Showing 1 - 10 of 1,910
Chokepoints expose fragility of our global order
Oped, Todd G Buchholz, Published on 22/04/2026
» Most schoolchildren learn that the Earth is roughly 40,000km around. They do not learn that the global economy depends on just 160 of those kilometres.
Is the Iran war America's Suez or its Gallipoli?
Oped, Yanis Varoufakis, Published on 21/04/2026
» When Egypt closed the Suez Canal for five months in 1956, it triggered events that shrunk the global standing of Britain's pound sterling, inaugurated the petrodollar age, and demonstrated how a small country can inflict serious damage upon the economic power that had subjugated it decades earlier.
Border dispute needs steady dialogue
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/04/2026
» Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet's recent comment prioritising bilateral negotiations is welcome news. However, it is not a breakthrough. Rather, it is a return to what should have been the modus operandi from the beginning.
Crypto push undermines US power
Oped, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 20/04/2026
» The Ouroboros, the ancient image of a serpent devouring its own tail, has long symbolised self-defeating strategies. It is thus an apt metaphor for US President Donald Trump's current policies. His reckless and illegal war against Iran is the clearest example, but his administration's enthusiastic embrace of crypto currencies represents a subtler, slower-burning expression of the same self-destructive tendency.
The war and its likely consequences
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/04/2026
» As the joint attack between the United States and Israel against Iran that resulted in a wider regional conflict in the Middle East approaches its two-month mark, the directions of the war remain precarious while some of the longer-lasting consequences appear evident. Unsurprisingly, the war has been detrimental and damaging for all states and societies concerned, not just within the affected region but the wider world. Already we can start counting some of the long-term costs.
Myanmar looks east again in search of legitimacy
Oped, Larry Jagan, Published on 17/04/2026
» Myanmar understands it needs to reach out to the world if it is to end its isolation and roll back the sanctions much of the West has levied against it. To this end, the men in green, now in civilian clothes, are seeking the support of traditional allies -- China and Asean, especially Thailand -- as well as Bangladesh and Pakistan, in an effort to reset foreign policy and regain international acceptance.
Hail the blasphemer
Oped, Postbag, Published on 17/04/2026
» Re: "Trump 'not a big fan' of Leo", (World, April 14). Between the leader of the spiritual world and that man portraying himself as world leader, Pope Leo commands the global Catholic population of 1.4 billion, representing 17% of the world's population, which is by far higher than the population of that man's country of 350 million people.
Pope no pushover
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/04/2026
» Re: "Trump 'not a big fan' of Leo", (World, April 14)
Oil shock risks wider chain reaction
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 16/04/2026
» There is no such thing as a free lunch. When global oil prices rise sharply, as they are doing now, someone must bear the cost. Some countries choose to absorb it through government support, as in Japan, while others pass the burden on to consumers, as in Thailand. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong; each carries different economic consequences. Policymakers must decide which set of outcomes is more acceptable and act accordingly.
Orban's fall seen as a populist turning point
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 16/04/2026
» Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sent a message congratulating Hungary's newly elected prime minister, Peter Magyar, for having evicted long-serving populist leader Viktor Orban (aka "The Viktator") from power. All the usual welcoming words, but Mr Tusk's message ended with two slightly mysterious words in Hungarian: "Ruszkik haza" -- Russians go home.