Why Biden should (and shouldn’t) drop Kamala in 2024

Despite receiving the greatest number of votes cast in a presidential election, there is discussion among some Democrats and commentators about breaking up the Biden-Harris partnership for the 2024 election. While Joe Biden has become the target of much criticism for the inflationary challenges of the current US economy, it is vice president Kamala Harris’s […]Continue Reading

Inflation’s still the big challenge in Australia

Australia has recovered better than most from the Covid pandemic. As measured by gross domestic product (GDP), the economy is now 7% larger than it was before the pandemic. Over 2022, the economy expanded by 2.7% – more than any of the seven largest advanced economies, and more than twice the average growth rate in […]Continue Reading

Tracing the steps of Vancouver 1907 anti-Asian mob

Editor’s note: Below is an edited account from the forthcoming book White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver by Henry Tsang (Arsenal Pulp Press). On September 7, 1907, a crowd gathered at 7 pm at the Cambie Street Grounds, now known as Larwill Park, in downtown Vancouver. Led by Major E Brown from the […]Continue Reading

Weapon replacement costs changing nature of Ukraine war

The amount of ammunition being consumed in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict has surpassed all estimates. This is starting to put pressure on the production and supply chains involved in the manufacture of ammunition for artillery guns among other weapons systems. This is not an unprecedented problem. In warfare throughout history, armies have often underestimated the level […]Continue Reading

Five key takeaways from US House hearing on China

In a rare show of bipartisanship, Republican and Democratic House members put on a united front as they probed how to respond to the perceived growing threat of China. The inaugural hearing of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party comes at a delicate time – […]Continue Reading

Spin doctor who made and broke with Putin is dead

Vladimir Putin’s former adviser and spin doctor Gleb Pavlovsky, who has died aged 71, was once described as “Putin’s Karl Rove.” He was the man who got things done in the Kremlin, like Rove did for his political master, George W Bush. Pavlovsky – a dissident turned apparatchik turned dissident again – was at the […]Continue Reading

Living and dying by the purge in North Korea

North Korea celebrated the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Korean People’s Army in February. As it showed off 12 of its massive intercontinental ballistic missile in a military parade, expert Korea-watchers spotted there appear to have been some significant changes in the country’s military and political hierarchy. Choe Ryong-hae, the chairman of the […]Continue Reading

Western sanctions on Iran more sound than fury

The Iranian Islamic regime has been seriously challenged since the start of public protests last September. The government has sought to contain and suppress the protesters – even resorting to executions – but has been unable to stop them. There are continuing reports of mass demonstrations in various parts of the country, including in the […]Continue Reading

The mythology of a tax haven crackdown

About a decade ago, the world’s biggest economies agreed to crack down on multinational corporations’ abusive use of tax havens. This resulted in a 15-point action plan that aimed to curb practices that shielded a large chunk of corporate profits from tax authorities. But, according to our estimates, it hasn’t worked. Instead of reining in […]Continue Reading