pleased to be joined by Prof. Benjamin Carter Hett, whose new book “The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic” explores the rapid and sudden collapse of democracy in Germany in the 1930s. Prof. Hett places particular emphasis in […]

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Will India Be Conned into Buying Venezuelan Cryptocurrency?

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 2, 2018

I recently spoke with Quartz about Venezuela’s efforts to get more cash out of their cryptocurrency scheme. Given that the Petro is priced at a barrel of oil but theoretically based on completely undeveloped reserves, with PDVSA’s production collapsing to historic levels and a long line of creditors with stronger claims – this seems like […]

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Panama’s Reputation Rebuild

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 17, 2017

Over at our sister blog Corporate Foreign Policy, team member Andrea Zanon writes on the subject of Panama’s reputation recovery following one of the largest whistleblower leaks in history. It’s an interesting case study of what countries need to do to build trust and transparency to continue to compete in the international business environment.  Excerpt […]

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Gülen Poses a Threat to Turkey and the United States

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: May 16, 2017

Today President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making his first official state visit to President Donald Trump in Washington DC. Among the many issues in the bilateral relationship they will be discussing is the status of Fethullah Gülen, a billionaire Turkish fugitive living in Pennsylvania who is accused of planning last July’s attempted military […]

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Oligopoly and the Airline Industry

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: April 15, 2017

Like many of you, I have been obsessively watching the crisis at United Airlines unfold, where approximately $1 billion in share value has been shed following the viral video of a passenger being violently removed from an overbooked flight. The response to this crisis, at least in terms of reputation management, has obviously been very […]

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The Rule of Law in a Polarized America

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: April 14, 2017

I recommend this thoughtful Passover piece published by Bill Galston in the Wall Street Journal, which emphasizes the difference between the policies that parties may fight over and the underlying institutional structures which should remain sacred.  Some quotes: Contemporary populists have legitimate complaints against the status quo, not least the incapacity of parliamentary governments to […]

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Talks At Google with Robert Amsterdam: Disruption and the Weaponization of Law

By Editor | Published: March 25, 2017

Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Partners LLP visits Talks at Google to discuss how international law is changing in the face of rapid technological disruption, and how in some countries law enforcement has become weaponized as an anti-competitive tool to benefit some organizations and damage others. Amsterdam highlights examples and outlines some strategic approaches for […]

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The Not-So-Special Relationship

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: January 27, 2017

The outcomes of both Brexit and the US election were unexpected, disruptive, and driven by a similar surge of nationalism. And so you’d think that the first meeting of Prime Minister Theresa May and President Donald Trump would be a celebratory affair. It certainly hasn’t felt like that. When Prime Minister May arrived yesterday, the […]

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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 13, 2016

By Citizen M | Published: December 13, 2016

TODAY: Congress pledges to investigate CIA’s assessment of Russian interference in U.S. presidential election; prospect of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State praised by Kremlin; clash of ideas over Syria interventions; Russia pledges to assist Serbia militarily; Lavrov pours scorn on E.U. terminology for Crimea; Gorbachev suggests ‘new union’ could emerge; RBC media ordered to […]

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Letter from Gülen Whistleblower

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: October 18, 2016

As part of our investigation into the activities taking place at Fethullah Gülen’s numerous U.S. charter schools, we have come into contact with dozens of whistleblowers willing to come forward and share the facts of their experiences. This one that we have received in the past few days from New York makes for astonishing, shocking […]

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