Trump and race on September 10, 2017The US was built on the brutal exploitation of African slaves, which enshrined white supremacy. And this shows even today with the recent developments in Charlottesville, Virginia where a white supremacist ran his vehicle into anti-racism protesters killing one woman. White supremacy was the natural order of things. Even after the US Civil War that […]
The North Korean puzzle on August 24, 2017Even as I write, there is no way to predict how the Korean crisis would work out. It could just be a war of words with both the US and the North Korean regime engaged in a game of who would blink first. Such brinkmanship could easily get out of control and lead to military […]
US and morality – a critique of US foreign policy on June 2, 2017Even before Donald Trump loudly proclaimed ‘America first’ as the guiding principle of the country’s future policies, this was and remained the underlying consideration of US foreign policy under his predecessors. The Trump doctrine, if one can call it that, is more Twitter-based and much louder than before. As a superpower, the US cherished this […]
Flashpoint Korea on April 10, 2017The Korean peninsula is once again an active flashpoint. Indeed, 38th parallel that underpins the 1953 armistice line, which ended hostilities, is not a peace agreement to end the war. During the 1950-53 war, as the US forces appeared advancing towards the Chinese border, Beijing rushed its forces to face the challenge. Fortunately, an […]
European Union in disarray on March 7, 2017The European Union is in disarray. It was probably the most successful regional organization, just short of becoming a political union of some of Europe’s bitter enemies as exemplified by WW11. It seemed that as part of the EU these countries might put all their bitter historical memories behind them to create a community of […]
US bluster is Chinas gain on February 28, 2017The US’ long term allies are bewildered about the direction and future of their relationship with the world’s (still) most powerful country. Take, for instance, Australia, which has stood loyally by the United States for a century, forging even stronger ties during WW11 and sealing it subsequently with the Australia, New Zealand, US (ANZUS) alliance. […]
Trumps scary vision on February 21, 2017If you are Donald Trump, the world appears upside down. It wasn’t always like that. From Trump’s perspective, it is all the fault of the past US presidents for allowing other countries to take advantage of the United States, bringing it to its present state where things are out of control and need to be […]
Trumps Chinese dilemma on February 14, 2017Judging by the initial days of Donald Trump’s presidency, it looks as if the new administration might turn the international system upside down. First, of course, is the China factor, where President Trump and his nominee for secretary state, Rex Tillerson, have clearly warned Beijing against its provocative and unilateral sovereignty claims, and construction of […]
Obamas failed dream on February 7, 2017After eight years in the White House, Barack Obama is now a private citizen. He had brought hope and yes, even excitement, when he became the country’s president in 2009. The US needed that in the midst of the worst financial crisis after the thirties’ depression. At the time it seemed that the country needed […]
Obama: a retrospect on January 31, 2017When Barack Obama was elected the president of the US in 2008; he made history. In a country built on the back of slavery, where racial difference and superiority is ingrained, the election of a black man to America’s highest office was no mean achievement. And not surprisingly, many Americans felt that the US had […]