Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Trump's 'America First' in overdrive
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/01/2026
» President Donald Trump's extraterritorial capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on cocaine-trafficking and terrorism-related charges earlier this month and repeated demand to take over Greenland at the World Economic Forum this week are part and parcel of a belligerent and transformative "America First" paradigm that dates back at least four decades.
World 'moving towards selective authoritarianism'
News, Post Reporters, Published on 06/01/2026
» An academic is saying the crisis in Venezuela reflects a shift towards "selective authoritarianism", noting Washington's arrest of President Nicolas Maduro is a sign of an emerging new world order that is increasingly shaped by raw power, rather than shared principles.
Why does Biden want to buy Venezuelan oil again?
News, John J Metzler, Published on 13/12/2022
» The fix is in. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the Biden administration announced it was quietly reversing policy and allowing limited petroleum imports from Venezuela. The Treasury Department lifted restrictions permitting a six-month deal to ease sanctions so that Chevron petroleum may buy and then ship Venezuelan crude oil to American refineries.
Russia is back and it's a little bit better
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/07/2021
» Make no mistake, Russia is back in Southeast Asia, the region where its former empire reigned during the Cold War. This time, Russia is more sophisticated and more assertive, as another global power that can shift and change the present strategic environment in the most visible way. Today Russia is determined to break US-led sanctions and further integrate its economy with the region's economic dynamics.
The 7-decade battle for universal human rights
News, Robert Destro, Published on 10/12/2019
» In today's splintered world, it is tempting to assume that there is absolutely nothing upon which all nations can agree and all cultures can embrace as an integral part of their communities. But International Human Rights Day, celebrated on Dec 10, reminds us that it wasn't so long ago that the world came together to do exactly that. On Dec 10, 1948, the United Nations unanimously adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a set of rights to which all individuals are entitled. Rights such as being free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Rights like freedom of religion or belief. The freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. The right to form and join trade unions. Under the UDHR, every human being in the world can claim these as their own birthright, no matter their citizenship or allegiance.
Harsh US economic blockades risk provoking war
News, Jeffrey D Sachs, Published on 03/07/2019
» US President Donald Trump has based his foreign policy on a series of harsh economic blockades, each designed to frighten, coerce, and even starve the target country into submitting to American demands. While the practice is less violent than a military attack, and the blockade is through financial means rather than the navy, the consequences are often dire for civilian populations. As such, economic blockades by the United States should be scrutinised by the United Nations Security Council under international law and the UN Charter.
Politicians to blame
News, Published on 09/03/2019
» Re: "TRC dissolution turns up political heat", (Opinion, March 8).
Venezuela needs a better endgame for Maduro
News, Mac Margolis, Published on 07/03/2019
» Spare a thought for the fate of Nicolas Maduro, the besieged Venezuelan president who presides over a cratering economy, a self-made humanitarian disaster and a hemisphere that's turned its back on him. His foreign minister stepped up to plead Venezuela's case at the United Nations last week and emptied the room. So where does the failing Bolivarian autocrat go from here?
South America is a battlefield in the new Cold War
News, Hal Brands, Published on 12/02/2019
» The political crisis in Venezuela has pitted the US against a dictator who refuses to leave office. But the crisis has a broader significance: It shows that Latin America has again become an arena in which rival great powers struggle for influence and advantage. As the US faces surging geopolitical rivalry around the world, its position is also coming under pressure in its own backyard.
Rights are sadly lost
News, Postbag, Published on 18/10/2018
» Re: "UN tramples its own ideals", (Editorial, Oct 15)