Showing 1 - 10 of 28
Small is beautiful
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/07/2025
» Re: "Empowering middle-income states", (Opinion, April 28).
US fiscal state is everyone's issue
Oped, Paola Subacchi, Published on 28/05/2025
» As Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" tax bill heads to the US Senate, investors everywhere are growing increasingly uneasy. On May 16, the credit-rating agency Moody's downgraded US sovereign debt from its long-held triple-A status to Aa1 -- following similar decisions by Standard & Poor's (in 2011) and Fitch Ratings (2023). Given the sheer volume of US debt -- which now stands at $36 trillion, or 124% of GDP -- and rising interest costs, these institutions have concluded that US debt metrics are no longer in line with those of similarly rated sovereigns.
The economy is waiting to hit an iceberg
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 20/03/2025
» This is not a scene from the 1997 film Titanic. On the evening of April 14th 1912, a small Canadian fishing boat, skippered by a French-Canadian captain called "Jacques-Chai", approached the Titanic wanting to convey a very important message to Captain Edward Smith. The message was that there was a sea of icebergs, one was particularly big, about 200 miles ahead.
No more bailouts
Oped, Postbag, Published on 14/12/2024
» Re: "Thailand's shrimp industry battered by disease, low prices", (Business, Dec 12).
Unsafe label a wake-up call
Oped, Editorial, Published on 26/07/2024
» The latest report on Bangkok being named the 30th most dangerous city in the world for tourists should be a wake-up call for policymakers to put more effort and resources into improving the safety and conditions in the capital -- instead of just running promotional campaigns and events.
How to finance the 2025 fiscal budget
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 27/06/2024
» The 2025 fiscal budget is supposed to be historic, aiming to turn around the sagging Thai economy. But it is going by almost unnoticed. The first reading of the Budget Bill passed with an overwhelming "yes" vote of 311 to 175. The debates were subdued and made few headlines. The second vote is expected on Aug 3. After passing the third vote by the House of Representatives, the 2025 budget will go to the Senate for final approval.
Credit ratings and climate chaos
Oped, Emily Wilkinson & Kanni Wignaraja, Published on 13/12/2023
» The sun-drenched coral islands and reefs of the Maldives are in existential danger. With 80% of the country's population living just one metre above sea level, many islands could become uninhabitable as climate change causes the ocean's level to rise. By the end of this century, half a million people could be displaced. The Maldives is confronting this threat with a range of innovative adaptation initiatives, from restoring coral reefs to floating solar-power systems. But survival does not come cheap.
UN's Security Council selects 5 new members
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 15/06/2023
» In one of the more predictable rites of spring at the United Nations, the Security Council has elected, or actually selected, five new non-permanent members to serve on the powerful 15-member council. While this year's contest lacked some of the drama, debate and deliberation of the past, there were some positive outcomes to the current vote nonetheless.
No middle way
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/10/2022
» Re: "Coming out swinging", (BP, Oct 23), and "New parties present faint flicker of hope", (Opinion, Oct 22).
Averting debt disaster in the developing world
Oped, Xu Qiyuan and Wan Tailei, Published on 02/09/2022
» Many developing countries are teetering on the edge of a debt crisis, with the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring food and energy costs, and the monetary tightening of major economies all threatening to push them over. But the international community has yet to do what is necessary to pull at-risk countries back from the brink.