The Economist (May 10)
“Long in crisis, Thailand is close to the brink. Without compromises on both sides, it may well collapse.” Thailand has fallen hard. Not long ago, it was a “shining example” of democracy with its booming economy. Now “everything is broken.” The latest blow came when a court dismissed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and nine cabinet members in what is being viewed by many as a political intervention. The country remains split in two politically. “The irreconcilable differences between the two sides have swallowed up Thailand’s courts, its army and even the monarchy—and left Thailand at the abyss.”
Tags: Army, Brink, Broken, Cabinet, Collapse, Compromise, Courts, Crisis, Democracy, Economy, Monarchy, Politics, Prime minister, Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra
Wall Street Journal (May 7)
“Good political news is scarce in Latin America these days, so it’s worth noting the upset victory on Sunday by Vice President Juan Carlos Varela in Panama’s presidential election.” This anti-corruption underdog prevailed against the former mayor of Panama City, the incumbent’s hand-picked successor who had already made moves to subvert the constitution. “The real victor is Panama’s young democracy.”
Tags: Anti-corruption, Constitution, Democracy, Incumbent, Juan Carlos Varela, Latin America, Panama, Politics, Presidential election, Underdog, Upset, Victory
USA Today (March 7)
“If the Ukraine crisis were a poker game – and to a large degree it is – you wouldn’t want to be dealt the American hand, and you certainly wouldn’t want to overplay it in the false hope of a quick win. Russian President Vladimir Putin has carefully leveraged forces of history, geography and politics in ways that ensure there is no short-term victory to be had.”
Washington Post (January 17, 2014)
“Over the past few months, the Middle East has become an even more violent place than usual. Iraq is now once again home to one of the most bloody civil wars in the world, after Syria of course, which is the worst.” There is no quick fix that outsiders can provide. “In fact, the last thing the region needs is more U.S. intervention.” The Middle East’s deep-rooted tension is part of “a sectarian struggle, like those between Catholics and Protestants in Europe in the age of the Reformation. These tensions are rooted in history and politics and will not easily go away.”
Tags: Catholics, Civil war, Europe, History, Intervention, Iraq, Middle East, Politics, Protestants, Reformation, Struggle, Syria, Tensions, U.S., Violence
Bloomberg (December 18, 2013)
‘Many Chinese consumers underestimate the volume of GMOs in their food, and thus, the debate often lags behind actual situation in China’s kitchens and pantries.” The government is divided on GMOs, which are already pervasive in China. There is broad support from the Ministry of Agriculture and opposition from quarantine officials, who recently stopped 180,000 tons of U.S. corn from entering China. This makes “the anti-GMO justification for blocking the U.S. corn shipments so suspect.” The root cause is likely trade tension and politics.
Tags: China, Consumers, Corn, GMO, Government, Ministry of Agriculture, Politics, Quarantine, Suspect, Trade tension, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (December 9, 2013)
Former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and the protesters he leads have shown a remarkable “capacity for self-delusion. They dismiss anyone who supports the government as either ignorant or in the pay of Ms. Yingluck and her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra…. The country will continue to pay the price as Mr. Suthep defies the will of the majority. It’s hard to escape the suspicion that a revolution is coming in Thai politics, but it won’t be one to the opposition’s liking.”
Tags: Government, Opposition, Politics, Prime minister, Protesters, Revolution, Self-delusion, Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra
Wall Street Journal (December 5, 2013)
Chinese “leaders are attempting to create an innovation ecosystem whereby government ministries funnel money through universities, think-tanks, businesses of all sizes, cities, real-estate developers and venture-capital investors.” Despite massive governmental support, “China still has trouble retaining its best and brightest talents onshore…. A growing number of Chinese scientists who had returned to China from the West are now leaving again.” While there are many reasons, including environmental pollution, the stifling political environment seems to be the largest factor. Innovative people generally don’t want to live where “they can’t network on Facebook or voice freewheeling opinions on any topic, business or political, under the sun.”
Tags: China, Chinese, Environment, Facebook, Government, Innovativon, Investors, Ministries, Network, Opinions, Politics, Pollution, Real estate, Scientists, Talent, Think-tanks, Venture-capital, West
Wall Street Journal (August 29)
“In 1950 France had five people of working age per retiree. Today it has 1.4, and the ratio is expected to fall to 1.2 by 2050.” France’s newly unveiled pension reform will not “defuse” the pension bomb. “Paying for a growing number of retirees with a pay-as-you-go system that invests little for the future is a losing game. It will ultimately require much smaller pensions or much higher taxes, a fact that French businesses understand well even if the political class won’t admit it.”
Financial Times (December 9)
“The political comeback of Shinzo Abe is one of the stranger twists in the recent, convoluted history of Japanese politics…. No one should be under any illusion about Mr Abe. He was a lousy prime minister first time around.” If he now looks like the best candidate this can only be due to “China’s misguided foreign policy, and the sorry state of a Japanese political system unable to produce someone better.”
Tags: Abe, China, Foreign policy, Japan, Politics, Prime minister
Chicago Tribune (May 2)
“Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the last time Americans agreed on anything.” One year ago, Osama bin Laden was killed in a “gutsy” raid. For a brief shining moment, everyone rejoiced. Since then, partisan politics has split the country and impasse has reigned supreme. Still, it’s worth remembering that, in ordering the raid, President Obama “made a tough call and won.”
Tags: Obama, Osama bin Laden, Partisan, Politics, U.S.
