Showing 1 - 10 of 19
Socialism's novel brand of nomenclature
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 18/11/2025
» On Nov 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall collapsed. On a very ordinary night, thousands of East Germans started crossing the dividing barrier between the communist East and capitalist West Berlin after the East German regime had suddenly opened tightly controlled border crossings. In a matter of hours, history was made. Throngs of people soon swamped the Wall and then started smashing the hated communist barrier into concrete rubble.
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".
Forgetting what democracy is for and all about
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 10/07/2025
» On June 2, I got a sense of history coming full circle in the Polish town of Sopot, on the Baltic Sea just a few kilometres from the Gdańsk Shipyard. Sharing a stage at the Plenary Session of the European Financial Congress with Lech Wałęsa, the legendary trade unionist who led the 1980 Solidarity strike at the Lenin Shipyard and later became Poland's first post-communist president, I felt I was witnessing the end of an era.
Autocrat impunity fuels violence
Oped, Maciej Kisilowski, Published on 24/07/2024
» The shooting of former US President Donald Trump was the second assassination attempt on a populist political leader this year. Just two months ago, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured after being shot four times at close range, highlighting the danger posed by the resurgence of political violence around the world.
Thais must join Global Peace Summit
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/06/2024
» This weekend, Thailand will join 100-plus countries at the Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland for the upcoming Global Peace Summit. Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have confirmed their participation. East Timor, which is expected to become a full Asean member in the future, is also participating.
A small Slovak assassination bid; few hurt
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 21/05/2024
» Madeleine Albright, the former US Secretary of State, once called Slovakia "the black hole at the heart of Europe", which seems a harsh judgement on five million Slovaks. The assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico was alarming, but we can narrow the problem down to a more specific group of people.
Reunion tour
Oped, Postbag, Published on 18/04/2024
» Re: "Ex-PM keen for sister to come back", (BP, April 15).
Asian century's geopolitics mapped
Oped, Prabhakar Singh, Published on 13/12/2023
» What is the relationship between maps and peace among nations? Maps depicting state territories, often attached to a peace treaty, were historically inked on paper. Two things call for attention here: first, a treaty by definition must have at least two parties and, consequently, a harmonious interpretation of treaty and its annexed maps is an exercise in treaty interpretation. International law, not power, must dictate map readings in international law.
The seeds of soft power
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/10/2023
» 'Soft power" is becoming a new catchphrase in Thai society. Once seen as political jargon describing a nation's diplomatic prowess at winning friends and influencing others rather than relying on coercion, this new sound bite is being used to describe cultural and creative commodities such as movies, literature, art, traditional Thai sports and food, to name just a few.
Graft central
Oped, Postbag, Published on 11/10/2023
» Re: "Chada says crackdown gathers pace", (BP, Oct 10).