With the super-hawk John Bolton kicked out of the White House nest there is media speculation that President Donald Trump may at last be spreading dovish wings in foreign policy. It certainly seems an unmitigated good thing that Bolton is finally gone. The deranged warmonger was always a dreadful danger for inciting war. As Trump…
During the dissolution of the USSR, France and Germany tried to maintain their place in the world by solving the problem of their size against the US giant. They decided to reunify the two Germanys and to merge together in a supranational state: the European Union. Armed with their experiences of inter-state cooperation, they thought…
Modern diplomacy can generally be traced back to the late 19th century and the intercession of professional diplomats in the foreign relations between major and minor powers of the era. International negotiations to resolve problems were primarily handled by diplomats prior to politicians giving their assent to peace treaties and compacts. The Congress of Berlin…
Advertised as the latest tool to give shoppers more convenience, facial recognition comes with deep costs to privacy and security. But can anyone remember Silicon Valley asking for permission to use your face? Mankind has long feared that some totalitarian state, as vividly described by visionary writers like George Orwell (1984), Aldous Huxley (Brave New…
The participation of Indian and Pakistani soldiers in the ongoing SCO military drills in Russia will have no impact on peace in South Asia despite the high hopes that some are pinning to this symbolic event. It’s impossible to avoid the positive optics of these two regional rivals coming together as part of a larger…
An official confirmation by the Trump administration of it holding discreet talks with Yemen’s Houthi rebels indicates a realization in Washington that its military intervention in the Arab country is an unsalvageable disaster requiring exit. There are also reports of the Trump administration urging the Saudi rulers to engage with the Houthis, also known as…
