With a story as big as Brexit, with both market and historic implications, it is easy to become overwhelmed by oceans of mediocre or partisan commentary.  Wading  through scores of articles this past week, I have discovered some wonderfully illuminating discussions about a known unknown that  no one can predict.  Below please find my selection of original and provocative articles that go beyond Thursday’s vote,  offering deeper analysis of the EU writ large, and perspective from other countries and regions.

Here is my comment on Peter Tasker's commentary on Why Should Asia Care about Brexit?

On June 23rd, Britons will hold a referendum on whether to stay or leave the European Union (EU), and surveys point to close vote. If Britain does exit the EU, or “Brexit,” the fallout could be serious and widespread. In February, G-20 finance ministers warned that Britain’s leaving the EU “could threaten global economic recovery.”

The sun has finally appeared, and the TV trucks are rolling out of this ancient hot springs town on the outskirts of Sendai, Japan. This was the location over the weekend of the G7 meeting of finance ministers and central bankers which, although civil, has ended with a lack of consensus.

After a decade when most Americans saw their incomes decline, the latest Census Bureau income data contain very good news: A majority of U.S. households racked up healthy income gains in 2013 and 2014. The facts may not fit the narratives of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or Bernie Sanders.  But they do help explain why President Obama’s job approval and favorability ratings have passed 50 percent.

ISIL is not a juggernaut, according to a recent article in Politico by UC San Diego economics professor Eli Berman and associate professor Jacob Shapiro at Princeton, "Why ISIL Will Fail on Its Own".  Oil revenues in particular are not sustainable:

The following remarks with subsequent modification were delivered at the November 6-8 convening of the International Finance Forum, headquartered in Beijing. IFF’s mission is to facilitate high-level, multilateral dialogue and promote insights about current issued defining the international economy. The writer is a member of the IFF Academic Committee.

Today the Institute for Economics and Peace released their third Global Terrorism Index. This year, their annual November release has been preceded by devastating terrorist attacks in Pairs, Beirut and Baghdad. It is more important than ever to understand the underlying drivers of terrorism and violent extremism. Please click here to access this detailed report.

The economic imperatives of global powers are changing approaches to international politics.

China’s rise could reshape an icon of international relations, post-World War II -- the Transatlantic Relationship between the United States and Germany – and Europe. An economic symbiosis that addresses China’s need for technology and Germany’s search for export markets could drive a shift in shared foreign policy interests on the part of Washington and Berlin.