China’s recently concluded Party Plenum took inspiration from ancient philosophers to solve its modernization drive. It is a bold and ambitious move that could change the country and the world. Will it work? Last week, the 2024 Party Plenum issued its decisions concentrating on the economy. In a nutshell, the plan was to unify the […]

The post A neoclassical solution for China appeared first on Asia Times.

A general problem in these American elections is that the climate of rhetorical violence and the spread of conspiracy theories is a double-edged sword. Whoever uses it will also suffer from it, and unfortunately, the attempt on former president Donald Trump and the very bizarre interpretations given in the heat of the moment – and […]

The post US rhetoric of self-destruction? appeared first on Asia Times.

On October 22, 1963, US President John F. Kennedy invited the publisher of the New York Times for lunch. During the meal he suggested that the Times  transfer its correspondent in South Vietnam, David Halberstam, to another posting. Halberstam’s reporting indicated that the Saigon regime was losing the war against its communist Vietcong adversary. This […]

The post Intelligence: The god that failed appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s failures to reform the army may lie deep in the ancient military mindset that doesn’t fit modern requirements. Can the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fight? And in case, how would they fight? They had the human waves in Korea and they advised the Vietnamese on guerrilla warfare but how would they perform in a […]

The post Can China’s PLA fight a modern war? appeared first on Asia Times.

The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday (July 1) that former president Donald Trump is entitled to some level of immunity from criminal prosecution, a decision that may effectively delay the trial of the case against him on charges of plotting to subvert the 2020 election. The ruling introduced the unprecedented principle that any US […]

The post US Supreme Court immunity ruling opens a Pandora’s Box appeared first on Asia Times.

Condemnation of Israel’s invasion of Gaza has dominated the news, mobilized civil society groups to launch protests, and drawn rebukes from world leaders. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called the death and destruction in Gaza “unprecedented.” On June 10, the foreign ministers of the BRICS countries similarly criticized the “unprecedented escalation of violence” in Gaza and “Israel’s continued blatant disregard […]

The post Why Gaza gets more attention than Xinjiang appeared first on Asia Times.

The headlamp I brought from Temu had flickered out half a dozen levels above the subterranean gallery where I picked my way to the circular staircase that led to the secret ossuary of the Carthusian monks, deep below the sewers of Paris. With a magnum of Chateau Margaux in one hand and a large brass […]

The post The Ghost of Richelieu laments the humbling of France appeared first on Asia Times.

Well, I’ve been afraid of changing ‘Cause I’ve built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I’m getting older too    – Fleetwood Mac According to media reports, the Biden administration is planning to announce 100% tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles. The President needs to nail […]

The post Cargo cult: Why America cannot have nice things appeared first on Asia Times.

On the eve of China’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron sounded a loud alarm bell when he said “Europe faces imminent danger” and that “things can fall apart very quickly.” He is concerned about the Russian war in Ukraine, now backed by China’s industrial power. Macron advocates an EU army […]

The post The PLA’s dangerously double-edged sword appeared first on Asia Times.

The most important thing to understand is whether the contradiction is within the people or between the people and their enemies. The former can be solved through discussion and debate; the latter can lead to conflict and war. So said Mao Zedong, the founder and prophet of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), in his […]

The post On contradiction between the US and China appeared first on Asia Times.

China’s domestic imbalances and overcapacity, due to state subsidies, have for the first time taken center stage in trade talks with the United States, further complicating the already complex bilateral ties. In Beijing last week, American Secretary of Commerce Janet Yellen argued that Chinese internal overcapacity in crucial sectors such as electric cars, solar panels […]

The post Politics of technology between China and the West appeared first on Asia Times.

The March 22 attack on a packed concert hall in Moscow is a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with uncertain consequences for the country and the future of the war in Ukraine. The attack was reportedly conducted by five men in camouflage who shot hundreds of people and set the building on fire. Over […]

The post War fatigue left Russia open to terror attack appeared first on Asia Times.

“[There is] the possibility of Ukraine splitting in half, a separation which cultural factors would lead one to predict might be more violent than that of Czechoslovakia but far less bloody than that of Yugoslavia.” – Samuel Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations” (1996). The opening drama of the Ukraine war, involving sweeping drone shots, ant-like convoys […]

The post Russia’s demonization undermines Western universalism appeared first on Asia Times.

Does America need an exorcism? There is indeed an 80-year pattern in American history that has global implications. Every eight decades, the US faces an existential internal crisis that is overcome with war. First, 1781 The Union itself started with such turmoil. The 1776-1883 Revolutionary War began as an effort to wrest the 13 colonies […]

The post America’s 80-year need for war appeared first on Asia Times.

Today, China is in a dramatic predicament for itself and others. What is the grand strategy to use to cope with the world? The big question hangs over the thousands of delegates convened in Beijing for the ritual plenary session of the National People’s Congress, the most important political appointment of the year due to […]

The post China’s predicament: Where is the river to cross? appeared first on Asia Times.

In 2001, the US was set on dealing with the rising power of China, but China was saved by the events of 9/11. The threat of Muslim terrorism diverted American attention from China for almost two decades. It was very costly to America. The US’s plan to take control of Afghanistan (the Eurasian Heartland) and […]

The post Chinese entropy and American stumbles appeared first on Asia Times.

We were born Born to be wild We can climb so high I never wanna die – Steppenwolf The Great American Novel (GAN) is the Super Bowl of world literature. Every February, America showcases its most dazzling display of athleticism. But the rest of the world barely knows who’s playing. Of course, Americans are similarly […]

The post China’s rise and the Great American Novel appeared first on Asia Times.

Beijing is grappling with a new challenge after Covid – an expanding war encircling its friends and neighbors. Is China a victim or a contributor to this new conflict? The country may or may not be aware but suspicions are mounting about its role. War is spreading like a virus during an epidemic. Two years […]

The post Is China driving the new war epidemic? appeared first on Asia Times.

Many Americans feel broken and people are split on immigration and very divisive issues like gender or abortion and go for former president Donald Trump. His victory in Iowa is proof of this. But the country is doing better than ever. A belief crisis blinds many. The US needs to restore its cultural unity, starting […]

The post Trump chaos vs Bidening time in a broken America appeared first on Asia Times.

Country roads, take me home To the place I belong – John Denver The jig should have been up when the Varsity Blues scandal broke. Oh was it delicious. Hollywood actresses, hedge fund managers, winery owners, real estate developers and other assorted muckety-mucks sneaking their low-watt spawn into elite colleges. The fraud was so absurd […]

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