This week’s summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin was of historic significance. It extended global tensions that began with the Ukrainian conflict two years ago to the eastern tip of the Eurasian continent, where the Cold War started in 1950. It could have unfathomable consequences. It also unravels years […]
China’s Unsustainable Surplus
Beijing is operating a trade model that could bust China and the rest of the world, either now or in the coming years. A vital party plenum in July might address the issue, but how? The Future In 2032, Wall Street crashed, and the dollar collapsed. The US trade deficit with China had ballooned to […]
EU Elections and Upcoming G7 Confirming Trends on Russia
The G7 summit in Italy opens against the backdrop of a complex EU (European Union) election result, where the European Popular Party (EPP) confirmed its central role. Its allies, the Liberals and the Socialists, encountered a severe setback but remain strong. The Conservatives and the hard right (mostly pro-Russia) made advances but did not secure […]
China’s Rise, Missed Opportunities, Knots and Western New Nationalism
Whether peaceful or not, a country’s rise is based on being prepared and seizing opportunities. It is something China has missed in the past 20 years. Now, it faces the prospect that its rise will not be peaceful and could fail altogether if significant changes are not made. It’s not Xi Jinping’s fault; he alone […]
Meloni, the Church, and the EU: An Existential Issue
There are both trivial motives of political opportunism and deeper reasons concerning the Church’s “mission” for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to pay close attention to the warnings of CEI (Italian Bishops’ Conference) president, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, regarding the controversial bill of “differentiated autonomy.” The bill devolves significant central powers to the regions, strengthening existing centrifugal […]
Italy’s Wounded Premiership
Italy was neither born one, nor does it have a deep-rooted tradition of political unity. For example, Siena fought Florence for centuries, and within Siena itself, there are still centuries-old rivalries between the districts, the contrade. The nation was forged through the gradual patching and soothing of the rifts created by a political merger, which […]