World News Insights: Opinion Articles

Two obvious features of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s statements to the press are clarity and transparency. He explains his next steps, sums up what has already been accomplished, and gives an overview of what remains to be accomplished. The Crown Prince has never taken a step without…

The chance that summoned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the major turning point in history had done this before. After he was summoned, the tale pauses to admire the skill of this man and his will to shape his own image and tell his own story. Sometimes, a man stands up against an empire, embarrassing…

The European-American response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents a watershed in the contemporary understanding of how nation-states behave and what motivates their leaders to act. It pits two leading theories of international affairs against each other. The difference between the two…

As the world grapples with crafting an effective response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s illegal and immoral invasion of democratic neighbor Ukraine, three key approaches have emerged. The first is the imposition of crippling sanctions, which over time will strangle the Russian economy…

Suppose Russia succeeds in toppling the Ukrainian government or seizing much of the country. Moscow’s slow start notwithstanding, this could well happen: The balance of combat power is likely to favor Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war rolls on. So what happens then? One option being…

Before the eyes of the shocked people of the world, the catastrophe of the war in Ukraine expands further every day. From destruction of cities to a million people losing their homes in less than two weeks to thousands of people being killed, the people of Ukraine are going through a massive human…

The current developments on the international scene reflect a cold war situation on its way to an escalation. It has long-term strategic dimensions, as well as intense manifestations and direct repercussions represented in the “special military operation” against Ukraine. The operation is based…

In contrast with the many myths about those soldiers’ heroism and magnanimity, wars bring out the worst in people. In this sense, those with a military makeup win the first battle, though not the last, by the mere fact of having dragged those with a non-military makeup to war. The former drag the…

Nobody knows how Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine will end, but most scenarios range from bad to worse. To grasp them, start by considering what is indubitably the world’s most notorious rat. That’s the one Russian President Vladimir Putin claims he once — as a boy in what was then…

Even before Russia invaded Ukraine the economy felt pretty dicey. There was inflation, a weird post-pandemic job market, and the prospect of a more hawkish Fed. Now markets are even more volatile as sanctions roil the global outlook. For anyone counting the days until retirement, it’s been a…

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine will have momentous consequences for many — above all for Ukrainians, those who are fleeing the country and those who have stayed to fight off the invading army or to helplessly endure the devastation. But the effect on Russians, too, will be enormous, whether or not…

If you stand on a small lane at the west end of Taipei’s Songshan airport at just the right moment, you can feel the hot air of a jet engine as it begins its takeoff run. On any given weekend, before the pandemic, dozens of people could be found milling about waiting for the next brief thrill as…