World News Insights: Opinion Articles

We must assume that a man like Vladimir Putin is capable of anything, even the use of nuclear weapons. The Russian President has made abundantly clear that human life is worth nothing to him unless it’s his own. And there are scenarios in which he might calculate diabolically that launching one or…

When Steve Jobs led Apple Inc., the company was famous for making products that would impress and even “delight” its customers. The uninspiring iPhone SE unveiled today shows how far Apple has strayed from that standard. That’s unfortunate, because the world’s richest technology giant…

Scary headlines about the long-term effects of Covid gain traction easily. Recent news reports have warned that “even mild Covid can cause brain shrinkage,” “memory loss” and “long term” “brain damage” that “greatly” changes the brain “as much as a decade of aging.” Over time, that fear is likely…

The “polluter pays” principle has been associated with the environmental movement since its inception, although its interpretation and mode of application remain ambiguous. The declaration issued by the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972, whose 50th anniversary…

After the Cold War, the feeling in Europe was that war ended would mean the end of the division that had split the continent between East and West, symbolized by the Berlin Wall, too. The victorious West, it had been assumed, would expand to reach Russia’s borders. This sentiment was, of course,…

The price of oil, which was extremely low during the worst of the pandemic — it actually went below $0 for a brief, weird period — has spiked as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This price spike is adding to already high inflation, and it is inhibiting the Western response to Vladimir…

Late one night in 1995, in a cramped airplane cabin high over the Pacific, Madeleine Albright put down a draft of a speech I was set to deliver in Beijing at the upcoming United Nations conference on women, fixed me with the firm stare that had made fearsome dictators shudder, and asked what I was…

Capitalism and free enterprise might seem synonymous, but Americans don’t view them the same way. According to Gallup, only about 60 percent of Americans have a positive image of “capitalism,” while 84 percent view “free enterprise” positively. That distinction makes sense to Clifford Winston, a…

China’s refusal to condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has caused consternation in Europe and threatens to sour relations with one of its biggest trading partners. Even as Beijing portrays itself as a neutral party and potential mediator, the government has declined to join US sanctions…

Today, as his military fights a bloody war, President Putin has not ceased to give speeches that mix political and cultural criticism of the West. In one angry speech, Putin said the West was an empire of lies and vowed that the Russians would not bow their heads. However, this is not the first…

As Ukrainian forces continued to hold off Russian advances on Kyiv, President Biden traveled to Brussels on Wednesday for an emergency meeting with other NATO leaders to discuss how to respond to Russia’s assault and help the 3 million Ukrainians who have fled the country. Almost a month in, the…

Rising prices will get worse before they get better. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused the prices of oil, wheat and other commodities to soar. Official measures of the cost of shelter don’t yet fully reflect last year’s surge in the cost of newly rented apartments. So there’s still a lot of…