It is probably premature to offer an assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic’s possible consequences, not least because there may well be many more twists and turns to come. And once we defeat the coronavirus, some of the pandemic-induced changes to our lives might turn out to have been temporary.

In December 1862, in the throes of the American Civil War, which pitted the norms of slavery against the norms of freedom, United States (US) President Abraham Lincoln presented his emancipation plan to Congress. “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present,” he declared. “The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.

I don’t know whether United States (US) President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and their foreign-policy advisers have read Robert Axelrod’s classic book on international relations, The Evolution of Cooperation.

Directly or indirectly, the military has always called the shots in Myanmar.

How Joe Biden handles China will be one of the defining issues of his presidency. He inherits a Sino-American relationship that is at its lowest point in 50 years. Some people blame this on his predecessor, Donald Trump. But Trump merits blame for pouring gasoline on a fire.

One week into the job, United States (US) President Joe Biden has sent a clear warning to Beijing against any expansionist intentions in East and Southeast Asia.In multiple calls and statements, he and his top security officials have underscored support for allies Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, signalling Washington's rejection of China's disputed territorial claims in those areas.On Wednesday, Biden told Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga that his administratio

In his inaugural address, United States (US) President Joe Biden declared that Americans “will be judged” for how they “resolve the cascading crises of our era.” He expressed confidence that the country would “rise to the occasion,” and pledged that the US would lead “not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.” The contrast with President Donald Trump’s divisive, isolationist rhetoric could not be sharper.

The United States (US) pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, which is manufacturing the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Germany's BioNTech, now considers each vial contains six doses compared to five previously. The difficulty in obtaining that sixth dose in practice means many countries are at loggerheads with Pfizer and facing a drop in supply.How Many Doses?Until recently, each vial of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine was considered to officially contain five doses. After being thaw

Secretary of State Antony Blinken got to work Wednesday with a warning that the world's eyes were on the United States (US) to see if it can heal deep divisions.Blinken, a veteran diplomat and confidant of President Joe Biden, promised to rebuild morale and respect in a welcome ceremony at the State Department front entrance that was extraordinary for what was lacking – crowds.With COVID-19 raging, Blinken asked that only a bare minimum of employees, all masked, come to see him – and not

Seen from Europe, Asia, or even North America, Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, is as remote as can be.