NEW YORK — Amid the flurry of news about Hope Hicks and Jared Kushner and the latest Trump reality show on guns, it would be easy to miss what’s happening in China. But it is huge and consequential. China is making the most significant change to its political system in 35 years. What impact will […]
Fareed Zakaria
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
America is not immune from forces of democratic decay
NEW YORK — A few weeks ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit published the 10th edition of its Democracy Index, a comprehensive ranking of nations that looks at 60 measures in five categories, ranging from electoral process to civil liberties. For the second consecutive year, the United States failed to make the top bracket of “full […]
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America withdraws as the Middle East burns
NEW YORK — There’s a lot to be optimistic about today. In almost every part of the world, economies are growing and war, poverty and disease are receding. But then there is the Middle East. Syria remains a collapsed country; more than 5 million of its people have already fled. Yemen is now the site […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
South Korea — the world's most successful country
NEW YORK — As the world’s attention turns briefly away from Donald Trump and toward the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, it’s worth focusing not just on the sports but on this year’s host country. South Korea is, in some senses, the most successful nation in the world, and its success provides some crucial lessons. First, […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
Trump has drawn three red lines that are bound to be crossed
NEW YORK — President Trump’s State of the Union speech mostly ignored the world outside of America. He made a few tough statements on things like the Iran deal and Guantanamo and described (accurately) the evil nature of the North Korean regime, but he said very little about his foreign policy. This masks a more […]
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
France’s Macron sets tone on realistic immigration policy
NEW YORK — Emmanuel Macron is today the most admired world leader among liberals, centrists and cosmopolitans around the globe. He has managed to win the French presidency, enact reforms and stay relatively popular — all while speaking positively about the free market, the European Union, globalization and trade. He has done all this in […]
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Steve Bannon makes legitimate point
NEW YORK — The fire and fury over Michael Wolff’s book has largely centered on the personalities and power struggles within the White House. But behind all of that lies an important political development, one that explains the real rift between Donald Trump and his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon. President Trump seems to have […]
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Iran faces a period of instability
NEW YORK — The most enlightening commentary on what is going on in Iran right now was written 162 years ago. In his book on the French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville explained, “Revolutions are not always brought about by a gradual decline from bad to worse. Nations that have endured patiently and almost unconsciously the […]
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GOP tax bill would usher in a bleak future for America
NEW YORK — If the Republican tax plan passes Congress, it will mark a watershed for the United States. The medium- and long-term effects of the plan will be a massive drop in public investment, which will come on the heels of decades of declining spending (as a percentage of GDP) on infrastructure; scientific research; […]
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Trump's Jerusalem declaration not helpful
NEW YORK — With his decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, President Trump did something puzzling for a person who claims to be a great deal-maker. He made a massive, pre-emptive concession to one side in a complicated negotiation without getting anything for it in return. If that’s how he operates, it’s no […]