World News Insights: Opinion Articles

A presidential term in the US could be studied in eight segments of six months each in which the man in the White House must negotiate political minefields as he tries to implement his program or, at least, pretend to be doing so. Experience shows that a president is most effective in the first…

Amir Taheri

Nearly 20 days before the eve of the first anniversary of the Beirut port explosion that destroyed the city on August 4th, 2020, Investigative Judge Tarek Bitar continues to take advanced judicial measures that are met with popular approval and embrace. Despite all the difficulties, Judge Bitar’s…

Hanna Saleh

A revolution is pending in finance, and the world is only beginning to realize the transformations it is likely to bring. Financial institutions will have to take a radically different approach to information technology just to stay in business. Bullish Global, a crypto firm, is planning to go…

Tyler Cowen

Better drugs to treat Covid-19 look more appealing than ever. The hope that vaccines would send the virus into retreat with herd immunity is fading as the more transmissible delta variant sweeps across the globe, cases rise, and the vaccine-hesitant millions dig in. Beyond that, it’s unnerving…

Faye Flam

The US is back in Asia. White House officials are exploring a digital trade deal for the Indo-Pacific region to check China’s influence, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with proposals that are currently being drafted. The specifics are vague, but a meaningful trade agreement is…

Andy Mukherjee & Tim Culpan

Just months before she retires from politics, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is jetting to Washington to meet US President Joe Biden. The event will be staged to show a return to transatlantic harmony after four years of acrimony under Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. But to keep up those…

Andreas Kluth

“For the first time” is a phrase the Lebanese have frequently been using these days: For the first time (since 1916), we are close to starvation. For the first time, education and health care are collapsing. For the first time, fuel and medicines are disappearing. For the first time, banks are…

Hazem Saghieh

Since it is the “father of arts” and one of the oldest means of artistic and creative expression known to mankind, the theater, along with its performing arts, was included in the general framework of the national strategy for culture as a “sector of high importance.” The Ministry of Culture has…

Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud

Antitrust is again becoming a hot issue in the US, with a new bill advancing through Congress taking aim at top technology companies. There are the usual concerns about monopoly power, and also reason to worry about big-company dominance of key industries. Becoming over-reliant on just one or two…

Noah Smith

PC sales are booming, and despite the industry’s cyclical past, Wall Street and the major PC makers believe strong computer demand will last for a long time to come. "We expect the return to office trend will continue to benefit Dell in the coming quarters,” read one representative report from…

Tae Kim

"Living” with Covid-19 has been talked about since the pandemic first began: A moment when the coronavirus disease becomes part of everyday life, rather than an overpowering wave of cases and deaths that overloads hospitals and triggers society-crushing lockdowns. This so-called “endemic” phase…

Lionel Laurent

As earnings season begins, one of the biggest emerging storylines is that Netflix Inc.’s most formidable rivals, led by Walt Disney Co., already may be starting to falter. If Disney can’t get to where Netflix is, can anyone? Netflix is set to kick off the industry’s quarterly reports next week…

Tara Lachapelle