As Syrian troops move to another confrontation around the Syrian capital, what will the US president – and the British and French – do if more images of gassed civilians dying in agony appear? Syrian army troop reinforcements are moving up to more front lines in the suburbs of Damascus ... Read More »
Despite fears over Law and Justice, Poland is not sliding into dictatorship
The hardline party’s victory was a result of widespread frustrations. A return to the pre-2015 period would not be desirable Two weeks ago, streets in Warsaw and other Polish cities filled with people wearing black. They were protesting against a law aimed at restricting abortion rights further. The colour symbolised ... Read More »
A second Cold War is upon us: and we only have ourselves to blame
After the glimpse of an end to history, we are back to the droogs and their horrorshow, except they are now in Moscow – and Salisbury There is a story (which I believe to be true) about a wandering West Coast surfer, board bag over his shoulder, who accidentally landed ... Read More »
Berlusconi’s comeback shows that Italy still struggles with its fascist past
The former president is capitalising on a cynicism that has its roots in the country’s sense of postwar shame Many foreign observers are baffled by the return of Silvio Berlusconi to the forefront of Italy’s politics. At the age of 81, and ineligible as a candidate as a result of a court ... Read More »
If Trump has nothing to hide, why is he so soft on Russia?
This is a question the press must keep asking over and over again – until they receive an answer The political world has known the power of repetition since Cato the Elder reputedly ended every speech in the Roman Senate with the words: “Delenda est Carthago” or “Carthage must ... Read More »
How Democracy’s Spread Dashed Dreams of Liberalism
“South Africa’s Zuma is out” was the Washington Post’s headline on Thursday morning. “Will things actually get better?” The question signifies more than journalistic skepticism. It points to a shift in the liberal worldview. Over more than a quarter of a century, that view – triumphant as, in 1991, both ... Read More »
Palestinian 16-year-old Ahed Tamimi is the latest child victim of Israel’s occupation
A little over four years ago, I drove to the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh to spend a day with a 12-year-old girl. Her name was Ahed Tamimi, and I was interviewing her for a magazine article, Children of the Occupation: Growing up in Palestine. We talked about ... Read More »
Trump’s bullying and bluster on Jerusalem is bad news for the UN
US hard-power diplomacy over Israel will end up being an expensive clash if Washington cuts its funding to the UN “Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect,” Donald ... Read More »
Why the world must wake up to China’s threat to freedom in Hong Kong
Twenty years ago, as a fresh graduate, I flew to Hong Kong just a few months after the handover to begin my first job. I spent five very happy years working as a journalist there and never expected that 20 years later I would be refused the right to ... Read More »
Younger farmers and more tractors: Africa needs to scale up, says report
With Africa’s population set to double by 2050, economists say the continent must ditch traditional farming methods in favour of modern technology African farming must modernise and replace its ageing workforce if the continent is going to be able to feed its rising population, a report by ... Read More »