It often puzzles me what transpires during high-level visits by world leaders. The substantive content of such events laced with pomp and glory impacting inter-state relations is generally handled by sherpas, quietly and unobtrusively. (Of course, there are sherpas and sherpas — some low-flying, a few high-flying.) Is it tourism […]
Tag: Corona Virus
Pandemics And The Ordinary Business Of War
The twaddle of framing the confrontation of the coronavirus as a “war” has proven to be a cheapening, misguided exercise. France’s president Emmanuel Macron has deemed COVID-19 the “invisible, elusive enemy”, making it sound like an adept guerrilla specialising in sneak attacks. China’s Xi Jinping has gone for the language […]
Post Pandemic Space For BRI
The Pandemic has hit the whole world; almost 203 countries, regions, and territories have reported the confirmed cases of Coronavirus infected. The hard-hit countries include the USA, Spain, Italy, France, China, Iran, and the UK. The industry has been closed on most of the countries, and trade has been halted […]
Coronavirus Socialism For The Wealthy
When capitalism screeches to a halt and starts its old business of killing off the adventurous but weakened, the enterprising but foolish, those who initially benefited, shed tears. Losses mount, accountants tally up current and future losses. Huge profits somehow do not matter now, as the diminishing balances bite and […]
Panic And Political Absurdity In The Face Of The Pandemic
In history, the great epidemics that wiped out national economies were almost all followed by numerous overthrows of the executives. The one at Covid-19 should be no exception to this rule, no matter how many deaths it may cause. That is why political leaders around the world are making decisions […]
Trump’s Iran Sanctions Policy On The Turn
The past week witnessed a sudden spurt of tensions in the US-Iran standoff. There was intense speculation that to divert public attention in America from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump might order a military attack on Iran. Trump himself fuelled the speculation with the sudden outburst in a […]
University Bailouts, Funding And Coronavirus
In a set of stable circumstances, funding higher education should be a matter of automatic persuasion. If you want an educated populace, the tax payer should muck in. In some countries, however, this venture is uneven. In the United Kingdom, the system remains divided, an echo of class stratification. In […]
Boastful Pay Cuts: The Coronavirus Incentive
It has become a source of pride. Highly salaried executives – often, it should be said, receiving pay very much disconnected from the value of their work – making voluntary pay cuts and telling everybody else about it. In sport, celebrated figures such as Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo have […]
Russia’s Counter-COVID Aid To America Advances The Case For A New Detente
Russia’s urgent dispatch of counter-COVID aid to America was both symbolic and substantial in the sense that it improved the country’s reputation among average Americans which in turn advances Trump’s years-long case for a “New Detente” between these two Great Powers. From Russia With Love Observers could be forgiven for […]
Coronavirus And Trump’s Sanctions Regime
The global effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic has been one of stutters and staggers. There are go-it-alone instances of severity, and cases of blasé indifference. State ministers and leaders have not escaped the chance to demonise and point accusing fingers. Each crisis will garner its share of demagogues. In […]
Trump Tiptoeing Toward Energy Market Management
On Monday, the US President Donald Trump literally bit the bullet by telephoning Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the state of the energy markets, which are at a crisis point not seen in history. As of last weekend, global oil prices collapsed by over 50 percent and are the […]
The Swedish Alternative: Coronavirus as a Grand Gamble
As draconian lockdowns, punitive regimes and surveillance become the norm of the coronavirus world, Sweden has treaded more softly in the field. This is certainly in contrast to its Scandinavian cousins, Denmark and Norway. The rudiments of a life uninterrupted generally remain in place. Cafes, restaurants and shops, for the […]
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