The value of political compromise has always occupied my thinking. My thoughts are haunted by how political compromise becomes an act of political maturity and moral…
Europe
Europe
Happy New Year Ms Merkel, Happy New Year Mr Macron – the time has come to reform the EU
January 2021The geopolitical grouping known as the “frugal four” – Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands – has emerged as a key power centre in last year’s…
In less than three weeks Donald Trump should leave the White House. It’s still hard to tell whether Donald Trump will attempt another coup or throwing…
Coronavirus• General
Happy New Year – The Resolution is Climate Change and beating Covid-19
January 2021Last years US election is over. And the big winners were the coronavirus and, quite possibly, catastrophic climate change. OK, democracy also finally one, at least…
After years of passively watching nationalist governments in Hungary, Romania and Poland undermine democratic rule, the European Union finally drew the line this year and declared…
In my opinion it is hard to find two as unlikely bedfellows as the US’s Joe Biden and the UK’s Boris Johnson, but the two leaders…
There has been a stark shift in global economic thinking on austerity. That was strikingly evident at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank…
Brexit
Boris Johnson has taken the wrong economic lesson from the crisis – now Britain is facing an economic abyss – from the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit
November 2020Boris Johnson attempted to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic at the Conservative party conference last month by warning against drawing “the wrong economic conclusion from this…
Middle East
Dear Lebanon – you cannot resolve your massive problems with the same group of people who created them!
November 2020There was a time, not long ago, when Lebanese looked down their noses, or at the least pitied, those wretched refugees from neighbouring Syria who boarded…
China• Europe• Russia• US
All over the World, from the US to Europe to Russia to China the Vaccine Race is on – but a Vaccine will not fix our problem so fast…
November 2020The United States may be within months of a profound turning point in the country’s fight against the coronavirus: the first working vaccine. Demonstrating in less…