Showing 51 - 60 of 1,455
Inequality spurs democratic backsliding
News, Published on 15/07/2024
» With November's election in the United States fast approaching, Democrats continue to debate whether to campaign on the economy or the future of democracy. In fact, our research at the Chicago Center on Democracy shows that the two issues are closely connected: high levels of income inequality increase the risk of a democracy sliding into autocracy.
First test for new senators
News, Editorial, Published on 15/07/2024
» Some 200 new senators recently endorsed by the Election Commission (EC) have the task of selecting a Senate Speaker, a position crucial for the integrity of the upper house.
Rambling Joe Biden officially a lost cause
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 13/07/2024
» It really doesn't matter whether Joe Biden is in peak condition intellectually during a second term as president. He did some useful things in his first term, but his main job now is to stop Donald Trump from coming back. If he succeeded in doing that and went gaga immediately afterwards, the ship of state would carry on regardless.
Senate poses risk to political reform
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 13/07/2024
» The political dust has settled, as the new Senate was successfully installed this week. Yet, looking at the components of the upper chamber, a new kind of politics still seems like a distant dream.
Flawed Senate poll
News, Editorial, Published on 11/07/2024
» The wait is over. The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced the names of 200 elected senators after deferring from the original schedule on July 3.
Starmer's Labour victory in UK: some lessons for all
News, Published on 11/07/2024
» The Labour Party's sweeping victory in the United Kingdom's general election already holds lessons for centre and centre-left parties elsewhere. But whether it will matter in the long run depends on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ability to address his country's economic woes -- a very tall order.
Iran's theocracy simply cannot go on forever
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 09/07/2024
» 'I have heard that people's zeal and interest is higher than in the first round [of Iran's presidential election]," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iranian TV just before the second round of voting on Sunday. "It is wrong to assume those who abstained in the first round are opposed to Islamic rule."
The UK's most working-class government
Oped, Published on 09/07/2024
» The United Kingdom has a new Labour government whose class composition are radically different from previous ones. According to our analysis of Labour's shadow cabinet, some 46% of Keir Starmer's cabinet members were raised by parents with "working class" occupations. That figure is well above average in terms of the broader working population, and it stands in stark contrast to the 7% who were of working-class origin in the last Conservative cabinet.
We can always live in a dollhouse
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/07/2024
» Thai tourism authorities are always quick to make the most of any new fad, which might explain the appearance of a life-sized Labubu doll on the front page of the Bangkok Post this week. Apparently, the mascot is part of a promotion to attract Chinese tourists. I confess to not knowing anything about the Labubu craze although the Post's doll correspondent informs me the designer doll is a "kind-hearted monster with pointed ears and serrated teeth". Hmmm.
Labour's win gives Britain a chance
News, Published on 06/07/2024
» Ever since Rishi Sunak's rain-sodden announcement to call a general election on July 4, one question has hung over British politics: Will Labour win by a landslide or just a regular majority?