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world view

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OpinionJuly 19

It’s a shame that both sides can’t lose

The last time oil-tankers were being shot up in the Persian Gulf, back in the 1980s, it was Saddam Hussein’s brutal tyranny in Iraq versus Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolutionary Islamist regime in Iran and people used to say “it’s a shame that both sides can’t lose”.
It’s a shame that both sides can’t lose
It’s a shame that both sides can’t lose
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OpinionJuly 12

Count Binface v The Monster Raving Loony Party

At the time of writing there is still hope that Count Binface can pull off a surprise by-election win and dethrone Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, who has led the opinion polls in Britain for the past two years.
Count Binface v The Monster Raving Loony Party
Count Binface v The Monster Raving Loony Party
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OpinionJuly 8

Netanyahu’s remaining options

Former French premier Georges Clemenceau said: “The graveyards are full of indispensable men,” about a century ago, and it’s still true.
Netanyahu’s remaining options
Netanyahu’s remaining options
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OpinionJune 28

Colombia and the ebbing tide in South America

‘‘He won, big!’’ exulted Donald Trump on Truth Social, welcoming the victory of Abelardo de la Espriella, his preferred candidate for the presidency of Colombia, in last Monday’s election.
Colombia and the ebbing tide in South America
Colombia and the ebbing tide in South America
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OpinionJune 24

Dealing with the legacy of slavery

At a ‘‘high-level United Nations consultative conference’’ in Ghana earlier this month, African and Caribbean countries called on the countries that benefitted from the transatlantic slave trade to make a formal apology and pay reparations to the descendants of the enslaved millions (or at least to the countries that the victims had come from).
Dealing with the legacy of slavery
Dealing with the legacy of slavery
OpinionMay 17

The BIG war is not likely, but plenty of small wars are ongoing

A Politico opinion poll conducted in the four biggest Nato countries in February revealed almost identical popular expectations about the likelihood of a global war in the next five years.
The BIG war is not likely, but plenty of small wars are ongoing
The BIG war is not likely, but plenty of small wars are ongoing
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OpinionMay 10

Three very poor countries in a doomed region

These countries are absolute losers by every metric.
Three very poor countries in a doomed region
Three very poor countries in a doomed region
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OpinionMay 3

Writing is on the wall for oil as UAE exits Opec

Eat your hearts out, Pablo Escobar, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes.
Writing is on the wall for oil as UAE exits Opec
Writing is on the wall for oil as UAE exits Opec
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OpinionApril 26

The threats are not working, so what comes next?

Taco!
The threats are not working, so what comes next?
The threats are not working, so what comes next?
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OpinionApril 21

With every post, the death rattle of a superpower

"We're offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran."
With every post, the death rattle of a superpower
With every post, the death rattle of a superpower
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OpinionApril 12

The consequences of not draining the swamp

A not very old folk saying: ‘‘When you’re up to your arse in alligators, it’s hard to remember that your original goal was to drain the swamp.’’
The consequences of not draining the swamp
The consequences of not draining the swamp
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OpinionApril 5

A definite maybe on the future, membership of Nato

Asked on Wednesday if he would reconsider his decision to pull the United States out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), Donald Trump said ‘‘it’s beyond reconsideration. I just think it should be automatic.’’
A definite maybe on the future, membership of Nato
A definite maybe on the future, membership of Nato
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OpinionApril 1

Trump’s unpalatable Iran menu

The Iranians know they have won, but President Trump doesn’t get it yet.
Trump’s unpalatable Iran menu
Trump’s unpalatable Iran menu
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OpinionMarch 25

Iran war a series of miscalculations

Still not four full weeks into the war, and already Donald Trump’s ‘‘short-term excursion’’ has morphed into a global economic crisis and a region-wide war.
Iran war a series of miscalculations
Iran war a series of miscalculations
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OpinionMarch 22

China’s new language law solving a non-problem

In Quebec the English-speaking minority used to call them ‘‘tongue-troopers’’: the government functionaries who come around to check that the French on signs in shops is in a typeface twice as big as the English.
China’s new language law solving a non-problem
China’s new language law solving a non-problem
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OpinionMarch 18

Burning US scientific credibility

In 1953, Ray Bradbury, an American writer, published a book entitled simply Fahrenheit 451.
Burning US scientific credibility
Burning US scientific credibility
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OpinionMarch 15

Caught in a trap of his own making, Trump looks for ways out

Donald Trump is caught in the trap that he helped to build, and he is starting to flail against his fate.
Caught in a trap of his own making, Trump looks for ways out
Caught in a trap of his own making, Trump looks for ways out
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OpinionMarch 11

The Art of the Deal Part XVII

Donald Trump’s vision for how the war against Iran should end is simple: "Unconditional surrender."
The Art of the Deal Part XVII
The Art of the Deal Part XVII
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OpinionMarch 8

Is the 80-year-long peace now a thing of the past?

The Trump/Netanyahu war in the Middle East will not spread any further, and nothing going on there threatens our collective existence.
Is the 80-year-long peace now a thing of the past?
Is the 80-year-long peace now a thing of the past?
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OpinionMarch 3

Simple Trump has been outwitted by wily Netanyahu

Donald Trump is not just Benjamin Netanyahu’s glove puppet, but it is remarkable how much influence the Israeli prime minister has over the American president.
Simple Trump has been outwitted by wily Netanyahu
Simple Trump has been outwitted by wily Netanyahu
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OpinionFebruary 18

Nato is dead: long live Nato 2.0

Every year at this time the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), the world’s most powerful alliance for the past 77 years, holds a conference in Munich to examine its state of health.
Nato is dead: long live Nato 2.0
Nato is dead: long live Nato 2.0
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OpinionFebruary 15

Surviving the population crash as the global birthrate plunges

To them that hath shall (more) be given is generally a reliable guide, but it doesn’t work if the beneficiaries are too stupid to take advantage of the gift.
Surviving the population crash as the global birthrate plunges
Surviving the population crash as the global birthrate plunges
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OpinionFebruary 11

Where have all the generals gone?

Armies can be used against both foreigners abroad and citizens at home, but the two roles require quite different equipment and tactics.
Where have all the generals gone?
Where have all the generals gone?
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OpinionFebruary 4

Iran may be pretending about nukes

The Iranian regime is brutal, fanatical and corrupt.
Iran may be pretending about nukes
Iran may be pretending about nukes
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OpinionJanuary 28

We might have crested ‘peak Trump’

It is too early to be sure, but it seems likely that we have just seen "peak Trump".
We might have crested ‘peak Trump’
We might have crested ‘peak Trump’