Americans watched in alarm but not shock as Parliament was locked down after a “terrorist incident” in London on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the deadly attack in Brussels. A refugee camp in Nigeria was also bombed Wednesday -- again -- by five Boko Haram suicide bombers who’d slipped in the night before, alongside vendors of the charcoal that those who’ve come to the camp to escape Boko Haram need to cook their food. The day before, a car bomb killed 10 people in Mogadishu, the capital o

March 27, 2017

Before the election of President Donald Grump, some Americans pledged to leave the county if, by some crazy chance, he were to win the White House.　　This departure of the disappointed always struck me as a bad idea. My view is that when the going gets tough, the tough should not get going to other countries. They should stay put and get pouting prior to get organizing.　　But, apparently, some disillusioned Americans have decided to flee. The Associated Press recently reported that US applications

March 27, 2017

Most media pundits largely agree that Trump has a lot to learn. When he says, “no one knew how complicated health care could be,” we somehow forgive him and understand he meant, “I didn’t know.” When he starts talking about the dangers of uranium in a press conference, as if it’s the latest scientific discovery, we forgive him, sigh in relief, and mutter, “Thank goodness he finally gets it.” Hopefully, the next thing Trump will learn is diplomacy. If Trump needs inspiration, he need only look to

March 27, 2017

At the end of the House Intelligence Committee’s long hearing on the FBI investigation of Russian meddling in the presidential election this week, the Republican chairman, Devin Nunes of California, made a last, vain attempt to clear the White House of suspicion.　　Do you have any evidence, he asked FBI Director James Comey, that anyone in the Trump administration was working with the Russians?　　“Not a question I can answer,” Comey answered implacably.　　That drew a frown from Nunes. Comey’s silen

March 27, 2017

In our conversations, whether political, public or private, we seem to be increasingly belligerent, uncivil and unrelenting, determined to crush the opposition rather than listen to the other side.　Could it be that what we fear most is that our positions might change?　We wrap ourselves in our colors, cocoon ourselves in our ideologies and do everything except stick our fingers in our ears. We hear only what we choose and attempt to mute other voices as if holding a universal remote to silence th

March 26, 2017

At a turbulent moment in the online media business, the fate of Yahoo and buzzed-about CEO Marissa Mayer offers cautionary tales for policymakers and the public.　Mayer, who has been the boss since 2012, is to step down when Yahoo closes its sale to Verizon, it was announced last week. Like the industry consolidation now folding one company into another, the meritocratic hoopla undiminished amid Mayer’s departure suggests too much hype still surrounds attitude and algorithms in tech — at the expe

March 26, 2017

China is nothing if not creative in protecting its local industries. Although it has liberalized its economy in recent years, it has also erected a sophisticated set of barriers to safeguard companies it views as national champions. Increasingly, this is a counterproductive approach.　The usual method of assessing protectionism is to look at metrics such as tariff rates. And by that measure, China remains one of the least open major economies: according to the World Trade Organization, it maintai

March 26, 2017

The theme that unites Donald Trump’s major initiatives so far is their unnecessary cruelty.　His new budget, for example, comes down especially hard on the poor -- imposing unprecedented cuts in low-income housing, job training, food assistance, legal services, help to distressed rural communities, nutrition for new mothers and their infants, funds to keep poor families warm, even Meals on Wheels.　These cuts come at a time when more American families are in poverty than ever before, including 1 i

March 24, 2017

The House Intelligence Committee hearing Monday marked the end of the opening installment of “The President,” the must-watch reality/horror show that has transfixed the nation and the world. Now the plot gets more serious, perhaps darker, with some new characters likely to emerge in key national-security roles.　President Trump should be less of a stage hog going forward, and his Twitter storms less intense. He is often described as a narcissist, but he’s not suicidal. He knows he has been rebuff

March 23, 2017

Talk about taking a bazooka to kill a fly: a US general reported last week that an unnamed ally used a $3.4 million Patriot missile to shoot down a hostile $200 commercial drone. General David Perkins’s point wasn’t that this was a technically remarkable feat -- although it certainly was given the tiny target -- but to point out yet another asymmetric advantage global terrorists’ hold: It costs the West an unconscionable amount of money to combat even the most basic ad-hoc threats.　For the wars

March 23, 2017

The great question of Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency was whether he could pull off the slick political move known as “the pivot.” Specifically, could he as a candidate win followers with hyperpartisan language, but once in office downshift to an inclusive, effective style of governance?　We had serious doubts from the start. Plenty of people had doubts, given Trump’s impetuous temperament, his lack of political experience and his campaign trail success making big promises and incendiary co

March 23, 2017