Keun Lee, Project Syndicate
The increasing financialization of East Asia's economies has seen inequality rise to levels unseen in decades, inspiring such dystopian visions as Squid Game and the Oscar-winning South Korean film Parasite. By adopting the right measures, policymakers can begin to reverse this trend and ensure that the region's economic future is brighter than these recent on-screen portrayals suggest.
Frederick Kempe, Atl. Council
Brace yourself for 2022, a year of living dangerously.
Matthew Rochat, The Diplomat
China's dominance over the commercial maritime sector may be a source of vulnerability for the U.S. and other geopolitical rivals moving forward.
George Friedman, Geopolitical Futures
We have been operating with a model of Russia. Having lost its non-Russian territories with the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia is missing the buffers that protected it. Its national imperative is to recover those border states, either formally or informally. They could be either occupied by Russian forces or, at the very least, governed by native governments that exclude the presence of Western powers and coordinate with Moscow. The Russians achieved... Читать дальше...
Russia Matters
Thirty years ago this month, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics officially ceased to exist. The 15 republics which had made up the Soviet Union were confronted with uncertain paths as they endeavored to establish political structures and reform economic systems. They faced unresolved territorial questions, socio-economic crises and an ambiguity about which direction to take in the future. Thirty years on, quantitative indicators show that despite turbulence, the residents... Читать дальше...
Jane Herbelin, Worldcrunch
Algeria is facing a multifaceted crisis, one of the most serious since the North African country gained independence in 1962. Boiling social and economic unrest has combined with continuing political demands that began with the Hirak uprising of 2019 that called for the end to the decades-long rule of Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
Hugo Rifkind, Times of London
Who'd be a whip when control of the right social media group gives the power to turn on or off backbench rebellions?
David Rennie, 1843
he most important page in my passport is creased from being examined so often. Thankfully, the red-ink stamp in one corner, marking my last entry into China, is still crisp and clear. I know the date by heart, after volunteering it to railway inspectors in white protective suits, to hotel clerks and airport guards and police officers at highway checkpoints, dozens of times over the past 22 months.
Doug Bandow, National Interest
On December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-un looked impossibly young and out of place in an old man's government and system. Today he is firmly in control.
R. Csernatoni & Y. Reykers, CE
The EU's pursuit of a single European defense market necessitates stronger democratic oversight. Members of the European Parliament and national legislative bodies should play a more proactive role as watchdog and engage in strategic foresight and planning.
B. Flanagan, RCW
Amid celebrations for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Kazakhstan, the U.S. is considering permanently normalizing trade relations between the two countries. But before we do so, the U.S. must first examine whether Kazakhstan's recent behavior warrants such prized status.
Therese Shaheen, National Review
As the PRC confronts mounting challenges, its leader will do anything to prevent becoming China's Gorbachev.