Showing 1 - 10 of 24
How China won innovation in lieu of freedom
Oped, Jennifer Lind, Published on 28/11/2025
» A decade ago, China's government unveiled Made in China 2025 -- a bold vision for transforming the country from the world's assembly line into a global innovation leader. The plan was met with considerable scepticism, particularly in the West, where a robust scholarly consensus held that authoritarianism was fundamentally incompatible with innovation. China was light-years behind the global frontier. Barring drastic political change, many observers concluded, China would remain a "copycat nation".
Is genocide being redefined just to indict Israel?
Oped, Konstanty Gebert, Published on 09/09/2025
» There is a raging global debate about whether Israel's actions in Gaza qualify as genocide. The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines the offence as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such". The convention then enumerates incriminating acts, starting with "killing members of the group".
Will the global economy stall?
News, Eswar Prasad and Caroline Smiltneks, Published on 21/04/2025
» The timing could hardly have been less propitious. Just as the world economy was showing signs of stabilising, the odds of a policy-induced global recession have risen significantly. The latest update to the Brookings-FT Tiger index reveals a mixed picture, with the financial index declining and private-sector confidence crumbling even as macroeconomic data (which lag the other indicators) suggest a more benign scenario.
R&D essential for Thai rice
Oped, Editorial, Published on 06/03/2025
» Handing out financial subsidies has become standard protocol for almost every government responding to rice farmers' calls for help.
Zuckerberg lifts US content guardrails in bias shift
News, Kurt Wagner and Riley Griffin, Published on 09/01/2025
» It was no accident that Meta Platforms Inc chose Donald Trump's favourite TV news show, Fox and Friends, to discuss its decision to ditch outside fact-checking.
Why custard doesn't cut the mustard
Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/10/2024
» Last week I came across an expression I hadn't heard for years, courtesy of the Bangkok Post's cryptic crossword. The clue was "It's sweet (but cowardly)". The answer turned out to be "custard". That took me back to pre-teen days when "cowardy, cowardy custard" (without the 'L') was a taunt heard at my primary school when someone timid was being teased.
Parlour games
Published on 02/09/2024
» Re: "Ex-PM urges BoT to up money supply", (BP, Aug 24) and "BoT says it's ready to collaborate", (Business, Aug 25).
Higher booze prices
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/08/2024
» Re: "Scholar calls for booze law overhaul", & "Moonshine death toll up in capital", (BP, Aug 28).
Remembering a Southeast Asianist
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/07/2024
» It is not often these days to find scholars of Southeast Asia with exceptional breadth and depth, prescience, and commitment who stick to their creed until the end. In the pantheon of such rare scholars, Benedict O'Gorman Anderson, who died in 2015, would have led the way. James C Scott would be right beside him in a distinctly different fashion.
A perfectly British public paradox
Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/07/2024
» Much has been made of the "working class" background of the newly-elected government in the UK and how very few of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet attended posh "public schools". This brings us to one of the paradoxes of British and particularly English culture. The institutions which are called "public schools" in England are anything but public and are actually elite private fee-paying institutions.