Temperament and character: can America lead? on October 3, 2018Temperament and character count. America was fixated last week on President Donald Trump’s performance at the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) annual meeting in New York and the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. In both cases, the president and the judge displayed temperament and character flaws that normally would be disqualifying for […]
The Kavanaugh hearings: a different danger on September 27, 2018Make no mistake: To be overly dramatic, the hearing to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Associate Justice has metaphorically pulled the pin from what could be a political nuclear hand grenade. The damage could extend far beyond the future of this nominee and the confirmation process. Indeed, an inadvertent target could be […]
Russo-Sino condominium? Not likely on September 21, 2018Bucharest, Romania: Russia, China and Mongolia have just completed Vostok 2018 (Vostok means East in Russian). Reportedly 300,000 troops and thousands of tanks, ships and aircraft took part. The exercise was designed to defend against a powerful enemy (NATO?) that had attacked or was preparing to attack these states. It will take some time before […]
John McCain: sailor, straight talker and statesman on August 31, 2018John McCain was a sailor, a straight talker and a statesman. From the day he entered the US Naval Academy with the class of 1958, John’s character, courage and charisma were evident. Like all of us, John had his weaknesses. But he will be rightly remembered for his candour, his valour and heroism as well […]
Reconciling Relations: Imran to Donald on August 25, 2018Now that Imran Khan has been sworn in as Pakistan’s Prime Minister, dealing with the United States is among his many problems and priorities. The US-Pakistani relationship has descended from bad to worse. American funding has been suspended. And the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened to block IMF money to Pakistan if […]
How much can a country endure? on August 15, 2018To paraphrase Karl Marx: a spectre is haunting America. It is not communism. Nor is it democratic socialism. Instead it is a failed and failing government. And this failure is the fault of ‘we the people’, who elect the leaders we deserve. Congress remains hopelessly deadlocked on the most important issues. Yes, Congress did pass […]
Will Imran bowl for six? on August 8, 2018After many times at bat, to use a cricket metaphor, Imran Khan has a chance to hit for six. But will he? His Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won the majority in Parliament. However, a coalition government will still be required that limits the power of any executive. Way back when Asif Zardari became president in 2008 and […]
We have met the enemy and it is US! on August 5, 2018Yes, the US economy grew at about four percent last quarter. That is very good news. But is all well in America? And are we focusing on perhaps lesser dangers to our way of life and our security, than what really may prove more threatening in the long run? In the past, successive American presidents […]
The Atlantic alliance on life support? on July 23, 2018London: The past week was disastrous for the Atlantic Alliance. President Donald Trump was the bull that brings its own China shop with it. At the NATO summit, the President attacked the alliance for failing to allocate enough money for defence, and then proposed a mandatory four percent of GDP as the target. Not even […]
What’s next for NATO? on July 11, 2018This is a potentially tectonic week for NATO, US relations with Russia and America’s future global leadership role. It began where last week left off. A trade war with China was underway. After sending strongly worded letters to several NATO members for insufficient defence spending, on a campaign swing in the Mid-West, President Donald Trump […]