Showing 51 - 60 of 532
Technology and the global struggle for democracy
Oped, Published on 13/01/2022
» The commemoration of the first anniversary of the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump showed that the extreme political polarisation that fuelled the riot also frames Americans' interpretations of it. It would, however, be gravely mistaken to view what happened as a uniquely American phenomenon with uniquely American causes. The disruption of the peaceful transfer of power that day was part of something much bigger.
Why do we even count down to the New Year?
Oped, Published on 29/12/2021
» Few people counted down to anything until the 1960s -- and yes, that included the new year. Celebrations and midnight kisses on Dec 31, of course. Countdowns, no. How, then, did the countdown go from almost non-existent to ubiquitous in the latter half of the 20th century? And why are we so drawn to them now, especially to mark one year's end and another's beginning?
Time to bury the laissez-faire zombie for good
Oped, Published on 22/12/2021
» 'The return of the state" is a phrase seemingly on almost everyone's lips nowadays. Given the global challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, the argument goes that it is governments, not markets, that should be responsible for allocating resources. New Deal-style state intervention is back.
The misguided US 'democracy summit'
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 10/12/2021
» The United States government under President Joe Biden is putting up the right fight in a counterproductive way in its online organisation of a "summit for democracy" this week. Much touted since he won the election in November last year, President Biden's summit of democracies has proved controversial, with both good intentions and unintended consequences. The real battleground, as clichés about the benefits and drawbacks of democracy go, is to make the case that popular rule where citizens should have rights and freedoms for their own collective self-determination is ultimately preferable and superior than all other forms of government.
Twilight for the Kims? Time is not on their side
Oped, Kent Harrington, Published on 20/11/2021
» Nearly three years after his failed bromance with Donald Trump, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is once again angling for US attention. North Korea has tested a new, high-tech missile and hinted that it may agree to restart talks with South Korea, where President Moon Jae-in desperately wants to resuscitate his moribund outreach to the North. But if Mr Kim is expecting a positive reaction from US President Joe Biden, he shouldn't hold his breath. With issues like China and the rebuilding of US alliances topping Mr Biden's agenda, overtures to Mr Kim are unlikely.
A voice, choice for every youth
News, Published on 15/11/2021
» Youth activists took over the United Nations COP26 summit in Scotland to call out world leaders on "blah, blah, blah" over taking action, when nearly half the world's 2.2 billion children are living in countries at high risk from climate shocks.
Will liberal arts perish much like razed Scala?
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/11/2021
» Surrounded by a tall fence, the once-grand Scala, the last stand-alone cinema in Bangkok -- a quasi Cinema Paradiso for movie buffs -- was razed to rubble and thus no more.
Reducing emissions not so easy
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 10/11/2021
» At the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow (COP26), most leaders of rich nations are eagerly promising to decarbonise their economies by mid-century or even sooner. Yet, it is highly questionable if they and their successors will want or be able to keep their promise. Even worse, growth-reducing climate policies won't convince developing countries who need to lift their populations out of poverty and whose emissions matter most this century.
Thailand can't have it both ways abroad
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/11/2021
» Images of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hobnobbing with world leaders like United States President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow sparked mixed feelings at home.
Decarbonisation, the SE Asian way
Oped, Johanna Son, Published on 29/09/2021
» Carbon neutrality is a shared planetary destination, but Southeast Asian countries are laying out their own road maps -- including what some may call detours of sorts -- to getting there in the next three to four decades.