The collapse of the “Chinese collapse” theory
In Japan, they call it “the collapse of the ‘Chinese collapse’ theory.” The line, which harks back to more than a decade of dire predictions about China, is a joking way to describe the state of the Middle Kingdom’s economy. Far from falling in debt-laden heap, the economy is looking robust in the m…
How EU milk is sinking Africa’s farmers
European milk is pouring into Africa, with disastrous effects for local herders and farmers. Multibillion-euro dairy multinationals are exploiting rock-bottom European milk prices to expand aggressively into West Africa. Over five years, they have nearly tripled their exports to the region, shipping…
U.S. politicians get China in Africa all wrong
In Washington, Republicans and Democrats generally look at China as a new imperial power in Africa: bad news for Africans. Just before his visit to Africa last month, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson accused China of using “predatory loan practices,” undermining growth and creating “few if an…
China: A ‘Strategic’ Threat?
When one reads the Pentagon’s recently released “National Defense Strategy,” one wonders not “What were they thinking?” but “What were they drinking?” The document views China as not merely seeking to increase its influence in its own neighborhood but also to supplant the U.S. as the global power wh…
How Trump Schooled Xi In ‘Art Of The (Trade) Deal’
If you really want to understand President Trump’s trade policies, don’t read an economic text. Instead, you should read his 2004 bestseller, “The Art of the Deal.” Trump’s trade-negotiating tactics are straight from his book. Many people on both sides of the political spectrum have expressed …
Facebook and the Future of Online Privacy
Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, recently noted that the public scrutiny of Facebook is “very much overdue,” declaring that “it’s shocking to me that they didn’t have to answer more of these questions earlier on.” Leaders in the information technology sector, especially in Europe, have been w…
Macron offers to mediate talks between Syrian Kurds and Turkey
France has offered to mediate between Turkey and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, and assured the SDF of Paris’s support in stabilising northern Syria, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Thursday. Speaking after Macron met a delegation from northern Syria that included the Kur…
How to rig an election
Andrés Sepúlveda sleeps behind bombproof doors in a maximum-security prison in central Bogota, Colombia. When travelling to judicial hearings or to meet prosecutors, he is accompanied by a caravan of armed guards with serious firepower. As they move at high speed through the capital, the motorcade u…
John Bolton: Don’t Mention the Norms
John Bolton’s ascension to the post of US National Security Advisor feels all too inevitable. All soap operas need to refresh their cast now and again. Sometimes, it helps to bring in a well-established star to create a buzz and boost ratings. President Donald Trump was never likely to get through h…
Why is so much of the world’s coral dying?
Roughly a fifth of all coral in the world has died in the past three years. Some experts believe that there is now just half the amount of coral that was in the oceans 40 years ago. The northern third of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has lost more than a third of its coral since 2015. Coral is neit…