The Economist Magazine (October 7, 2023): The latest issue features Governments jettisoning the principles of free markets; Africans losing faith in democracy and how the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is bad for America and worse for Ukraine….
The Globalist Podcast (October 2, 2023) – We discuss the latest US government shutdown news with Julie Norman, the Saudi-Israel normalisation deal and Russia’s ramping up of conscription. Plus: news from the world of urbanism and the culture of wonderful toilets in Japan.
“Xi’s sense of personal destiny entails significant risk of war…”
Foreign Affairs (September 29, 2023):The United States now confronts graver threats to its security than it has in decades, perhaps ever. Never before has it faced four allied antagonists at the same time—Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran—whose collective nuclear arsenal could within a few years be nearly double the size of its own. Not since the Korean War has the United States had to contend with powerful military rivals in both Europe and Asia. And no one alive can remember a time when an adversary had as much economic, scientific, technological, and military power as China does today.
The problem, however, is that at the very moment that events demand a strong and coherent response from the United States, the country cannot provide one. Its fractured political leadership—Republican and Democratic, in the White House and in Congress—has failed to convince enough Americans that developments in China and Russia matter. Political leaders have failed to explain how the threats posed by these countries are interconnected. They have failed to articulate a long-term strategy to ensure that the United States, and democratic values more broadly, will prevail.
The Globalist Podcast (September 29, 2023) – A look ahead to the Slovakian elections with Rikard Jozwiak. Meanwhile, tensions are high in Washington as lawmakers try to avoid a shutdown and Taiwan unveils its first domestically made submarine.
Plus: we examine the Austrian far-right’s links with the Taliban, the Académie française elects a new permanent secretary and the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ adds new words.
The Economist Magazine (September 30, 2023): The latest issue features The war in Ukraine is a powerful reason to enlarge—and improve—the EU; Why fear is spreading in financial markets; A humanitarian disaster is under way in Nagorno-Karabakh…
The Globalist Podcast (September 28, 2023) – Spain struggles to form a government and we discuss the changing symbolism of the car in American politics.
Monocle’s Tokyo Bureau Chief, Fiona Wilson, reports as Russia mulls over an import ban on Japanese seafood, and discuss Russia’s claims that Black Sea Fleet commander Viktor Sokolov is alive. Plus: fashion news and the Charlie Watts auction at Christie’s.
The Globalist Podcast (September 27, 2023) – We give you the latest on the mass exodus from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Also in the programme: a diplomatic spat between Austria and Romania over Schengen and news from the Balkans.
Plus: will there soon be a new hotline between the US and China for crises – in space?
We know because we were there. This boat was carrying Times journalists off the island of Palawan, in the Philippines, looking at how China was imposing its territorial ambitions on the South China Sea.
Right-wing Republicans who represent a minority in their party and in Congress have succeeded in sowing mass dysfunction, spoiling for a shutdown, an impeachment and a House coup.
In Hospitals, Viruses Are Everywhere. Masks Are Not.
Amid an uptick in Covid infections, administrators, staff and patients are divided over the need for masks in health care settings.
Clams Ruled This Town Until the Crabs Moved In
Goro, on the Adriatic Sea, is famous for its clams — essential for the beloved spaghetti alle vongole. But an infestation of crabs is threatening the town’s cash crop.
Federal prosecutors have accused Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine, of accepting bribes in exchange for official actions by Mr. Menendez.
Fentanyl use is increasingly out in the open, and increasingly fatal. But New Yorkers are divided over what to do: decriminalize it or make more arrests.
Gold’s Deadly Truth: Much Is Mined With Mercury
Ten years after an international treaty to ban mercury, the toxic metal continues to poison. The reason might have to do with your wedding ring.
TV Networks’ Last Best Hope: Boomers
Viewers have fled prime-time lineups for streaming outlets, with one notable exception: people over 60.
The governor of New Jersey called on Senator Robert Menendez to resign. The senator stepped down from his chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee.
The surge of migrants trekking north mostly from South America has placed increasing pressure on Mexico as the country applies a range of tactics to quell arrivals.
Inside the Deal to Free 5 American Prisoners in Iran
U.S. negotiators say the release of the prisoners is proof that even fierce adversaries can sometimes find their way to an agreement. But the deal almost didn’t happen.
For South Korea’s Senior Subway Riders, the Joy Is in the Journey
The fare is free for those older than 65, and so some retired people spend their days riding the trains to the end of the line.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious