Unravelling Trump

China isn’t blinking on tariffs; inflation and recession loom globally. The US has three choices moving forward, all extremely tricky, while Beijing waits and reacts, fighting a trade guerrilla. Over the past week, US officials have stated that talks with China on tariffs have begun, only for Beijing to deny it each time. The Trump […]

The Pope I Would Like

A shepherd for the world and the Church. A Church for the poor and the oppressed. A Church for peace. A Church that gives meaning to life and takes meaning from Christ. These are all interconnected, but not with simple, easy knots. They are twisted and indirect, paradoxical. For the poor and oppressed: capitalism and […]

Poping the World

Markets are very volatile, trust in the US is slipping, and a trend towards multi-alignment could disrupt the existing international architecture. The Vatican will also be confronted with these problems Pope Francis’s funerals on Saturday 26 will end a very turbulent few days when American markets rose and slipped following US rumors of ongoing trade […]

Choosing the Next Francis

For eight billion humans or for the Church? For the masses or for the needs of the people? For the minorities or with the majority? The riddles and considerations in the choice of the next Pope and the extraordinary legacy of Jorge Bergoglio. He was a beacon, a lighthouse for the common people, the downtrodden, […]

Francis’ Revolutions

The revolutionary Pope who loved China, and whose love was not fully reciprocated. The Church is at a crossroads in the choice of its next guide. It could be time for a black man in white. Francis was a Pope who wanted to change the Church and the world. He set the machinery in motion. […]

PLA Ambitions and Xi’s Ideology

China’s army loyalty may need a better ideology, but this could depend on a trilemma — Negotiations, Alternative, or North Korea. Recent American fumbling with tariffs has given China more political elbow room (https://www.appiainstitute.org/articles/america/where-is-trump-going/ ). Still, Beijing has three choices about how to handle America’s challenges—negotiation with the US and the rest of the world […]

Where is Trump Going?

Trump is fumbling his tariff war, but US troubles are real and must solved, or the world will be in chaos. China is thinking after itself and offers no alternative Chinese President Xi Jinping might feel relatively secure in the escalating tariff dispute with the United States, believing that President Donald Trump will falter first, […]