The World this Week in Politics

What a week...Jody Wilson-Raybould delivers a bombshell in Ottawa on the same day Michael Cohen calls out Donald Trump as a racist, conman and cheat ...while the president is trying to negotiate a peace pact with North Korea. 

In case you didn't get a chance to keep up with all the developments, I've assembled some of the best political reads from around the global network of The Conversation

Have a great weekend and we'll be back in your Inbox on Monday.

Scott White

Editor

Top political stories of the week

SNC-Lavalin case shows why we should review Canada’s foreign corruption laws

Joanna Harrington, University of Alberta

Until recently, paying a bribe or kickback to secure a contract abroad was seen as the cost of doing business in a foreign land. The SNC-Lavalin case has underscored the need to rethink the approach.

Is Sir John A. Macdonald to blame for the Wilson-Raybould affair?

Randy Boswell, Carleton University; Jonathan Swainger, University of Northern British Columbia

Sir John A. Macdonald fused the jobs of justice minister and attorney general as Canada's first prime minister. So is he partly to blame for the SNC-Lavalin controversy?

What Michael Cohen’s betrayal reveals about our messed-up workplace loyalties

Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon

Cohen's sudden and stark transformation from 'blind loyalty' to utter betrayal says a lot about broader changes in how Americans view their employers.

Oversight committee session with Michael Cohen looks like an illegitimate show hearing

Stanley M. Brand, Pennsylvania State University

Michael Cohen will soon testify before Congress about his work for Donald Trump. But the hearing's subject goes far beyond the committee's jurisdiction, which is government operations and activities.

Chasing the denuclearisation fantasy: The US-North Korea summit ends abruptly in Hanoi

Benjamin Habib, La Trobe University

Any meaningful breakthrough in the relationship between the US and North Korea is once again stalled by the insistence on denuclearisation.

Brexit delay: what it would take for the EU to agree article 50 extension

Hussein Kassim, University of East Anglia

Even if parliament votes to delay Brexit beyond March 29, the EU27 would have to unanimously agree. Would they?

Gibraltar after Brexit: why Spain, not Ireland will decide the UK’s fate

Marius S. Ostrowski, University of Oxford

Plans for the Irish border come in to force after Brexit. But there is no plan for the rock after that date.

What Brexit means for future of the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK

Colin Murray, Newcastle University; Ben Warwick, University of Birmingham

The Brexit agreement between the UK and Ireland that few people are talking about – and why it's still not enough.

No easy end to stand-off between al-Bashir and Sudan’s protesters

Andrew Edward Tchie, University of Essex

Fed up with the high cost of living, and an oppressive state, the people of Sudan are rising up against their president.

Venezuela crisis: Trump threats to Maduro evoke bloody history of US intervention in Latin America

Joseph J. Gonzalez, Appalachian State University

The Trump administration says President Maduro's 'days are numbered' after Venezuelan security forces killed four protesters. But any US-led operation to oust him is likely to be extremely unpopular.