Showing 1 - 10 of 1,211
When will the IMF ever learn?
Oped, Timothy Kaldas, Published on 16/04/2026
» This year's International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings come at a time of heightened economic uncertainty and intense scrutiny of the institution's capabilities and approach. Critics on the left argue that the IMF imposes regressive austerity measures on borrowers, exacerbating poverty, hampering economic growth, and undermining their ability to achieve debt sustainability. On the right, US President Donald Trump's administration has accused the IMF of "mission creep," claiming that it has strayed from its core mandate of maintaining macroeconomic stability.
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.
Rethink handouts
Oped, Postbag, Published on 10/04/2026
» Re: "Co-pay scheme misses mark", (Editorial, April 5).
It's a revenue grab
Oped, Postbag, Published on 09/04/2026
» Re: "Thailand plans mandatory accident insurance for foreign visitors", (Business, April 8).
The day the US became Britain at Suez
Oped, Philip J Cunningham, Published on 09/04/2026
» The world's focus is on the US-induced debacle in the Strait of Hormuz, but it's another narrow strait that sums up the current state of US power in the world: Suez.
Asean banks face climate pressure
Oped, Rachel Ho, Published on 08/04/2026
» The global oil and gas crisis is worsening. Amid the Middle East war, the central banks of countries in Southeast Asia must address a perfect storm of rising fuel prices, cost-of-living pressures, and worsening impacts of climate disasters.
Can alliances with the US be replaced?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 07/04/2026
» The increasingly loud debate over the future of alliances -- after reports that the US could scale back or even withdraw from Nato -- is nerve-racking. It has caused alarm across Europe and in Southeast Asia, another node of the US alliance network. Even without any official decision, remarks by US President Donald Trump on social media were enough to shake already fragile US alliances. The question now frequently asked by Thai policymakers is: What comes next if alliances weaken?
The fatal flaw of AI-driven business models
Oped, Joachim Klement, Published on 02/04/2026
» Hundreds of billions of dollars are riding on the assumption that artificial intelligence will be reliable enough for high-stakes work. New research suggests it may never be. The AI tools that power ChatGPT and its rivals -- known as large language models, or LLMs -- are a genuine productivity-enhancing innovation. But they have serious shortcomings, most notably, their tendency to hallucinate, or make things up.
Fuel reform now
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/04/2026
» Re: "PM apology a good start," (Editorial, March 30).