The world saw a short-term truce and long-term reconciliation within hours. The US and China broke new ground by setting aside some differences; the Pope ended a two-century-old cultural war. America, which a year ago was supposed to overwhelm China with a barrage of tariffs, today sent its President Donald Trump to the airport to […]
As oil prices skyrocket amid new wars in Iran and Yemen, a Chinese scholar reconsiders the history of the petrodollar and what could change today. That could be crucial for China. ## I. Before Nixon severed the dollar’s link to gold on August 15, 1971, global oil prices (including in Saudi Arabia) had already been […]
America’s small and big mistakes pave the way for China’s rise as leader of a new multipolar world. Clumsiness in European politics could spin all out of control. Will Trump rethink? After the AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt, the loudest noise was French radical-right leader Marine Le Pen’s silence. She may fear that the AfD scares […]
In the 20th century, the US emerged victorious from World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Yet today many in America and abroad speak as if the country were in irreversible decline. Some prepare for a world without American primacy; others demand that Washington restore a supremacy they assume has vanished. We […]
The absence of the supreme leader, the internal doubts about his presence, and the power divisions are making Iran a failing state, spreading chaos up to China. What will Beijing do? Iranian regime media have claimed that the emerging Iran-Oman deal would enable Iran to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz. Still, many Americans […]
On July 22, the Holy See announced the episcopal ordination of Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng as the bishop of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, China. Although others were expected, appointments related to the agreement with China continue, albeit at a snail’s pace. Last March, the two delegations met in Beijing in a cordial atmosphere, which contrasted with the […]
Realpolitik and power competition are strengthening the Myanmar military and reshaping regional and global geopolitics in a new direction. At stake is the fate of almost 4 billion people. At a special meeting in Bangkok on July 12, ASEAN decided to re-engage with the Myanmar Junta after a long diplomatic freeze following the February 2021 […]
