World News Insights: Opinion Articles

“Be indispensable.” This commonly given career advice is hard to argue with. No doubt it sounds appealing these days, with a softening economy and layoffs once again dominating the business news. It’s advice I’ve tried to follow for much of my own working life. But the idea is deeply flawed. …

What is it that backed Barack Obama into a corner and compelled him to break his silence!? Was it a late change of conscience, or did the Midterms impose themselves, forcing him to publicly admit to the multiple mistakes he had made in addressing the springs of both Tehran and Damascus? The…

A Persian proverb says: “The stew was so over-salty that even the Khan frowned.” This means that a situation has become so bad that even the “chief”, a prisoner in a cobweb created by a flattering entourage, realizes how bad things have become. The proverb came to mind the other day when former US…

Some rather alarming headlines recently circulated about the newest members of the omicron family. “Nightmare Covid variant,” read one. “The most immune-evasive Covid variants yet.” Apparently, it’s spooky season for Covid variants. Or not. These fear-mongering headlines and viral all-caps…

US politicians, business leaders and think-tank analysts seem to believe that locally made chips will fortify the nation’s technology supply chain at a time when global tensions are running hot. They’re mistaken, and that error could push the US into even greater dependence on foreign manufacturers…

Communism was the most prominent absentee at the Chinese Communist Party Congress. Since getting the burdens of its internationalist obligations off its shoulders and prioritizing the development of the Chinese economy, the party has not been concerned with the ideological struggles that had marked…

During the height of the pandemic, airline executives knew travel would recover eventually when vaccines were widely available. They also had a vague notion that flying patterns would change. They were right on both counts. Demand is closing in on 2019 levels, and executives are getting a clearer…

Researchers at Boston University sparked alarming headlines this week by creating a more lethal version of the omicron Covid variant. At the heart of the uproar is the fact that the researchers didn’t have any obligation to inform anyone beyond an internal review board about what they were doing…

Reminders of bright, or at least reasonable, moments in the past do not imply that we should return to that past, nor are they meant to clear this past of any shortcomings or flaws. As tons of experiences and proof from our region and across the world have taught us, no return- whatever return it…

For weeks now, the Ukrainians have been complaining and warning of the danger of the Iranian drones that Russia is using in the war in Ukraine. The US administration, however, prefers to discuss the production cuts of OPEC+ and criticize Saudi Arabia in frivolous ways. The Europeans are also…

Inflation too hot for you? How about a nice, refreshing COLA? This time, not just for Social Security recipients, who found out about their 2023 cost-of-living adjustments on Thursday. We’ve come to expect that certain people will be protected from inflation by cost-of-living adjustments and…

Mass layoffs are one of the more painful consequences of a looming economic recession, and the high-flying and well-funded tech industry isn’t immune. Microsoft Corp. on Monday provided an omen of what’s to come, when it confirmed that it had cut jobs across multiple divisions including its…