Why Sri Lanka has a tyrant as president — yet again
Unelected and brutal, Ranil Wickremesinghe must go. But so must the executive presidency that keeps serving up tyrants.
Category Archives: Opinions
The Pacific’s future: ‘It’s either rats or reefs’
Invasive species are driving biodiversity loss in the Pacific. Island nations can fight them, if the world helps.
Racism never left US schools — now it’s taking worrying new forms
Overtly racist, sexist and queer-phobic books are filling the void left by bans on “critical race theory".
Josep Borrell as Europe’s racist ‘gardener’
The top EU diplomat's poisonous analogy of Europe as a garden and the world as an invading jungle inverts history.
Bolsonarism has already won in Brazil, even if Bolsonaro loses
Bolsonaro has gained seats in Congress amid a broader rightward shift that will keep him influential even if Lula wins.
Belarus joining the war in Ukraine could be risky, even for Putin
The mobilisation and deployment of Belarusian troops to fight in Ukraine could destabilise the regime in Minsk.
Xi Jinping is stronger than ever, but China’s future is uncertain
At the 20th CCP Congress more Xi loyalists will take top positions, but 'who after Xi' questions will grow.
The flaws and fantasies of the new Biden doctrine
The US president's new National Security Strategy is ambitious — and delusional about America's role in the world.
Yemen’s future conflicts will be over water
Ravaged by war, the country is also running out of water. That is leading to local conflicts that could grow.
Wildlife numbers are down 69% — here’s how we can fix this crisis
It's a red alert for the planet. But we have the tools to reverse much of this loss — if we have the will.
Hey, US media — Alex Jones is a liar, not a ‘fabulist’
The evidence is clear, as Wednesday's jury decision shows. Big publications must start calling Jones what he is.
The silent victims of Nepal’s tiger conservation success
Communities that live with wildlife bear the unfair and uncompensated burden of conservation.
What would a UK embassy move to Jerusalem mean for Palestine?
It would not do more damage to Palestinian resistance than it would to British politics.
Suicide is not a crime — countries must stop treating it as one
It's time to decriminalise suicide globally. This World Mental Health Day, we owe it to millions of silent sufferers.
Putin is fighting alone
Those whom the Russian president may perceive as allies do not seem to be eager to back his brutal war in Ukraine.
The case for an international mechanism for Syria’s disappeared
Member states must back Secretary-General António Guterres' proposal to set up a body on Syria's disappeared.
China gains when democracies target press freedoms
A free press helps a country’s resilience to foreign influence campaigns, but democracies are weakening their defences.
The Woman King: The truth about slavery matters
Africans also sold other Africans into slavery. Black filmmakers must stop hiding the continent's imperfect history.
The hidden victims of Pakistan’s floods – the elderly
Older people bear the brunt of climate change but are neglected in the humanitarian response. That needs to stop.
An illiberal putsch attempt in Bosnia
Electoral reform imposed on election day threatens to undermine Bosnian democracy.