From Mideast to S China Sea, minilateralism is on the rise

Just like that, minilateralism is back. The slimmed-down cousin of geopolitics stalwart bilateralism – state-to-state relations – and multilateralism – vast, formal organizations like the United Nations and the European Union – is  having a moment. In an age of a great, bloody, brutal war, this really is surprising. But established against the much longer tale of […]#@@#@!!Continue Reading

A heart that’s true: journalist Mike Tharp 1945-2023

In another life he would have been the poet or a stone star. In this a single Mike Tharp was a reporter’s reporter using a poet’s heart and a magnetic vibe that will pulled into their orbit colleagues, buddies and complete strangers whom wanted some of that life force designed for themselves. Michael Eugene Tharp, universally called […]#@@#@!!Continue Reading

Military places restive areas of Myanmar under martial law

BANGKOK: Martial law was declared in several areas of military-run Myanmar on Thursday (Feb 2), each day after authorities announced that a situation of emergency has been prolonged throughout the country, that is wracked by violence that some EL experts have described as a civil war. State-run MRTV television transmittedContinue Reading

Vietnam sees a shared future more with China than US

The resignation of Vietnamese president Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month had an inevitability about it. The media were rife with speculation for weeks implicating Phuc’s close family members in corruption scandals.  Several dozen officials, including two deputy prime ministers, were earlier removed from their positions in major scandals of price-fixing and kickbacks for Covid-19 test […]Continue Reading

Amid questions about conflict of interest, Tin Pei Ling says role as MP ‘distinct’ from new job at Grab

SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling on Thursday (Feb 2) addressed questions about a possible conflict of interest between her positions in Parliament and at Grab Singapore, where she oversees government relations. “There is a clear and mutual understanding that my role as a Parliamentarian is distinct from myContinue Reading

Myanmar junta can’t hide behind a sham election

Two years after a coup d’état orchestrated by Myanmar’s military leaders ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, the country’s political and economic crisis continues to deepen. In the World Bank’s most recent forecast, released on January 30, economists predict that Myanmar’s economy will grow a mere 3% over […]Continue Reading