Here are Some of the Political Events that Will Dominate Headlines in 2022
By Thomas Klassen
Last year started out hopeful with the emergence of COVID-19 vaccines, but quickly proved to be a challenging year for governments and...
Nobel for Obfuscation
By Dr. Dan Steinbock
Last weekend, Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler, got a Nobel Peace prize for her “courageous fight for freedom of expression.” In...
COVID-19 Could Nudge Minds and Societies Towards Authoritarianism
By Leor Zmigrod
It is a little-known fact that humans have not one but two immune systems. The first, the biophysical immune system – the...
Yemen: Talks Between Saudi Arabia and Iran Offer Hopes for an End to Bitter...
By Simon Mabon
Recent statements from Iran and Saudi Arabia have provided hope that a pathway might be emerging to an end to the bitter...
As Afghanistan falls, what does it mean for the Middle East?
By Tony Walker
In the 19th century, the phrase “The Great Game” was used to describe competition for power and influence in Afghanistan, and neighbouring...
The US withdraws from Afghanistan after 20 years of war: 4 questions about this...
By Mark R. Jacobson
Mark R. Jacobson, a foreign policy expert at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, served in Afghanistan as a reserve officer...
The Olympics strive for political neutrality. So, how will they deal with surging athlete...
By Dr. Michelle O’Shea, Dr. Daryl Adair, Hazel Maxwell, and Dr. Megan Stronach
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long tried to insulate itself from...
Nigeria’s Twitter ban could backfire, hurting the economy and democracy
By Jeff Conroy-Krutz
Nigeria’s decision to suspend Twitter indefinitely could backfire for the government and cost the country economically in terms of new investments into...
Why politicians should be wary of publicly pursuing the Wuhan lab-leak investigation
By Maxime Lepoutre
The theory that SARS-CoV-2 originally leaked out of a laboratory in Wuhan, China, is making a comeback – so much so that President Joe...
When “A Little Corruption” In Mexico Goes Too Far
By Duggan Flanakin
“Corruption is not a disagreeable characteristic of the Mexican political system: it is the system.”Gabriel Zaid, La Economia Presidencial
“It is widely known,” Mexican journalist Ricardo Ravelo wrote in...
Playing Genocide Politics: The Zenz-Xinjiang Case
By Dr Dan Steinbock
Recently, the Trump and Biden administrations have initiated a genocide case against China. Like during the Cold War, some European leaders...
Flawed human information processing, magic pipers and our conscience
By Bernard Yeung
Fierce competition between dominant countries leads to accusatory narratives, creating intense but dysfunctional crowd emotions. Flawed human behaviour allows a big gap...
Vaccine Nationalism Is a Multilateral, Neocolonial Failure
By Dr. Dan Steinbock
In the coming months, vaccine nationalism is likely to compound COVID-19 economic damage and penalize more lives. It reflects the utter...
Making Sense of the Far-right March on the US Capitol
By Anthony A. Gabb, Ph.D.
The storming of the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021 by an angry far-right mob was an exigent distraction...
ICC debacles – and the Philippines
By Dr Dan Steinbock
After the Philippine withdrawal from the ICC, the battlelines against the Duterte government are politicized – and messy.
In the first half...
Post-inauguration, restoring the soul of Biden’s America must be truly inclusive
By Daniel McNeil
Over the past few months, I’ve been editing a book about soulful beliefs, practices and feelings that overflow from their religious and...
The Dark Forces behind American Insurrectionists
By Dr Dan Steinbock
On January 6, 2021, a mob of white supremacists stormed the U.S. Capitol, presumably to overturn Trump's defeat. Their final goal...
Radical De-Globalization – Finding back our Freedom and Sovereignty: Tyrants don’t Create Tyranny. Your...
By Peter Koenig
Art is being applied to protests. As very well demonstrated in Germany the Netherlands and Denmark – see video “Lockstep” Protest Marches...
As the world watches US election, the appeal of America is diminished
By Liam Kennedy
A US presidential election always draws intense worldwide interest, in part due to the spectacle, but also because the leadership of the...
Yemen – Prisoner Swap and What May be Behind it.
By Peter Koenig
Background
The fourth batch of Yemeni detainees has arrived the in Sana’a as part of the largest prisoner swap between the country’s warring...
The Rise of the Chinese Economy and Growing Concerns in the United States
By Kalim Siddiqui
I. Introduction
The article discusses recent global economic changes and will largely focus on two of the worlds’ largest economies, namely China and...
Venezuela – A Tribute for Her Endless Pursuit of Democracy
By Peter Koenig
Venezuela is again the shining light of Democracy – pushing ahead with the 6 December 2020 National Assembly (NA) elections – despite...
Who is Kamala Harris, Joe Biden’s pick for vice president?
By Bryan Cranston
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has announced Kamala Harris as his running mate for the 2020 election — the first woman of colour to...
Belarus – A Color Revolution of a Different Shade?
By Peter Koenig
Belarus in turmoil, after an election where the incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko – 25 years already in power (in office since 1994)...
Conspiracy Theory – What Is It?
By Peter Koenig
Being blamed for disseminating “conspiracy theories” and therefore being a conspiracy theorist, is an extraordinarily and smart tactic used by the true...
New Poll: How many Britons believe in conspiracy theories?
By Dr. Rainer Zitelmann
Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, conspiracy theories have been spreading almost as fast as the virus itself, especially on...
The Politics of Russian Extraditions
By Jasvinder Nakhwal and Rachel Cook
Russian assurances on prison conditions are highly topical and have been crucial to the UK courts’ decisions in recent...
The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: How Africa Should Respond
By Mills Soko and Mzukisi Qobo
Global Context
The coronavirus global pandemic has caused significant harm to the global economy. With two-thirds of the world’s population located in developing...
The Story of Trump’s Perilous Iran Escalation
By Dan Steinbock
The Trump assassination of major general Qasem Soleimani reflects regime change efforts - withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal, new...
Is Europe Sleep-Walking into a Diplomatic Disaster with Iran?
By Dan Steinbock
Iran charges Brussels for serving US interests in the Middle East. The accusations are the net effect of Europe’s failure to protect...
Iraq – Why Doesn’t the US Move Out Despite the Iraqi Parliament’s Decision?
By Peter Koenig
Why doesn't the U.S. respect the decision made by the Iraqi Parliament and move out of Iraqi territory? – The short answer...
Hong Kong and the Audacity of the United States
By Peter Koenig
People often ask and hint at the similarities between the Hong Kong protests and the French Yellow Vests. The former...
Amazonia in Flames – Brazil’s Bolsonaro is a World Criminal – Encouraging Jungle Burning...
By Peter Koenig
On 28 October 2018, Jair Bolsonaro was elected President of Brazil with 55.1% of the vote – and with a gigantic help from...
Sri Lanka – Candidate for a New NATO Base?
By Peter Koenig
Sri Lanka, Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019: More than half a dozen bomb blasts shook the country killing from 250 to...
NATO – 70th Anniversary of the Most Murderous – and Legal – Organization on...
By Peter Koenig
On 4th of April 2019 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) “celebrated” the 70th Anniversary of its murderous existence. This horror organization...
Cuba – “The Equilibrium of the World” – and Economy of Resistance
By Peter Koenig
The Forth International Conference for “The Equilibrium of the World” took place in Havana., Cuba from 28 to 31 January 2019. The Conference,...
The Demise of Global Britain
By Graham Vanbergen
The almost universal collapse of British foreign policy could not have been timed any more accurately than right now – a time...
Hindu Nationalism and the Consolidation of Hate Politics in India
By Kalim Siddiqui
When we look back, since the demolition of the Babri Masjid a quarter of century ago, it seems a well-planned and well-thought...
Venezuela – Towards an Economy of Resistance
By Peter Koenig
The Government of Venezuela called an international Presidential Economic Advisory Commission, 14-16 June, 2018 – to debate the current foreign injected economic...
The Dark Plight of Immigrants in the Racist Era of Trump
By Alvaro Huerta
This essay argues that President Donald J. Trump represents an existential threat to immigrants in the United States. Trump’s immigration rhetoric and...
Identity Politics: Diversion from the Growing Economic Crisis?
By Ghada Chehade
Despite the reality of ever-increasing economic despair – including, and perhaps especially, for minorities – no one is willing to talk about class...
Facing the Shadow of Colonialism in Trump’s America
By Nozomi Hayase
From Muslim bans to attacks on LGBTQ communities and immigrants, the Trump presidency is regressing civil society with a colonial hierarchy. In...
Dogged by Charges of Racism Where is Trump’s Concern for American Workers?
By Kim Petersen
Hillary Clinton described half of Donald Trump’s base as “deplorables” holding racist attitudes. Indeed, many of Trump’s policies do negatively target people...
North Korea – an Agent of Peace?
By Peter Koenig
The false alarm on a ballistic missile attack on Hawaii last Saturday from North Korea did not help the Peace Talks which...
Jerusalem – The Straw that Breaks the Empire’s Back?
By Peter Koenig
When President Trump on 6 December 2017 declared unilaterally Jerusalem as the capital of Israel to where the US Embassy shall...
Brexit – How the British People were Hacked
By Graham Vanbergen
In today’s context, social engineering has now moved on – dramatically. It refers to the manipulation of people into performing actions they wouldn't normally...
What the West Can Learn from the ASEAN Way
By Edgardo Angara
The rise of ASEAN shows how consensus-building, more than the rule of the majority, can help nations overcome religious and racial...
Yemen – Appeal to President Putin
By Peter Koenig
Dear President Putin,
Yemen, a peaceful and extremely poor country is being slaughtered, literally slaughtered by the Saudis, with the full weapons, funding...
North Korea – Killer Sanctions Imposed by the Foremost Institution of Peace and Justice...
By Peter Koenig
The United Nations was created to safeguard peace, justice, and security at a time when the “world was in ruins”. In this...
Venezuela – Confronting the Neoliberal Propaganda Media Machine
By Peter Koenig
Venezuela is arguably the only true democracy in the western world. In this article, Peter Koenig elaborates on the western world's “demonisation”...
London, Manchester, Paris et al – State Terror on its own Citizens – Again...
By Peter Koenig
Are you still fantasising about justice, equality, and liberty? Peter Koenig elaborates on the understated claims of “False Flags”, the horrors of...
Trump’s War on Dangerous Memory and Critical Thought
By Henry A. Giroux
Trump’s election has unleashed a brand of savage capitalism that not only has and will continue to have horrible consequences, but...
Enduring Gender Inequality in Politics: Where to from here?
By Emma Dalton
Women political leaders are no longer anomalies. But gender parity in politics is still a long way off. This paper considers why...
Democracy in Exile and the Curse of Totalitarianism
By Henry Giroux
With his white supremacist ideology and racist contempt for Muslims on full display, President Trump has issued an executive order banning all...
Unelectability, Sovereignty and Occupy
By Thomas Swann
Highly popular candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn were deemed unelectable. In being described as unelectable, these politicians are being...
Life After Trump
By Boris Kagarlitsky
Trump’s election is not just a separate random episode of current politics. It is also not an indicator of American exceptionalism. It...
2016 Elections: The Political Process as a Mechanism of Control
By Vince Montes
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This article examines the US political...
Lessons from the Vietnam War
By John Marciano
Forty years after the American war in Vietnam ended in 1975, the central and most critical issue is the “struggle for memory”,...
The 2016 Elections: “The Bad Losers” and What They Fear Losing
By Diana Johnstone
If the 2016 presidential campaign was a national disgrace, the reaction of the losers is an even more disgraceful spectacle. It seems...
Snowden – Just a Clever Ruse? Propaganda, Empire’s One of the Key Strategic Weapons
By Peter Koenig
This is not about Snowden, the movie. This is about Ed Snowden, the by now 33-year-old NSA whistleblower and hero for hundreds...
After the Election: Don’t Panic, Think!
By Diana Johnstone
In 2016, the fundamentally undemocratic U.S. two-party system presented the public with the two most hated candidates in history. The choice was...
Chosen Leaders, Proven Failures And Political Debacles – OpEd
By James Petras
The concepts, symbols and signs of the ruling class determine who will be the political “choices” for leaders and officials. Political elites...
The Iran Sanctions Act by US Congress – Versus the Multilateral Iran Accord
By Dan Steinbock
In a broad interview with Iran’s leading international news agency and international daily, Dr. Steinbock takes a critical look at the at...
The Coming War on China
By John Pilger
When I first went to Hiroshima in 1967, the shadow on the steps was still there. It was an almost perfect impression...
Assad Adviser Says We Are In A Time That Will Determine The Future Of...
By Brandon Turbeville
As the war in Syria continues to rage on, it is becoming more and more obvious that the battle taking place...
Revisiting The Anthropology of Trump: Ethnography and the Power of Culture
By Paul Stoller
Two days ago the election of Donald J Trump as our 45th President shocked millions of Americans. How could a man so...
Japan’s Politics is Opening Up to Women, But Don’t Expect a Feminist Revolution Yet
By Emma Dalton and Mari Miura
Three women have in recent months been appointed to politically powerful positions in Japan. But even as seeing...
“Anti-Americanism” in the Philippines. President Duterte’s Subaltern Counter-Hegemony
By E. San Juan Jr.
Guerilla Incursions from the Boondocks
“A howling wilderness” was what General Jacob Smith ordered his troops to make of Samar, Philippines....
How to Understand Syria’s “Proxy war” – And Who’s Fighting For Whom
By Simon Mabon
As another attempted ceasefire falls apart, the destruction of the Syrian people and state goes on. The country’s economy has been annihilated, and...
Anarchy in the USA: Five Years On, the Legacy of Occupy Wall Street and...
By Ruth Kinna, Alex Prichard and Thomas Swann
It was a turning point in the story of a new kind of democracy – and how...
Donald Trump and the World: Five Challenges
By Simon Reich
The election is finally over. It has resulted in the most stunning political upset in the modern era.
But that is really...
Five Things That Explain Donald Trump’s Stunning Presidential Election Victory
By Anthony J. Gaughan
A populist wave that began with Brexit in June reached the United States in stunning fashion on Tuesday night. In one...
Loss and Damage of Climate Change – from Managing Risks to the Politics of...
By Swenja Surminski
With the passing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, efforts to fight the changing climate’s causes and consequences have received increased...
The Curse of Aleppo and Understanding the Syrian Civil War
By Simon Mabon
Five years have passed since the deadliest civil war of the 21st century began. Dr. Simon Mabon discusses what caused the uprising...
Bigotry for Profit and “Fun:” Traversing the Wasteland of U.S. Election News
By Anthony DiMaggio
By now, many Americans are familiar with CBS President Les Moonves’ infamous comment that journalists’ sensationalistic fixation on the Donald Trump “circus”...
The Frighteningly High Human and Financial Costs of War
By Rami G Khouri
The ravages and costs of war can persist for generations after the fighting and bombing stop.
We have always known that war...
American Millennials and the World
By A. Trevor Thrall and Erik Goepner
The 9/11 attacks have been the defining event of the American millennial generation. The article discusses how American...
America at War with Itself
By Henry A. Giroux
As the United States has moved from a welfare to a warfare state, it has militarised every aspect of society. This...
How the Brexit Referendum was Trumped: Personality, Protest and Patriotism
By Glyn Atwal and Douglas Bryson
In this article, the authors contend the electioneering style of what they label “Trumpism” was distinctly manifested and a...
Will Africa Feed China? “Begging with a Golden Bowl” Food Security and Commercial...
By Deborah Brautigam
In this excerpt from her book, ‘Will Africa Feed China?’, the author discusses China-Cameroon agricultural development and investment.
On November 17, 2005, Yang...
Donald Trump is the Presidential Candidate the Republican Party Deserves
By Lawrence Ware
Republicans have had no problem using bigotry, often in subtle ways, to win elections. White supremacy is a well-established part of Republican...
The New Tyranny: A Preface to the 2016 Elections in the United States
By Timothy K. Kuhner
Democracy in the United States has been replaced by a rival form of government premised upon the power of wealth. Not...
“Without Haste But Without Pause”: Cuba-US Relations in the Age of Obama
By John M. Kirk and Stephen Kimber
This article analyses the significance of the March 2016 visit to Cuba by President Barack Obama, assesses changes...
Duterte’s Global Impact
From the Editors
On 1st July 2016, Rodrigo Duterte will begin his term as the President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Mr Duterte has formidable...
America’s Iran Policy and the Undermining of International Order
By Flynt Leverett & Hillary Mann Leverett
Strategic competition between America and Iran will shape not only the Middle East’s balance of power, but also...
The Year of Iran: Tehran’s Challenge to American Hegemony in 2014
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
In 1979, Iran shocked the world—and directly confronted America’s hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East—by charting its own...
Can the West Get Out of Its (Self-Made) Cul-de-Sac?
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
In recent years, the limits on America’s ability to shape important outcomes in the Middle East unilaterally—or even...
America’s Never-Ending War in the Middle East
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
While President Obama continues – at least for now – to resist redeploying large numbers of U.S. soldiers...
China Looks West: What Is at Stake in Beijing’s “New Silk Road” Project
Flynt Leverett, Hillary Mann Leverett and Wu Bingbing
Not even two years into what will almost certainly be a ten-year tenure as China’s president, Xi...
Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Offensive, Iran’s “Proxy” Strategy, and the Middle East’s New “Cold War”
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
Riyadh’s war in Yemen marks a dramatic escalation in its efforts to roll back Iran’s rising influence in the Middle...
Failed Statebuilding versus Peace Formation: The Consequences and Implications over the Last 25 Years
By Oliver P. Richmond
Recent years have seen an abundance of foreign intervention to achieve peace and statebuilding. Below, Oliver Richmond discusses how statebuilding...
The Delusions of Counterinsurgency
By David Martin Jones and Michael L.R. Smith
The theory and practice of counterinsurgency, ‘COIN’, preoccupied Western military thinking after 9/11. In the Political Impossibility...
The Problems of Unfree Trade: Various Implications of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
By Binoy Kampmark
How free is the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Covering a region spanning 40 percent of the world’s GDP and 12 signatory states, an argument...
Durability before Democracy: Why Stability is Elusive in the Middle East
By Sean Yom
In this article Sean Yom discusses how the lack of permanence of Middle Eastern governments means that democracy is for the time...
Failed Statebuilding versus Peace Formation: The Consequences and Implications over the Last 25 Years
By Oliver P. Richmond
Recent years have seen an abundance of foreign intervention to achieve peace and statebuilding. Below, Oliver Richmond discusses how statebuilding...
How to Defeat Western Neo-Colonialism
By Andre Vltchek
The West managed to build its wealth, including the social nets, on plunder, deception, slavery and countless holocausts on all continents of...
Learning to Live in the World Instead of Ruling It
By John Grant
So how should Americans live in this new world? That’s the crossroads we’re at, the question at hand. Some advocate a very...
APEC 2015: Change is in the Air
By Dan Steinbock
Despite diplomatic missteps, APEC 2015 could pave way to regional peace and development. The triangular perspectives of Washington, Beijing and Manila tell...
The China Model: A Civilizational-State Perspective
By Zhang Weiwei
China’s dramatic rise should be understood in the context of China as a civilizational state, i.e. an amalgam of the world’s oldest...
