Who is President Macron of France?
(updated on February 10, 2018) Politicians everywhere have hidden parts of their political and personal itinerary. Sometimes the exposing of such “secrets” causes disillusionment and/or reduced support...
View ArticleTwenty-First-Century Geopolitics: Fluidity Everywhere
The most fluid arena in the modern world-system, which is in structural crisis, is arguably the geopolitical arena. No country comes even near to dominating this arena. The last hegemonic power, the...
View ArticleOlympic Diplomacy: Winners and Losers at Pyeongchang
The idea of holding the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea seemed destined to fail. The interests of three key actors – the United States, South Korea, and North Korea – were so different that it...
View ArticleA Stable Korean Peninsula: Is a Deal Possible?
Two extremely unexpected events occurred regarding the Korean Peninsula in the first week of March 2018. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, offered to meet with President Trump, withdrawing some...
View ArticleRecurrent Themes: Corruption and National Security
People everywhere make claims and complain regularly about corruption and about national security. There is virtually no country in the world where this does not occur. If no one inside the country –...
View ArticleLula Arrested: How Successful a Coup?
On April 7, 2018 in Brazil Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva was arrested and taken to prison in Curitiba to begin a twelve-year sentence. He was Brazil’s president from October 2002 to January 2011. He was...
View ArticleColumbia 1968: Some Personal Memories
April 23, 2018 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Columbia student uprising in 1968. Since I was involved in the events in various capacities, I want to offer a testimony to what happened and what seems...
View ArticleTrumpism: The Art of the Insult
Since he became president, Donald Trump has insulted just about everybody with whom he has interacted. The one exception seems to have been close family members. They are not insulted, but when in...
View ArticleSadrist Victory in Iraq: Victory for Whom?
On May 12, 2018, Muqtada al-Sadr’s list unexpectedly won a plurality in the Iraqi legislative elections. This event shook up the entire political situation in the Middle East. It was greeted in other...
View ArticleThe G-7: A Demise to Celebrate
An institution called the G-7 held its annual meeting on June 12-13, 2018 in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada. President Trump attended in the beginning but left early. Because the views on both sides were...
View ArticleDonald Q. Trump, Prestidigitator
A prestidigitator is a public actor who seeks to make viewers believe that what they see is what he is really doing, but it is not. In the famous example, he saws the woman in half and then he shows...
View ArticleTwo Cheers for Mexico’s AMLO: A Great Victory for the Left
On July 1, 2018, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known by his initials as AMLO, was elected President of Mexico by a sweeping margin. He won 53% of the votes. His closest rivals were Ricardo Anaya (of...
View ArticleIs Trump in Trouble? Everyone’s Question
This is the question that all anti-Trump individuals and groups are asking today, loudly and regularly. They are hoping of course for a positive answer, but they are not sure they will get one. This is...
View ArticleSamir Amin: Comrade in the Struggle
I first met Samir in the early 1960s. I had read his early works, and they resonated with me. I was passing through Dakar and asked if we could meet. I don’t think he knew who I was or had read any of...
View ArticleGood News, Bad News?
Most of us receive daily news by reading some set of headlines available to us. We tend to classify these headlines as good or bad news about our local community, our country, or the world as a whole....
View ArticleTrump’s Risky Bets in the World Arena
There are two things concerning Donald Trump about which everyone, friends and foes, seem to agree. No one can be sure what he will tweet next. And he wants to stay in power. Trump has made three risky...
View ArticlePoor Brett Kavanaugh: He’s Irrelevant
The only one who cares if Kavanaugh is appointed is Kavanaugh himself, who has wanted this job all his life. For everyone else, he’s just a pawn in what the others – Republicans and Democrats alike –...
View ArticleHuman Rights, Anyone?
It is extremely difficult to find a country or other political structure that has not violated human rights in some way. Sometimes, the violation involves killing a dissident. Sometimes the action is...
View ArticleThe November 6th U.S. Elections: Catastrophe or Salvation?
The short answer to the question is neither. As I write, one week before definitive counts in the U.S. elections, the consensus seems to be that they are too close to call. Most analysts believe this...
View ArticleMexico Confronts the Future
I was just in Mexico for several days. I went to speak at a celebration of the victory of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), the president-elect. The meeting was held at UNAM, Mexico’s national...
View Article