( Otherwords.org ) – The defeat of Donald Trump in 2020 was supposed to put an end to America’s delusional national politics. The quashing of the January 6 insurrection — and the brief, near-unanimous revulsion among members of Trump’s party for that violence — provided some hope that the fever dream had passed. But the […]
One year after the January 6 insurrection, is the United States on the Verge of Break-up?
When does a country stop being a country? ( Foreign Policy in Focus) – This critical moment takes place before a civil war breaks out or an official ceremony of dissolution is held. At some point, the citizens of the country stop thinking of themselves as members of a common association. At some point, the […]
The Donald Also Rises? The Far Right Continues to Build Its International
( Tomdispatch.com) – What alt-right guru Steve Bannon failed to create, German taxpayers have just stepped in to revive: a Nationalist International. Thanks to the German government, the far right is about to get its own well-heeled global think tank, complete with the sort of political academy that was so dear to Bannon’s plan for […]
Despite 5.1 bn Tons of deadly annual CO2 Emissions, 39% of Americans Think US is Doing a Good Job on Climate
( Foreign Policy in Focus) – We all think that climate change is somebody else’s problem. We have to be persuaded otherwise. There is an astonishing statistic in a Pew research study released in 2020 on perceptions of how different countries handled COVID-19. Only 15 percent of people in a dozen countries around the world […]
Is America’s Political Dysfunction harming Democracy around the World?
Congressional paralysis, voter suppression, and widespread political polarization all suggest that American democracy is far from exemplary.
Not all Wars are Planned: China and the U.S. need to Stop Playing Chicken in the Taiwan Strait
( Foreign Policy in Focus) – When he was running for office in 2008, Barack Obama wanted to put an end to the war in Iraq in order to focus U.S. troops and resources on the conflict in Afghanistan. This August, the Biden administration finally withdrew the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan. It’s hard not […]
Make them Pay Up: Pandora Leaks show that the Super-Rich rob Public of $200 bn a year in lost Tax Revenues
( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The rich have always flaunted their wealth. It was rarely good enough to enjoy financial success, you had to be conspicuous about it. They build enormous homes for everyone to gawk at. They throw lavish parties. They commission paintings, statues, biographies. They endow institutions so that their names […]
The military stood up to Donald Trump. Who will now stand up to the military?
( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – When he was trying to win the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon famously told his chief of staff that he wanted Communist leaders—in the Soviet Union, in North Vietnam—to think that the U.S. president was a mad man, that he was capable of doing pretty much anything up to […]
The Trump Albatross around Joe Biden’s Neck
( Foreign Policy in Focus) – The far right would like to impeach Joe Biden, kick him out of the White House, perhaps even throw him in jail. “Lock him up” has been a predictable chant at Trump rallies going back to before the 2020 election. Even Republicans in Congress have joined this chorus. Bipartisanship? […]