Showing 1 - 10 of 2,310
When journalism still exists -- but no longer matters
News, Carla Norrlöf, Published on 14/02/2026
» 'Democracy Dies in Darkness" became the motto of the Washington Post in 2017, four years after Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and one of the world's richest men, purchased the newspaper. Today, however, Mr Bezos, who has throttled the Post's opinion page and now slashed the newspaper's staff, seems determined to demonstrate that a free press, an essential component of democracy, can be killed off in broad daylight.
China military purge exposes Xi's unease
News, John J Metzler, Published on 14/02/2026
» Strange and mysterious events are transpiring inside the walls of Beijing's Forbidden City. In the massive nearby government compound Zhongnanhai there's a clear unease as Communist Party Chief and military supremo Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has shuffled the political cards in the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), by purging his two top generals.
Time to guard schools
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/02/2026
» The school shooting in Songkhla on Wednesday is a stark reminder that schools -- which should be the safest of places -- remain vulnerable to gun attacks.
How world's super-rich are rewriting the rules
Oped, Joseph E Stiglitz & Jayati Ghosh, Published on 13/02/2026
» Ongoing efforts to derail multilateral tax cooperation lie at the heart of a global programme to replace democratic governance with coercive rule by the extremely wealthy -- or what we call 21st-century Caesarism. Any strategy to counter this programme, therefore, must recognise that taxing extreme wealth is essential to saving democracy.
Emerging markets stand strong
Oped, Kristalina Georgieva and Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Published on 12/02/2026
» It used to be that when advanced economies sneezed, emerging markets caught a cold. That is no longer true. Following recent global shocks, such as the post-pandemic inflation surge and a new wave of tariffs, emerging markets have held up well. Inflation has continued to slow, currencies have generally retained their value, and debt issuance costs have remained at manageable levels. There has been no sign of the kind of financial turbulence that came with past economic shocks.
Ground game
Oped, Postbag, Published on 12/02/2026
» Re: "BJT win bodes well for conservatives", (BP, Feb 11). Given the tallies of the nationwide party list vote, I don't understand the justification for the following assertions: "BJT's landslide victory reflects a surge of nationalist sentiment" (5.9M votes); the PP suffered from "lingering voter scepticism" and "eroded public confidence" (9.8M votes).
Reinvent Thailand to revive growth
Oped, Boonwara Sumano, Published on 11/02/2026
» In the 1990s, Thailand ranked second in Asean for state performance, behind only Singapore. Today, we trail several neighbours. This decline has unfolded gradually over three decades -- through repeated economic crises, institutional stagnation, and reforms that never quite went far enough. What is different today is that the cost of inaction has become far more dangerous.
The case of the disappearing senior generals
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 10/02/2026
» Armies can be used against both against foreigners abroad and against citizens at home, but the two roles require quite different equipment and tactics. The same applies to their commanders: you need a different kind of general if you think that the primary task of their troops will be controlling dissent at home.
Rethinking global health finance
Oped, Walter O Ochieng & Tom Achoki, Published on 06/02/2026
» For the past half-century, the economics of global health were straightforward. Under the so-called "grant-based" approach, rich countries donate to poor countries, which use the funds to meet their populations' health needs. Success was measured by services provided or lives saved, rather than by balance sheets. While this model was far from perfect, the latest approach replacing it -- focused on using tools like guarantees and blended finance to crowd in private capital -- threatens to produce even worse outcomes.
In an uncertain world, gold is a comfort
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 05/02/2026
» With Thai citizens heading to the polls this Sunday to decide which party will form the next government, I have decided to postpone my article on the economic crisis for another two weeks.