[Ann McFeatters] Stupid things politicians said this year

It’s time to recall absurd, bizarre and downright stupid things said by politicians this past year.We’re ignoring Trumpisms because he said something ridiculous daily. There would be no room for anybody else.Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, topped all the profiles-in-courage lists for announcing he would not vote for the GOP tax bill because it adds $1.5 trillion to the national debt. Then an 11th-hour provision gave real estate moguls a huge benefit, such as about $11 million to Donald Trump and r

Dec. 22, 2017

[Leonid Bershidsky] Maybe the free world doesn’t need a leader

Who is the leader of the free world? Important as the question sounds, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s better left unanswered.The US president is no longer the obvious choice. Even the new US National Security Strategy, filled with bombastic statements such as “the whole world is lifted by America’s renewal and the re-emergence of American leadership,” acknowledges growing competition among powers. And of course “America first” is the slogan of a national, not a global, leader.So who, if not Don

Dec. 21, 2017

[Michael Schuman] Japan has figured out factories

Reviving manufacturing has become a prime policy objective for national leaders from Washington to Beijing to New Delhi. We can debate whether chasing factories is worth the effort in the 21st century, but not the difficulty of building and maintaining a robust industrial sector in the face of relentless global competition and technological change.At least one country seems to have figured out how to do just that, however, and a highly unexpected one: Japan.Factories churning out cars, chips and

Dec. 21, 2017

[Andrew Malcolm] Trump’s national security plan: Iran threat is the sneaker issue for 2018

For years, Iran has been accurately labeled as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. Now, quietly with little notice beyond the region, the militant regime in Iran has established a major land force in Syria effectively threatening the existence of Israel.　Using the cover of helping Syrian President Bashar Assad against domestic insurgents, Tehran now has stationed an estimated 125,000 troops in that country, outnumbering the Syrian army, and enhanced by Russian forces. This is in addi

Dec. 21, 2017

Republican tax plan steamrolls democracy

The US Congress is set this week to pass a horrendous tax bill that will give the rich and corporations hefty tax cuts, will increase the deficit by $1 trillion over 10 years, will leave 13 million people uninsured by eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate and will force cuts in federal programs as revenues dry up. In terms of unfairness and reckless economic policy, it will rank among the worst legislations ever passed.But this bill is a travesty not only for what’s in it, but

Dec. 20, 2017

[Adam Minter] Google’s China bid won’t end well

In 2006 the Chinese government allowed Google to establish Google.cn for Chinese internet users. In return, Google agreed to scrub results of content that the government found objectionable. The deal held until 2010, when Google decided it could no longer agree to such terms. Within hours, the site was blocked and Google’s search business on the mainland was dead.　The Alphabet unit never completely gave up on China, however, and last week it launched its most recent effort to capture a piece of

Dec. 20, 2017

[Shannon O’Neil] Populism looms over Latin America’s election year

In 2018, nearly 2 out of every 3 Latin Americans will head to the polls to elect new leaders, and the fight against corruption will be high on their agenda. The surge to throw the bums out could be a harbinger of cleaner politics. But a revival of the region’s tradition of populism could also threaten the nascent institutions and mechanisms that are Latin America’s best hope for a more honest tomorrow.Voters are rightly enraged about corruption. In Mexico, governors have allegedly stolen land, p

Dec. 20, 2017

[Andrew J. Bacevich] As American statecraft crumbles, where is the Senate?

Where is J. William Fulbright when we need him? Or if not Fulbright, perhaps Robert M. La Follette or George W. Norris. Personally, I’d even settle for William Borah or Burton K. Wheeler.　During the 20th century, each of these now largely forgotten barons of the US Senate served the nation with distinction. Their chief contribution? On matters related to war and peace, they declined to kowtow to whoever happened to occupy the office of commander in chief. On issues involving the safety and secur

Dec. 19, 2017

[Michael Pettis] Let China’s workers roam free

Over the past few weeks, people in Beijing have been riveted by the so-called migrant “clean-out” -- the government’s attempt to evict tens of thousands of migrant workers from their homes in the poorer parts of the city. What’s not being discussed, however, is how the crackdown could threaten one of the government’s other main priorities: managing debt.　In China, mobility is legally restricted according to a household registration system, called the hukou. Chinese citizens receive an urban or r

Dec. 19, 2017

[Jagannath Panda] Moon’s China policy holds key to Northeast Asian peace

It remains unclear whether Moon Jae-in’s recent visit to China from Wednesday to Saturday has brought Sino-South Korean relations back on track. However, the visit has given a much-required boost to the two countries’ low-spirited bilateral ties.If anything, Moon’s visit has certainly encouraged both sides to return to their core economic-oriented engagement without neglecting the need to have a “peaceful” northeast Asian security environment that has always been their backbone in the post-Cold

Dec. 19, 2017

[Conor Sen] Bad news for doomsayers (good news for workers!)

Despite a US unemployment rate that’s at its lowest level in 17 years, gloomy types manage to see dark omens.Some, especially those shaped by the inflationary period in the late 1970s, fear that when the labor market achieves a state of full employment, as it may have already, we will see not just higher wages, but also an inflationary spiral that could get out of hand without a rapid tightening of monetary policy.　Other skeptics, enamored by new technologies like robots, artificial intelligence

Dec. 18, 2017

[Ferdinando Giugliano] Eurozone needs more than new road map

When the European Council meets Thursday and Friday, one document for discussion will be the European Commission’s new plan for the future of monetary union. Many of the ideas are not so much innovative as useful. Others look difficult to enforce. Most importantly, the reform plan will remain yet another meaningless document until eurozone heads of governments actually spell out what they want.The “Roadmap for deepening Europe’s Economic and Monetary Union,” which was published last week, follow

Dec. 18, 2017