French public life is becoming more ‘Americanized’ and British public life more French
by Rashmee
Posted on February 20, 2020
Everyone’s talking about the alleged “Americanization” of French public life, but almost no one is mentioning the almost parallel Gallicization of British public life. Let me explain. Just days ago, for the first time in France’s modern history, a politician resigned because his sex life was publicly exposed. Benjamin Griveaux, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s … Continue reading “French public life is becoming more ‘Americanized’ and British public life more French”
Read MoreTrump or not, it’s Washington’s way or Huawei
by Rashmee
Posted on February 18, 2020
If there’s anything that the Munich Security Conference cleared up, it’s this: Donald Trump or not, Washington’s hard line on Chinese firm Huawei will stay. Which means the US will continue to view with disfavour any country that avails of Huawei’s technology. (Boris Johnson had better be listening. By all accounts, Huawei is the reason … Continue reading “Trump or not, it’s Washington’s way or Huawei”
Read MoreEurope wants to help protect oil majors’ good intentions from themselves
by Rashmee
Posted on February 15, 2020
BP, which is practically synonymous with the fossil industry, has pledged be carbon-neutral by 2050 or sooner. Only Spain’s Repsol, a much smaller oil and gas producer, has set so ambitious a 30-year goal. Unsurprisingly, everyone’s wondering how, or even if, BP will make good on its promise. But Europe’s markets regulator is taking steady … Continue reading “Europe wants to help protect oil majors’ good intentions from themselves”
Read MoreThe great game…in Africa
by Rashmee
Posted on February 10, 2020
Europe is fighting hard to be relevant to Africa, its nearest continental neighbour. Today (Feb. 10) is the Africa Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia and AU headquarters. And it’s drawn European Council president Charles Michel – he’s been in Addis since Sunday – for some two dozen bilateral meetings with African … Continue reading “The great game…in Africa”
Read MoreIncarcerating jihadists ‘forever’ could run into logistical quicksand
by Rashmee
Posted on February 9, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
It’s a conundrum. There may not be a single solution to the threat of terrorists re-offending. Britain has declared a war on terrorists. It is only marginally better than US President George W. Bush’s “war on terror.” Unlike the United States, which has fought since 9/11 against an abstract noun, Britain will wage war against … Continue reading “Incarcerating jihadists ‘forever’ could run into logistical quicksand”
Read MoreHow far the Greens have come. Or how much the climate has changed
by Rashmee
Posted on February 8, 2020
In Austria, the Greens are in chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s coalition government. In Germany, opinion polls suggest the Greens are on course to enter government. If an election were held in Germany today, the party could win 21 to 23 per cent of the vote. That’s more than the Social Democrats (SPD) and second to the … Continue reading “How far the Greens have come. Or how much the climate has changed”
Read MoreA European Singapore, if such an entity were even possible, might be hard for the EU to stop
by Rashmee
Posted on February 7, 2020
How will the European Union (EU) stop Britain from diverging from its rules here on in? How can the EU do anything about British competitiveness, if indeed Brexit were to be managed in a way that prioritises the building of an agile regulatory system able to foster innovation and nurture efficiency? There’s not a hope … Continue reading “A European Singapore, if such an entity were even possible, might be hard for the EU to stop”
Read MoreWhat we can learn from the world’s greenest cities — and their kitchens
by Rashmee
Posted on February 5, 2020 / The National
This was supposed to be the year that Vancouver became the world’s “greenest city”, to quote the ambitious action plan adopted by its administrative council in 2011. On Monday, western Canada’s coastal, mountain-fringed metropolis acknowledged that it wasn’t quite there yet, when it launched a residents’ dialogue on how to “get real” about achieving its … Continue reading “What we can learn from the world’s greenest cities — and their kitchens”
Read MoreAfter Brexit, British bolshie-ness will be up against the great powers
by Rashmee
Posted on January 30, 2020
Tom Cotton is a US senator from Arkansas, the state that Britain and much of the world would chiefly know as being the home state of president Bill Clinton. Mr Cotton is also a close ally of Donald Trump, someone that Britain and much of the world knows to be bullying, transactional and utterly uninterested … Continue reading “After Brexit, British bolshie-ness will be up against the great powers”
Read MoreBoth the US and Europe have a shrinking geography of opportunity
by Rashmee
Posted on January 27, 2020
Coincidentally, I read a Brandeis University report on ‘The Geography of Child Opportunity’ in the US the same day I came across a statistic on poverty in western Europe. According to gross domestic product (GDP)estimates reconstructed by economic historians for nearly 200 subnational regions across western Europe going back a century, regional inequality stopped narrowing … Continue reading “Both the US and Europe have a shrinking geography of opportunity”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK