US-China confrontation-2 on October 16, 2020In the post-Mao period, China’s trajectory has been relatively smooth. Deng Xiao-ping set the course for the country for economic growth under total control of the Communist Party. And the political succession, by and large, was smooth and for limitedterms ,which as we shall see later, was extended to an indefinite period for Xi Jinping, […]
US-China confrontation on October 2, 2020US-China relations are hitting rock bottom. And it doesn’t look like there is any way forward as both countries are increasingly tying themselves into knots on the issues that separate them. A resolution of their frayed relationship is important not only for their bilateral relationship but also for the world in all sorts of ways. […]
US presidential race-2 on September 18, 2020The recent Republican Party Convention, which nominated Donald Trump as his party’s presidential candidate in the lawns of the White House, is indicative of Trump’s willful disregard of established traditions and conventions. It is the first time that a party presidential candidate has been nominated in the White House. It also suggests that Trump already […]
US presidential race on September 5, 2020November 3, the official Election Day for the US presidential election, is only two months away. The US Democratic Convention ( recently held on line, the first of its kind) nominated Joe Biden, vice president under Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris as their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates. The lack of live audience, due […]
Lebanon: A ship adrift on August 16, 2020The explosion of a dump of ammonium nitrate at Beirut port was one tragedy too many for Lebanon. With deaths from the explosion mounting and widespread destruction of property and assets, the people seem to have lost hope; considering that the ruling political class is a major part of the problem. Take the case of […]
A new cold war on July 30, 2020Have we entered a new Cold War between the US and China, as suggested, if not reinforced, by the tit-for-tat shut down of their respective consulates in Houston in the US and Chengdu in China? It is not so much the closure, which is bad enough, but the acrimony and mutual accusation of spying that […]
Black Lives Matter in Australia on July 19, 2020The recent worldwide protests about Black Lives Matter, arising out of the brutal police murder of George Floyd in the US, also put a focus on Australia’s own race problem. Most Australians would not only deny that Australia is racist but would feel offended at the question. There is this self-satisfied and smug feeling that […]
As China’s power grows… on July 8, 2020As China’s power grows, Australia increasingly sees it as a threat to regional stability and security. With the US’ power in relative decline, the strategic balance engineered and underwritten by the US until recently, is becoming shaky. With its growing, political, economic and military power, China is managing to create an alternative regional, and a […]
US and the race question on June 13, 2020The murder of George Floyd (whether second degree or otherwise, let us not quibble about it) at the hands of Minneapolis police in the US sparked countrywide protests, spreading elsewhere in the world as well, with a loud and clear message that Black Lives Matter. The United States is built on slavery and even after […]
Our planet needs help on June 5, 2020COVID-19, with its day-to-day tally of people dying in all parts of the world, has our attention because it is so visible in terms of all aspects of the tragedy unfolding before us. Its immediacy in terms of fatalities, the misery of families left behind and the economic consequences of the lockdowns have been and […]