United States: myths and contradictions on February 18, 2019There are a number of myths about the United States, with its current President Donald Trump only adding to the confusion. I will come to Trump later in the piece but, first, it is the myths’ part that needs some clarification. The first and the foremost myth has been that America is the land of […]
US-China trade war on February 2, 2019Has China’s economy hit a roadblock? Not necessarily, even though there is an official acknowledgement of its slowing growth rate. China’s growth rate slowed down to 6.4 percent in the December quarter, which is fractionally less than 6.6 percent for the full year, 2018. By no means it is disastrous, except that it is said […]
Brexit: what next for Britain? on January 29, 2019There are not many words in political lexicon that are as imprecise as Brexit. In the 2016 referendum when the British people were asked to choose between remaining in the European Union (EU) or opt out, they voted, by a small margin of 52 per cent for to exit the EU. And those favouring to […]
Korean tangle on January 22, 2019First, there was competitive name-calling between Kim Jong-un of North Korea and the US President Trump, raising fears that this might lead to an unintended and catastrophic nuclear exchange. But, mercifully, the world was spared this, at least for the time being, as a result of the Trump-Kim summit in Singapore. So much so that […]
Australia’s China problem on June 10, 2018Beijing is slowly putting the squeeze on Australia for its acts of omission and commission in its relations with China. Now that China acts as the superpower in the Indo-Pacific region, Australia is finding it very hard to balance, if it were ever possible, its relations between the US, its major security partner, and China […]
Trump goes after Iran on May 26, 2018The US has never come to terms with Iran’s new political order that emerged after the 1979 revolution, which brought down the Shah and his regime. The Shah of Iran was a compliant ruler who fitted well into the US’ strategy in the Middle East. The clerical regime that followed was anything but. There were […]
The Korean chessboard on May 12, 2018Considering the near-hysteric and warlike tone of the exchanges between President Trump and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, only a few months ago, it is difficult to reconcile the change of atmospherics,Starting with the Winter Olympics in South Korea with North Korea fielding a joint team, and leading to the summit between North Korea’s […]
US, China and a potential trade war on April 25, 2018There is much talk about a potential global trade war, arising from the recent tit-for-tat announcements by both Washington and Beijing to impose punitive tariffs on some of their tradable goods. President Trump initiated it, claiming that China must reduce its massive trade surplus with the United States. It might be recalled than an important […]
Lessons from the Trump-Kim summit on March 22, 2018It all started with the Winter Olympics in South Korea, where both North and South fielded a joint team. And the event was attended by a North Korean delegation that included its dictator Kim Jong-un’s sister. Which, in turn, led to a South Korean delegation’s visit to Pyongyang where it was received with great fanfare […]
China’s alarming rise to power on March 6, 2018China’s rise is upsetting the post-WW-II international system and is seen by some as a serious threat to global and regional stability. In this respect, what Germany’s foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel had to say at the recent Munich Security Conference sums up such views and sentiments. He said, “The initiative for a new Silk Road […]