As Donald Trump’s first foreign trip as president proceeds, the turmoil generated by his firing of FBI Director James Comey and the ongoing inquiry into his election campaign’s ties with Russia are following him. In none of the places he will visit will the events in Washington weigh more heavily than in Brussels, where he will meet with NATO leaders. Those American allies will be hoping for two things from Trump: reassurance that he is aware of the basic facts of European affairs, and signs tha

May 25, 2017

For those who have not noticed, Russia has steadily been increasing its cooperation with North Korea. The first major event happened in 2014, when Moscow moved to forgive about $11 billion worth of Soviet-era debt. Trade between the two nations has been on the rise and this month, a new ferry service began from Vladivostok, providing a cargo capacity of 6,000 tons each month. In April, it was even reported that Russian military equipment was being transported into North Korea. No matter how one

May 24, 2017

Three recent disastrous events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, indicate that it may be approaching another meltdown point, not at all the first in its history. The highly contagious disease Ebola, the outbreak of which in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa in 2014 became a global concern, has reappeared, not for the first time, in northeast DRC, in the region of Kisangani, formerly known as Stanleyville. The second event, potentially catastrophic in its impl

May 24, 2017

Three years after he was elected, Prime Minister Narendra Modi looms over India’s political scene like no other leader in the country’s recent history. And his critics must explain why his mass appeal seems unimpaired, despite his increasingly authoritarian ways and growing failures.Modi is far from realizing his promises of economic and military security. Pakistan-backed militants continue to strike inside Indian territory. The anti-Indian insurgency in Kashmir has acquired a mass base; Maoist

May 24, 2017

Please stop trying to find ways to impeach President Trump, pleads Bob Hamilton of the Toronto Star, “As bad as Trump is, the United States could actually be in worse shape in the future if Mike Pence, his seemingly benign vice president, replaces him in the Oval Office. Indeed, Pence could well turn out to be a complete disaster as president for liberal-minded Americans. In sharp contrast to Trump, the former Indiana governor is a serious politician with extremist policy views that liberals ser

May 24, 2017

You’d think Brazilians would be inured to scandal. After seeing one president ousted, the worst recession in a century, and the nation’s top moguls and political bosses tarred in a historic corruption probe, what more could go wrong?Silly question. Consider President Michel Temer, who was allegedly caught on tape blessing the payment of hush money to a political crony jailed in the giant “Car Wash” probe into political graft, and whose own job is now on the line.　Yes, Temer isn’t bending. With r

May 23, 2017

The obvious thing about the new special counsel named to investigate the Trump-Russia scandal is that US President Donald Trump entirely brought this upon himself -- first, by firing FBI Director James Comey, then by claiming it was all the Justice Department’s idea, and then by going on TV and linking it to the scandal.Of course, if press reports are correct and Trump had previously interfered with the investigation, then it’s even more a case of a self-inflicted wound. At the very least, Comey

May 23, 2017

China recently hosted 29 heads of state and government at the Belt and Road Forum, reinforcing the country’s claim to leadership of an emerging geopolitical and economic world order. The summit conference that also attracted representatives of more than 40 other countries and multilateral financial agencies was the clearest expression yet of China breaking out of its old foreign policy mold that had restrained it from attempting a global role.China’s multibillion-dollar One Belt, One Road infras

May 23, 2017

Investors dumped Brazil’s stocks and currency last week as the country’s ever-proliferating corruption scandal spread to President Michel Temer. This latest twist in a seemingly endless saga not only threatens to stall vital economic reforms but also comes close to showing that the corruption in Brazil’s government is literally beyond control.Investigators in the three-years-and-counting probe into bribery and kickbacks set their sights on Temer for allegedly approving hush money for the jailed

May 23, 2017

To Indian eyes, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s big Belt and Road Forum -- which attracted 29 heads of government and representatives of 130 countries -- looked awfully familiar. It looked, in fact, like an imperial durbar -- the sort of grand spectacle that the British in India used to arrange periodically, with princelings from across the subcontinent turning up to pay their respects to the Raj.Many, of course, would contest this comparison. The Belt and Road initiative, China’s grand plan to b

May 22, 2017

The Industrial Revolution was probably the most important thing that has ever happened in human history. In the space of a few centuries, much of the human race, which had long hovered on the brink of starvation, was suddenly lifted into relative security through the power of new technology. But why did this amazing explosion happen? There are many theories and we’ll probably never have a definitive answer.　But there’s a strong argument to be made that communities of smart individuals, exchangin

May 22, 2017

Ukraine has receded from world attention since its peak in 2014 when it changed presidents, Russia annexed Crimea and fighting was active in its east. The world reacted, for the large part, with words rather than actions.　Independent since 1991 in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine, Europe’s second-largest country, with a population of 45 million, has often been through history a problem nation. Its geography does not provide natural defenses and it lies between sometimes a

May 22, 2017

Even now, after the chaos caused by India’s decision last November to eliminate nearly 90 percent of its banknotes, few people would argue with the policy’s underlying assumption: Going cashless is, if handled well, a good thing. Yet the fact is, most arguments in favor of demonetization don’t stand up to scrutiny. And those that do should raise other concerns.Proponents of moving beyond paper money cite several rationales. They say it’ll make life harder for tax cheats, terrorists and other cri

May 22, 2017