Many media analysts have rightly identified the dangers posed by “fake news,” but often overlook what the phenomenon means for journalists themselves. Not only has the term become a shorthand way to malign an entire industry; autocrats are invoking it as an excuse to jail reporters and justify censorship, often on trumped-up charges of supporting terrorism.Around the world, the number of honest journalists jailed for publishing fake or fictitious news is at an all-time high of at least 21.

Last year, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump were hurling kindergarten insults at each other – “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission,” said Trump of Kim; “mentally deranged US dotard,” Kim retorted – while threatening to reduce East Asia to a post-atomic wasteland. Now, in a stunning and dramatic development, the two are to meet by May.

United States (US) president, Donald Trump’s imposition of at least US$60 million worth of tariffs on China’s products has already prompted signs of Chinese retaliation, something that could result in a trade war between the two nations. Trump’s earlier proposals to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium imports has already sparked a global uproar. Spill-over effects from a likely trade war could impact Southeast Asia too.

During a free trade forum at the Wilson Centre in 2014, United States (US) Trade Representative, Michael Froman addressed a crowd on America’s commitment to free trade.“By leading on trade, we can carry forward the torch that President Wilson held up a century ago, when he said, ‘The time for provincial thinkers has gone by.

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s planned historic meeting with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un has raised more questions than answers. By the look of things, it seems like we are finally reaching rapprochement between both sides – a feud which stretches back to the Cold War era. However, the conditions under which these talks are taking place does raise an ire of suspicion.

The mercantilist school of economic thought – which promoted tariffs and other protectionist elements – seems poised for a comeback under the administration of Donald Trump. The United States (US), once saw leaders like Ronald Reagan champion the values of free market economics as the world watched the Berlin Wall crumble to dust, marking the end of Soviet era communism.

Geopolitical developments in the Korean Peninsula have taken a turn for the better with North Korea agreeing to come to the meeting table with South Korea in April to deescalate prevailing nuclear tensions. The meeting will mark the third time the leaders of the two Koreas are meeting – the previous two in 2000 and 2007 – but will be the first to take place in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

With every tweet, Donald Trump seems to be eroding America’s leadership position within the rubrics of the liberal international order. His latest tirade that “trade wars are good, and easy to win” has more than sullied America’s position as the bastion of free trade in the world. To be fair, his poise towards economic protectionism was not unexpected.

The 2018 Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang drew to a close yesterday with athletes from South and North Korea emerging for the closing ceremony under their own national banners. A stark contrast from the opening ceremony which saw a unified Korean entrance into the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium – displaying the flag of a unified Korean peninsula. From the get-go, the games were more than just about snow and sports – they were also about diplomacy.

The United States (US) recently released a new nuclear policy which has come under heavy criticism from many quarters. The doctrine by the Trump administration is essentially a nuclear posture review that critics have called “aggressive” – reminiscent of the Cold War era of politics. It contains the superpower’s attitude towards nuclear armed nations like China, Russia and North Korea.