From Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, America’s climate story is one of dizzying change
by Rashmee
Posted on May 8, 2021
/ FAITH, HOPE… Enough time has elapsed since Joe Biden’s April 22 climate summit for a dispassionate assessment of what it all meant. In two words: Faith. Hope. There’s quite a lot of the latter and not enough of the first. The world hopes the United States, the second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, will … Continue reading “From Bill Clinton to Joe Biden, America’s climate story is one of dizzying change”
Read MoreWords have long been a weapon against Asian Americans
by Rashmee
Posted on March 26, 2021
/ LANGUAGE As America confronts a yearlong escalation in anti-Asian violence, the role of language in the whole situation is noteworthy. I don’t mean only Donald Trump’s language – “China virus”; “Kung flu” etc – but the way Asian Americans are often categorised. As Axios has pointed out, Asian Americans are often burdened with the following phrase: … Continue reading “Words have long been a weapon against Asian Americans”
Read MoreImpeachment: The American equivalent of a parliamentary no-confidence vote?
by Rashmee
Posted on February 15, 2021
/ POLITICS IN AMERICA On the Friday before Donald Trump was acquitted for a second time in as many years in his impeachment trial, I heard Cardozo School of Law professor and ABC News contributor Kate Shaw discuss an interesting new concept: “Impeachment talk”. Impeachment, she said to Five Thirty Eight’s Galen Druke, may now … Continue reading “Impeachment: The American equivalent of a parliamentary no-confidence vote?”
Read MoreMyanmar’s democracy was always a bit of an aspiration. Now, we don’t have even that
by Rashmee
Posted on February 13, 2021
/FAITH, HOPE… A fortnight after the military coup in Myanmar, the dismal truth is how little hope there is for a return to normal order. That’s because the normal order for Myanmar would be a managed democracy or at least, a quasi-democracy. And that doesn’t seem to have pleased anyone. Not the country’s powerful army, … Continue reading “Myanmar’s democracy was always a bit of an aspiration. Now, we don’t have even that”
Read MoreWhat Mr Trump said, how he said it and how it was heard
by Rashmee
Posted on February 12, 2021
/ LANGUAGE For a man who wears his intellectual bankruptcy and linguistic imprecision as a badge of honour, Donald Trump is remarkably pointed and careful about what he says, how he says it and how it’s heard. That particular style of oral communication is at the heart of the debate during Mr Trump’s second impeachment … Continue reading “What Mr Trump said, how he said it and how it was heard”
Read MoreHuman good and a Groundhog year when Trump goes on trial for a second time in 365 days
by Rashmee
Posted on February 9, 2021
/ POLITICS & AMERICA Here’s the silver lining as former president Donald Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial begins a second time: This is the last one. Be of good cheer, we will not have to revisit Mr Trump’s words and deeds after this, paying close attention to his dismal thought processes (if they can be … Continue reading “Human good and a Groundhog year when Trump goes on trial for a second time in 365 days”
Read MoreBig Tech is on trial
by Rashmee
Posted on February 4, 2021
/IT’S THE BUSINESS Last year, regulators in both the US and the EU were fairly tough on technology companies but 2021 may be a pivotal moment. There is growing concern that tech giants’ economic dominance is translating into political power – too much of it – as seen in Twitter’s decision to ban Mr Trump. … Continue reading “Big Tech is on trial”
Read MoreEurope looks to a new US president who knows what comes of ‘wrong patriotism’
by Rashmee
Posted on January 30, 2021
This, the second weekend since Joe Biden got to the White House, is a good moment to understand the depths of Europe’s dismay over his predecessor’s destructive and dangerous four-year presidency. Long story short, it’s basically a mixture of trepidation and hope that America, Europe and the world turns the page on Trumpism’s gleeful and … Continue reading “Europe looks to a new US president who knows what comes of ‘wrong patriotism’”
Read MoreIt’s not about ‘will’. Can Joe Biden succeed as president?
by Rashmee
Posted on January 29, 2021
Here are the two questions everyone’s asking: ** Will Joe Biden succeed as America’s 46th president? ** Can Joe Biden succeed as America’s 46th president? The first question is ultimately unknowable. Who knows if Mr Biden will be able to restore order to his country’s politics and take America back to the superior position it … Continue reading “It’s not about ‘will’. Can Joe Biden succeed as president?”
Read MoreHorsing around and exhortations: World to Biden’s America
by Rashmee
Posted on January 28, 2021
In the blissfully quiet first week of Joe Biden’s presidency, there’s been a lot of horsing around as well as more serious exhortations from around the world about the United States. Mostly it’s about the challenges faced by the country. Donald Trump isn’t always mentioned by name but he hangs – like a pall – over … Continue reading “Horsing around and exhortations: World to Biden’s America”
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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