Telling the Truth About China’s Success
Yanis Varoufakis warns that the flare‑up in the Persian Gulf heightens the risk of a broader US‑China confrontation, making de‑escalation the top global priority. He argues that a pervasive myth—that China has cheated its way to prosperity—fuels mistrust and makes diplomatic solutions harder. The piece calls for dismantling this narrative to reduce tensions and avoid a new cold war. Accurate perception of China’s growth is presented as essential for peace and stable international markets.
Why Europe Is Unlikely to Face an Inflation Surge
The European Central Bank (ECB) missed early warning signs of inflation in 2021‑22, prompting a delayed and aggressive tightening cycle. A new energy-price shock triggered by the Iran war has revived concerns, but the ECB now signals a faster, more...
Can China Grow From Within?
China’s new 2026‑30 Five‑Year Plan pivots the economy toward a consumption‑led growth model, seeking to anchor expansion domestically amid rising geopolitical volatility. The strategy emphasizes expanding household demand and deepening capital‑market development to reduce reliance on external markets. While Chinese...
Will Kharg Island Decide the Future of US Alliances?
The United States' war with Israel against Iran has spotlighted a growing reluctance among its partners to automatically follow American directives. The focal point is Iran's Kharg Island energy‑export terminal, where the U.S. can likely seize or disable the facility,...
Why America, Not Iran, Has a Succession Problem
The United States has begun employing decapitation strikes against Iran, targeting senior political and military figures. Such tactics rest on the assumption that removing a leader will collapse the regime, a premise rooted in personalistic governance. The article argues that...
Cuba in Free Fall
Cuba’s economy is spiraling into a crisis deeper than the post‑Soviet collapse of the 1990s. Within weeks, the island lost its external energy imports and its primary sources of foreign earnings, including tourism and sugar exports. Manufacturing and other key...
Wars Fought for Fun Cannot Be Won
The opinion piece argues that President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a war against Iran is driven by personal whim rather than any coherent policy rationale. It claims the conflict is motivated by a desire for domination and cannot be...
Nuclear Deterrence Is No Longer Enough
The article argues that nuclear deterrence alone can no longer prevent modern wars, as conflicts increasingly intertwine and stay below the nuclear threshold. Since 1945, nuclear weapons have kept great‑power conquest at bay, forcing rivals into proxy and limited engagements....
Remaking Europe’s Energy System for the Age of AI
Europe’s energy system is deemed strategically vulnerable after the US‑Israeli war on Iran highlighted dependence on imported fossil fuels. The article argues that weakening the EU Emissions Trading System would not solve the deeper issue: a grid incompatible with 21st‑century...
Why Iran’s Escalation Strategy Is Likely to Backfire
Iran is using an escalation strategy in its conflict with the United States and Israel to showcase regime resilience and raise the perceived cost of war for its adversaries. By widening the fighting and threatening the Gulf states’ oil‑dependent economies,...
Taking the Battle for Human Attention Seriously
A US jury has held Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately addicting young users, marking the first major legal finding that platforms can be responsible for harming mental health. The verdict frames human attention as a finite, collective infrastructure rather...
Iran’s Water Weapon Against the Gulf
The Gulf states rely on desalination for the vast majority of their drinking water, producing roughly 40% of the world’s desalinated supply. Amid the US‑Israel conflict with Iran, Tehran has warned it will strike regional water‑treatment facilities if the United...
The Only Boots on the Ground in Iran Should Be IAEA Inspectors
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) remains the sole legally authorized body to account for and monitor Iran’s nuclear stockpile under the Non‑Proliferation Treaty. Recent commentary warns that the ongoing US‑Israeli confrontation with Iran is already unsettling global markets and...
The Global Economy’s Many Chokepoints
The article warns that the global economy’s drive for efficiency has created fragile single points of failure, exemplified by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one‑fifth of world oil and a quarter of fertilizer. This...
The Rise of the Chinese Platform State
China’s recent Two Sessions underscored technology as the cornerstone of its economic strategy, signaling a shift from a purely top‑down innovation model to a “platform state” approach. In this model, the government acts like a digital platform, shaping market rules...
Interdependence Bites Back
The Iranian drone strike on March 11, 2026 ignited a massive fire at Oman’s Salalah oil storage facility, curtailing regional oil output. The disruption sent Brent crude above $90 per barrel, prompting immediate price spikes across global markets. Analysts now see the...
The Mother of Forever Defeats
President Donald Trump signed a National Security Strategy in November 2025 that emphasized a clear preference for non‑intervention in other nations’ affairs. Within three months, his administration announced a military campaign against Iran, contradicting the NSS’s stated doctrine. The abrupt...
Trump’s Tariff War Has Failed on Every Front
President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff regime, launched over the past 14 months, has failed to meet its stated goals of boosting U.S. manufacturing and reshaping global trade. Instead, the duties have increased import prices, prompted retaliatory measures from key trading...
How Much AI-Driven Productivity Growth Do We Want?
The article examines the surge in AI‑driven productivity since ChatGPT’s 2022 debut and asks how much growth societies should pursue. It highlights the dual nature of AI gains—higher incomes and living standards alongside potential economic shocks. The author argues that...
What’s Next for Cuba?
The Trump administration has imposed a de facto blockade on Cuba’s fuel imports, plunging the island into a deep economic and humanitarian crisis. President Donald Trump repeatedly declares the Cuban regime’s “imminent demise” yet offers no concrete roadmap for post‑regime governance....
Where Have All the Allies Gone?
President Donald Trump, asserting Iran’s military is gone, asked Britain, France, Japan, South Korea and even China to dispatch minesweepers to clear the Strait of Hormuz. When the allies declined, he warned NATO of a “very bad” future if it...
The Wrong Choice in Cuba
US President Donald Trump has revived a covert “decapitation” strategy aimed at toppling Cuba’s communist leadership, echoing the CIA’s 1960s assassination plots against Fidel Castro. The plan focuses on removing President Miguel Díaz‑Canel rather than broader reforms. Analysts note that...
Donald Trump’s Suez Moment
Donald Trump has framed a planned strike on Iran as an “excursion,” drawing a stark comparison to the 1956 Suez Crisis where Britain and France suffered a costly defeat. The article argues that the unilateral move risks a similar diplomatic...
US-Style Health Care Is Wrong for the UK
A recent BBC and New Statesman investigation uncovered preventable infant deaths at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, highlighting a deepening maternal‑health crisis in the United Kingdom. Over the past 15 years, maternal mortality rates have risen steadily, exposing gaps in NHS...
America’s War, America’s Recession
The United States’ decision to go to war in Iran is poised to unleash a sharp energy and food‑price shock, compounding existing inflationary pressures. Disruptions to Middle‑East oil flows could lift gasoline and heating costs, while import‑tariff policies already stoke...
US Institutional Decay Is Threatening Global Finance
The United States has long been the cornerstone of global finance, thanks to the perceived independence of the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission. Recent trends suggest that this institutional independence is eroding, with...
A Golden Opportunity for a Beleaguered WTO
The World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, is poised to adopt the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) into its rulebook. IFDA seeks to streamline investment processes and improve access to capital for developing economies. The move...
What Is America’s Goal in Cuba?
The article argues that while global attention remains on the US‑Israeli conflict with Iran, a growing focus in Washington is the potential collapse of Cuba's communist regime. Analysts claim the island’s economic reforms and rising private sector activity suggest a...
What Trump Gets Wrong About the Cultural Logic Driving Iran
President Donald Trump’s Iran strategy relies on sanctions, isolation and airstrikes, assuming material pressure will force Tehran to concede. The approach ignores Iran’s cultural emphasis on honor and reputation, which historically fuels defiant behavior when national dignity is challenged. By...
Russia Is the Biggest Winner of the Iran War
The United States’ decision to engage militarily with Iran has sparked a sharp rise in global oil prices. Analysts argue that the price surge disproportionately benefits Russia, whose economy relies heavily on hydrocarbon exports. The influx of revenue bolsters Moscow’s...
A New Opening for WTO Reform
World Trade Organization members concur that structural reform is essential, yet they disagree on its shape. The 166‑nation bloc remains hamstrung by a unanimity‑required consensus rule, limiting its ability to adapt. Authors propose that trade ministers at the WTO’s 14th...
The Gulf Is Becoming Uninsurable
The Gulf’s long‑standing reputation for safety is eroding as the US‑Israeli war with Iran reshapes risk calculations. Iran’s strategy of pressuring the United States has exposed the region’s vulnerability, prompting insurers to question coverage viability. With insurers pulling back, insurance...
Iran Is Sanctioning America
Iran has begun throttling oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz from pro‑U.S. Gulf states while continuing to export its own crude to China, effectively imposing de‑facto sanctions on the United States. The maneuver reduces the volume of oil that...
Selective Outrage Won’t End the Iran War
The UN Security Council issued a resolution condemning Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, labeling them a breach of international law. The article argues the vote is one‑sided, focusing on protecting Gulf oil flows and...
The Real Fallout From Trump’s Tariffs
In 2025 the United States imposed sweeping import tariffs intended to shield domestic producers. The measures inadvertently lowered costs for foreign rivals, creating a mixed‑bag of winners and losers among U.S. firms. Small businesses, often highlighted in political rhetoric, bore...
Trump Is Burying His Own Security Strategy
President Donald Trump has plunged the United States into a new, rapidly expanding Middle East war, a move that diverges sharply from the objectives outlined in his three‑month‑old National Security Strategy. The conflict’s goals are shifting daily, creating a chaotic...
What the Iran Crisis Means for Middle Powers
The article argues that the escalating violence in Iran signals a broader erosion of the post‑Cold War international order. It calls on middle‑power nations to unite behind a rules‑based system anchored in democratic norms, rather than accepting a world driven...
Will AGI Really Be the “Last Invention”?
Silicon Valley often cites I.J. Good’s 1960s “ultraintelligent machine” scenario, claiming that achieving artificial general intelligence would be humanity’s final invention. The article argues that this premise rests on shaky assumptions, including limitless computational capacity and seamless alignment of machine...
Building the Energy Resilience ASEAN+3 Needs
Energy systems across ASEAN+3 are facing mounting pressure from climate‑related shocks, surging electricity demand driven by AI and digital infrastructure, and heightened geopolitical volatility. The region’s leaders view resilience not merely as an energy‑policy goal but as a macro‑economic necessity....
Reimagining Gulf Security
The recent Iran war has exposed the shortcomings of the Gulf’s long‑standing “protection for sale” model, where security is bought through U.S. arms deals and basing rights. Authors argue that reliance on conditional American guarantees is unsustainable. They propose that...
Why the Digital Euro Needs Worker Input
The European Central Bank’s digital euro proposal aims to cement Europe’s digital sovereignty and foster fair competition ahead of a potential 2029 launch. Advocates argue that the CBDC must be sovereign, public, and inclusive to win trust from citizens and...
Trump Is Spending Tomorrow’s Security Today
Donald Trump has launched a war despite clear warnings that critical weapon stockpiles are dangerously low, reflecting a broader pattern of consuming present resources at the expense of future capacity. Throughout his presidency, fiscal policy, science funding, and alliance management...
Who’s Whispering in Your Chatbot’s Ear?
Liberal democracies are increasingly ceding control of AI infrastructure to a handful of private firms, creating a centralized, unaccountable power base. The article argues that algorithmic systems are inherently value‑laden, yet regulators have failed to demand transparency or oversight. This...
The Feasibility Trap
The article argues that the US‑Israeli war with Iran is being shaped more by what technology permits than by strategic objectives, a phenomenon the author labels feasibility bias. It notes that military leaders are increasingly choosing actions simply because they...
Winners and Losers in the AI Workplace
AI laboratories are rapidly releasing new models and workplace‑focused tools, positioning artificial intelligence as a catalyst for productivity gains across the economy. The launch of Anthropic’s Claude Cowork plug‑ins sparked a sharp sell‑off in software equities, signaling that investors anticipate sizable...
Lonely Empire
The article warns that the Trump administration has revived overt American imperialism, sparking an active war with Iran and turning Venezuela into a U.S.-controlled satrapy. It claims the United States is pursuing territorial grabs, including Greenland, while seeking to expel...
PS Quarterly Interview: Desmond Lachman
In a recent Project Syndicate interview, economist Desmond Lachman warns that President Donald Trump’s increasingly aggressive foreign policy could revive bond‑market vigilantes and destabilize the U.S. Treasury market. He argues that such stress may puncture the soaring AI‑related equity rally and...
Global Markets Are A-Changin’
Dambisa Moyo outlines three major trends reshaping the global investment landscape, pushing a risk‑on mindset in the short term. These forces are expected to lift risk assets while simultaneously threatening the traditional functioning of capital markets. The article cautions that...
Is the Stablecoin Economy Structurally Sound?
The piece argues that stablecoins and tokenized assets are evolving into systemically important financial instruments, effectively turning blockchain platforms into critical infrastructure. It likens the potential fragility of this digital layer to historic bridge failures, emphasizing the need for engineering‑level...
Mobilizing Africa’s Capital for African Development
Africa faces a $2.8 trillion financing gap for climate action by 2030, yet ample capital exists within the continent’s savings pools and sovereign wealth funds, plus global yield‑seeking investors. The article argues that fragmented markets prevent this capital from reaching needed...