United States

Myanmar Military Brass Hit With New US, EU Sanctions

The European Union (EU) and the United States (US) slapped sanctions Monday on top police and military commanders linked to last month's coup in Myanmar, as pro-democracy demonstrators went back to the streets in defiance of a violent crackdown on protest.The junta is increasingly using deadly force to crush activists who have risen up against the military's ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February.In a bid to pile international pressure on the regime, the European

23 March 2021
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Has America’s War On Drugs Failed?

United States (US) administrations come and go, but America’s repressive drug strategy remains a constant. Ever since President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” in 1971, the world has hoped for a change in US drug policy with every new administration.

22 March 2021
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North Korea Cuts Ties With Malaysia

North Korea severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia on Friday, abruptly ending a once-close relationship that soured following the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother in a Kuala Lumpur airport four years ago.Pyongyang's foreign ministry said it was responding to Malaysia's extradition of a North Korean citizen to the United States (US) this week – a move it labelled an "unpardonable crime" carried out under "blind obedience" to US pressure.Malaysia had

20 March 2021
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US Leads Billion-Plus Vaccine Push In India

India will produce more than one billion more COVID vaccine doses by the end of next year in an initiative launched Friday with the United States (US), Japan and Australia, challenging China as the four leaders held their first-ever joint summit.US President Joe Biden, who has vowed to reinvigorate alliances in the face of growing worries about China, met virtually with the three nations' prime ministers as they pledged together to defend a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region.&

14 March 2021
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Is The US Embassy The Best Place To Protest?

One month ago, in Myanmar, protesters against the military coup gathered around the United States (US) embassy in Yangon. They called on President Joe Biden to make the generals go back to their barracks and free Aung San Suu Kyi from detention. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a big victory in the 2020 general election, which is why the generals, afraid of losing their privileges, seized power. But is the US embassy the best place to protest?

6 March 2021
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China Moves To Eliminate Hong Kong Opposition

China moved Friday to grant itself veto powers over selecting Hong Kong's lawmakers, part of a campaign to eliminate dissent and ensure a "patriotic" government in the city following huge democracy rallies in 2019.Legislation to allow China's communist rulers to vet all election candidates in Hong Kong was tabled at the opening of the nation's rubber-stamp parliament in Beijing.It came a day after dozens of democracy campaigners in the financial hub – including former

6 March 2021
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COVID Cooperation Crucial For Global Economy

In a recent letter to her G20 colleagues, United States (US) Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen argued that a truly global COVID-19 vaccination program “is the strongest stimulus we can provide to the global economy.” With rich countries vaccinating their populations while low-income countries have yet to receive even paid-for vaccine doses, the world seems a long way from that goal. But the first shoots of solidarity are beginning to appear, and leaders must strengthen cooperati

4 March 2021
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US-Philippines Security Alliance At A Crossroads?

One of the many important questions in Philippine foreign policy that has been consistently asked by Filipinos and people in the foreign policy circle ever since the Philippines received its independence from the United States (US) in 1946 is, “are Filipinos better off with the Americans, or without them?”  It can be noted that on 4 July, 1946, the Philippines was granted full independence by the United States (US), nevertheless, before that, the country was a protectorate of the US.

3 March 2021
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What Could Cause A US-China War?

When China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, recently called for a reset of bilateral relations with the United States (US), a White House spokesperson replied that the US saw the relationship as one of strong competition that required a position of strength.

3 March 2021
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Is The “Old Normal” Ever Coming Back?

Human beings are creatures of habit. We tend to envisage a future much the same as the past, so we cling to familiar tools, approaches, and perspectives, even as the world changes.

2 March 2021
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