Many Americans (and perhaps even more citizens of other countries) find themselves yearning for November 7th, 2028, the scheduled date of the next presidential election. That’s the day the Trump era effectively ends (the definitive date would be January 20th, 2027 – inauguration day for whomever the next president will be). Probably. That’s the day the Democrats will atone for Kamala Harris’s electoral 2024 failure. Possibly. That’s the day US democracy returns to greater pre

The contours of Donald Trump’s second term are now starkly clear. We are indeed seeing Trump Unleashed, but not for the democracy-threatening, dictatorial reasons Kamala Harris and the Democrats were trying to warn the American electorate about in last year’s presidential contest. Trump is moving fast, breaking things if he has to and making aggressive moves because he is trying to outrun the constitutional clock. Under the provisions of the 22 nd  Amendment he cannot run aga

History shows that small, seemingly inconsequential events are full of portent. The docking of Chinese cargo ship Istanbul Bridge  at the Felixstowe in the U.K. on October 13, 2025, might have appeared unremarkable. Britain is, after all, China’s third-largest export market, and vessels travel between the two countries all year round. What stood out about the Bridge  was the route it had taken—it was the first major Chinese cargo ship to travel directly to Europe via the Arct

Richard Bruce Cheney was arguably the most consequential vice president in American history. He was also one of the most successful defense secretaries, a respected congressional leader, a congressman for twelve years, the youngest-ever White House chief of staff, a corporate leader and a champion of conservative principles. In the wake of 9/11, when many feared and no one knew what might befall the U.S., he helped lead a shell-shocked nation through those dark days, harden t

Diplomacy, when stripped of ceremony and handshakes, is really all about leverage. And this last week in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Busan, Donald Trump appears to have rediscovered the old craft of using pressure to invite cooperation. The U.S. President, now again playing the roles of negotiator/dealmaker-in-chief, began his week-long diplomacy tour with ASEAN, then APEC nations amid high expectations — and low trust. As is their wont, Trump’s advisers are eager to claim victor

A defeated Democratic incumbent. A charismatic Republican outsider. An election roiled by economic turmoil and violence somewhere in the...

There has never been any doubt that Donald Trump is a thundering paradox of a man whose mercurial nature and often contradictory policies...

On June 12th Israel unleashed a series of meticulously-planned strikes that damaged Iranian nuclear facilities and missile sites,...

“I’m supposed to be dead,” Donald Trump said, the day after a would-be assassin's bullet clipped his right ear at his 2024 rally in...

For decades before and after the Cold War a collective defense pact in Asia between the U.S. was neither possible or necessary. Yet,...

To a company like Nvidia with a nearly $3 trillion valuation, even an unexpected cost of a few billion dollars might be somewhat small in...

Too many current governments have subscribed to the belief that we have slipped into a multipolar world where the old order no longer...

The news cycle can’t catch a break these days. The New Normal is that Donald Trump has put us all into a constant 24/7 treadmill fuelled...

A popular song (2 million plus views as of this writing on YouTube) is a clever take on the classic “I Will Survive” by American Gloria...

One of the most persistent arguments put forward by politicians, diplomats, and observers of international politics is that the world is...

For once, one could not accuse Donald Trump of exaggeration. The arrival of budget Chinese chatbot DeepSeek to rival ChatGPT is nothing...

Voters like to complain that politicians either forget their promises upon election or water them down due “to unforeseen circumstances”...

The incoming US president Donald Trump generates torrents of diplomatic angst with seemingly outlandish statements about Canada becoming...

What will Trump 2.0 look like? From Brussels to Beijing, Moscow and Singapore, the whole political world seems trapped in amber and...

"The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer...