Liberal hawks over realist doves in heated Ukraine debate

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The recent decision by Olaf Scholz’s German government to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks – after weeks of clear reluctance to provoke Vladimir Putin – was more than a domestic policy shift. It also demonstrated how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could prove to be a tipping point in a long-running battle of ideas between […]Continue Reading

Why Germany really shied from sending Leopards to Ukraine

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The decision to provide heavy tanks to Ukraine in significant numbers constitutes a step change in western military support for Ukraine. For the first time, western countries are providing substantial offensive capabilities to support a major campaign to regain lost territory. The decision has been long in coming. But for some months, the German chancellor […]Continue Reading

Ex-PM charged with homicide over Beirut explosion

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The investigation into the Beirut port explosion has taken a new turn, with the judge overseeing the probe charging a former Lebanese prime minister and two other former ministers with homicide with probable intent. The explosion in August 2020 happened in a massive silo in the port of Beirut containing a large amount of the […]Continue Reading

Covid-19 deaths undercounted in US, too

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Since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, a recurring topic of debate has been whether official Covid-19 death statistics in the US accurately capture the fatalities associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Some politicians and a few public health practitioners have argued that Covid-19 deaths are overcounted. For instance, a January […]Continue Reading

The staggering cost of US support for Ukraine

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President Joe Biden announced on January 25, 2023, that the US would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine – following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s repeated requests for more military tanks to help wage its war against Russia. “This is about helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to […]Continue Reading

Zelensky’s corruption purge key to war’s outcome

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The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has announced a sweeping clear-out of senior national and regional government officials and the appointment of a new supervisory board for the state-owned natural gas giant, Naftogaz. This is a move to reassure both the Ukrainian public and the country’s Western allies that the fight against corruption remains a priority, […]Continue Reading

Cold War ties still bind Russia and South Africa

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The recent announcement that the South African, Russian and Chinese navies will conduct joint exercises off the east coast of South Africa between February 17 and 27, has alarmed the United States. Washington has condemned the decision as the exercises would appear to compromise South African neutrality in the diplomatic controversies surrounding the war in […]Continue Reading

How structural growth and stable funding anchor Indian and Indonesian financiers' resilience

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In: Asia, Finance, South-East Asia

India’ s domestically-driven economy and Indonesia’ h commodity-led exports should provide some strength despite a more difficult operating environment characterised by higher global inflation, rising rates of interest and liquidity tightening. Elaine Koh, senior director for Asia-Pacific non-bank financial institutions from Fitch Ratings talks about the prospects meant for India and Indonesia’ s finance and leasing sector in the current economic environment.Continue Reading