The End of Europe’s Chinese Dream
BERLIN – A paradigm shift is taking place in relations between the European Union and China. The COVID-19 crisis has triggered a new debate within Europe about the need for greater supply-chain…
International
Journeying Through the Inner Life of a Music Teacher: A Eulogy for My Mother
My mother Hermine passed away in a London hospital on 20th April 2020. She was nearly 83, but I thought she had a few more years ahead of her. I want to…
Terrorism in Aotearoa
Do you love New Zealand, asked the extremely inebriated young white man and his companion as they suddenly blocked my path at the Octagon, a few weeks after I arrived in Dunedin….
New Zealand’s Loss of Innocence
WELLINGTON – After the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Le Monde famously proclaimed that “Today, we are all Americans.” In the wake of the horrors in Christchurch, New Zealand, we must…
US-Saudi Relations: A Diabolical Rendezvous
By turning a blind eye to the brutal murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in the name of making ‘America Great Again’, President Donald Trump has sacrificed justice for power and profit;…
The Disruptive Power of Ethnic Nationalism
TEL AVIV – This summer, Israel passed a controversial new “nation-state law” that asserted that “the right [to exercise] national self-determination” is “unique to the Jewish people” and established Hebrew as Israel’s…
The New Disappeared
NEW YORK – From the military juntas that ruled Argentina and Chile in the 1970s and 1980s to Joseph Stalin’s iron-fisted regime in the Soviet Union, dictatorships have a long history of…
Present at the Destruction
NEW YORK – At the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly this month, there was a widespread sense of foreboding among world leaders. The anxiety went beyond standard concerns about…
Asma: One Strong Story – Well Said
Many knew Asma Jahangir for her brilliance, and for the celebration of diversity that she always was. She was a beacon of hope as a dogged defender of human rights and a…
Hidden Costs: The Impact of Foreign Debt on Sri Lankan Citizens
It is estimated that Sri Lanka’s debt servicing cost will be USD 4.2 billion next year. From 2000 to 2009, Sri Lanka’s foreign debt doubled, from USD 9 billion in 2000 to…
Kofi Annan’s Achievement
CANBERRA – Kofi Annan deserves to be remembered as a near-exemplary United Nations secretary-general (SG). Great chief executives need a guiding vision for the exercise of authority, and all the more so…
Making Journalism Great Again
OXFORD – In the debate over the future of journalism, “fake news” has taken center stage, with storylines featuring a ranting American president, Russian communication “bots,” and betrayal and subterfuge competing for…
Demand for justice for murdered blogger continues
The start of August saw silent vigils in Male – the capital of the Maldives – to mark the 100th day since the death of liberal blogger Yameen Rasheed, who was assassinated…
Getting over the authoritarian past – an experience of the Catalan Referendum
Background of the Catalan Referendum On 28th June 2010, the Supreme Court of Spain rejected the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, modified and approved by both the Catalan and Spanish parliaments in 2006….
Political Chaos in the Maldives – Where it all Began
To the outside world, the Maldives is known as a “Paradise on earth” with its white sandy beaches and crystal clear lagoons. However, its troubled political realm is little recognised. Political tension escalated back…
