The US presidential election just got whackier
by Rashmee
Posted on July 5, 2020
Kanye West announcing his presidential candidacy makes an unusual US presidential election season more bizarre by far. We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION – ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020 The pandemic — the first … Continue reading “The US presidential election just got whackier”
Read MoreThe ‘B’ word is strangely absent from the conversation today
by Rashmee
Posted on June 24, 2020 / The Focus
Today is the fourth anniversary of Brexit. Hardly anyone is marking the occasion. Take a look at the eight front pages below. None of them refer to that transformative event, which set off a period of intense political turmoil in Britain, paralysing Parliament, polarising the country and pushed two Conservative prime ministers out of office. The Brexit … Continue reading “The ‘B’ word is strangely absent from the conversation today”
Read MoreO brave new world. It’s the week it opens the door and gingerly peers out
by Rashmee
Posted on May 10, 2020
This is the week the world tries to recover its nerve even though we remain months away from a vaccine for Covid-19 and still have no cure. As 15-year-old Miranda said in Act V of The Tempest: “How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in’t!” Indeed, rather a brave attempt … Continue reading “O brave new world. It’s the week it opens the door and gingerly peers out”
Read MoreEurope won’t admit that ‘ever closer union’ means the California-Mississippi issue
by Rashmee
Posted on April 8, 2020
Europe has a big problem. It doesn’t want to acknowledge that “ever closer union” requires real togetherness, the kind that binds California and Mississippi. California contributes the most federal tax revenue and Mississippi is one of the most federally dependent states in America. And yet, they have equal representation in the US Senate and equal … Continue reading “Europe won’t admit that ‘ever closer union’ means the California-Mississippi issue”
Read MoreCoronavirus won’t kill off the high price of Brexit and ‘nostalgic nationalism’
by Rashmee
Posted on April 4, 2020
The joint Brexit committee – composed of EU and UK representatives – had its first teleconference on March 30, and reportedly boasted a “constructive and productive atmosphere”. That was the word from European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, committee co-chair with the UK’s Michael Gove. Despite the cheeriness, it’s true that Brexit negotiations have been … Continue reading “Coronavirus won’t kill off the high price of Brexit and ‘nostalgic nationalism’”
Read MoreIt’s coming up to the ides of March
by Rashmee
Posted on March 9, 2020
In March 2018, it was frigging cold in DC. The padlet below, which I made that March, two years ago, offers a snapshot. Click here. But this year, Washington, D.C. is warm in the sunshine. And the ornamental cabbage is blooming fierce and proud. “Beware the ides of March”: the warning is issued twice in … Continue reading “It’s coming up to the ides of March”
Read MoreMr Trump’s proposed NATOME will be in the Middle East. That’s as ludicrous as the acronym
by Rashmee
Posted on February 14, 2020
It’s hard to see the rationale for Donald Trump’s call on the NATO alliance to increase its involvement in the Middle East. He’s dreamt up a name for the mission – NATOME (NATO plus the initials of Middle East) – but beyond, there’s no clarity on anything very much. NATO is primarily focused on collective … Continue reading “Mr Trump’s proposed NATOME will be in the Middle East. That’s as ludicrous as the acronym”
Read MoreSome American corporations are showing they have the sensibility of an ethical person
by Rashmee
Posted on October 8, 2019
For nearly a decade, corporate personhood has been hugely controversial in the United States. Ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling in 2010, upholding the rights of corporations to make political expenditures under the First Amendment, confers the right to free speech on a person or an association of people. Of … Continue reading “Some American corporations are showing they have the sensibility of an ethical person”
Read MoreWhy the Sychronized Slump might be a thing
by Rashmee
Posted on August 16, 2019
Axios might’ve had it first: We seem headed for the Synchronized Slump, it said on August 15, as global economic data worsened. Quite so. The numbers are going down; things are going south. Some of the high points as cited by Axios: ** Japan and three of Europe’s four largest economies — Germany, Italy and the … Continue reading “Why the Sychronized Slump might be a thing”
Read MoreMexico is in an even worse position than Turkey on the migrant issue
by Rashmee
Posted on June 10, 2019
The attempt by Donald Trump’s America to dump Central American migrants on Mexico reminds me of the refugee issue as experienced by two other countries – Turkey and Jordan. In 2016, European countries negotiated with Turkey to hold as many Syrian refugees as possible, which is to say they were to be prevented from taking … Continue reading “Mexico is in an even worse position than Turkey on the migrant issue”
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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