In a surprising reversal from the Oval Office standoff between Zelensky and Trump and the suspension of US military aid to Ukraine, Kyiv, late on Tuesday, announced its willingness to implement an immediate 30-day ceasefire — provided Moscow agrees to …
The truth about Trump and the Pope
Two dogmatic world leaders have been much in the news recently: the infallible Pope Francis and the supremely arrogant President Trump.
Trump’s dust-up in the Oval Office, along much of his behaviour this past week, was the perfect demonstration of …
Donald Trump is no Chamberlain
“The lamps are going out all over Europe,” remarked British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey on the eve of the First World War. Judging by the commentary of the British press recently, one would think this was about to happen …
The closing of the Democratic mind
In the days leading up to Trump’s explosion last week against Zelensky, several incidents occurred that, in their expression of blind power, were as consequential as the astounding scene in the Oval Office. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new Secretary …
The method in Trump’s mad messaging
Ensuring that lawmakers are “on-message” — dutifully singing from the same hymn-sheet in the daily round of briefings and interviews — has long been key to political communications. In the Nineties, when New Labour began its rise to power, MPs …
The roots of Trump’s realpolitik
President Trump’s attempt to end the war in Ukraine has enraged liberal internationalists on both sides of the Atlantic. Dealing directly with the Kremlin and going over the heads of America’s European allies, publicly belittling Ukraine and its leader, and …
Trump’s angry imperialism
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” observed Joan Didion. Yet politicians are different. They tell stories not so much to live, but to survive. Stories give leaders an aura of purpose and control, imbuing their decisions with great …
Pete Hegseth and the defence revolution
“It was just a fucking mess.” That’s how Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s new Defense Secretary, describes America’s post-9/11 wars. We are aboard his plane, flying home to Washington from Guantanamo Bay, where he had spent the day overseeing migrant-removal operations. …
Donald Trump is a Dickensian rogue
Just like a Shakespearean villain, Trump seems ready to break all bonds, violate all constraints and transgress all boundaries. He is a rogue on the rampage, tearing up contracts and faithless to all around him, appearing to acknowledge no restraint …
The return of the American Caesar
Few of President Trump’s actions early in his second term have provoked as much furor as the executive order freezing certain federal spending programmes. A federal trial judge in Rhode Island issued a nationwide injunction against the freeze, insisting that …
China is back in business
In his glory days, Jack Ma, billionaire founder of Alibaba, was hailed as the embodiment of Chinese innovation. The young and online christened him “Daddy Ma”, and dreamed of emulating his rags-to-riches life story — from a humble English teacher …
Why DOGE will fail
The thing about a chainsaw is that it’s really great for some tasks — say, chopping up a tree — and really bad for others — say, performing surgery. We don’t “support” or “oppose” chainsaws, we try to ensure that …
War isn’t in Britain’s interests
Having earned MAGA’s respect for Brexit, Britain was in prime position to exploit the shift in global order heralded by Trump 2.0. After all, Brexit Britain broke with globalism long before JD Vance came to bury it at Munich. The …
Why rappers worship Trump
On Tuesday in Los Angeles, A$AP Rocky left court a free man. The rapper, real name Rakim Mayers, was found not guilty of shooting his onetime collaborator A$AP Relli, in Hollywood in 2021, having been charged with two felony counts …
Will Democrats save Trump’s Labor nominee?
“I think the fate of the Labor Secretary will be a huge test of this question.” That’s how a senior source in the labor movement described the battle over Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation to me this week. The question hanging in …
