News to Know
The news you need to know for the evening of Thursday 9th January.
- 9 January 2020
All we are saying is give Trump a chance
It used to be said that American leaders campaign in poetry and govern in prose. If Donald Trump was campaigning in poetry the prose is going to be a blast. In some areas the pointers are good: Brexit and Israel, for example. On others, let's just give Trump a chance
- 20 January 2017
Obama's dismal but forgettable legacy
Obama's legacy is dismal. What he did wrong was mainly unoriginal; what he did right was trivial. He was a president consumed with himself. His legacy is entirely forgettable
- 17 January 2017
The Russia question: Of Barack, Donald, and Vladimir
There is a sense in which it is worrying that Trump seems warm towards Putin. But Obama, as in so many spheres, never had a serious policy towards Russia. One thing is clear, Washington and Moscow have an overwhelming interest in working together on a range of vital issues
- 4 January 2017
Lesson 1 for Trump: Don't blame West for MidEast turmoil
President-elect Trump, even when accounting for mistakes in policy, should forgo apologies for the general chaos and turmoil in the Middle East. Arab societies have a duty to reform themselves because most of their problems are homegrown
- 11 November 2016
Good riddance, Mr. Obama
This American writer didn't vote for either Trump or Clinton. But, after eight long, rudderless years, the narcissist Obama is thankfully, finally, on his way out. Let's hope Trump can confound the critics and do a better job
- 10 November 2016
The Obama doctrine: Don't blame me...
In Obama's worldview, there is plenty of blame to go around about the state of the world as long as it’s not ascribed to the current occupant of the White House. His arrogance and aloofness never cease to amaze
- 6 April 2016
Would Obama please butt out of Brexit debate?
Given Obama's hopeless foreign policy, you'd have thought he'd stay out of the Brexit debate. But no. He's lecturing Britain on staying in. Fine. Every time he opens his mouth he creates thousands more Brexiteers.
- 23 March 2016
Obama on foreign policy debacle: Don't blame me
Forget Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail. What about Barack Obama's disgraceful attacks on Britain and France to try and conceal the disaster that his been his own foreign policy?
- 15 March 2016
States of misunderstanding? Britain and the US
A US Presidential contest between a buffoon and a superannuated socialist is unthinkable. Isn’t it? And what's with those insane talk show pundits. Brits just don't get America
- 21 January 2016
Despite Obama's bragging, his economic legacy is dismal
Which planet is Barack Obama on? He brags about his economic record. Meanwhile, the U.S. is undergoing its weakest recovery since the Great Depression. And being better than Europe is not a matter for pride
- 16 January 2016
Hillary Clinton’s increasingly awkward campaign
Even leaving Hillary's awkwardness aside, the Clintons are a walking scandal machine. Essentially, this is not a couple that deserves more time in the White House, is it?
- 10 October 2015
The "Obama Doctrine" is just misguided dithering
Barack Obama's foreign policy is now bound to leave the world a more dangerous place than when he came to office. The so-called Obama doctrine is a manual for inaction which revolves around misguided thinking
- 3 October 2015
Obama v Putin -- a New Realism?
As always, President Obama tiptoes around violent contradictions in today’s Islam. Indeed, his speech on Syria showed a confused mind on many things, while President Putin was sharper and more focused. Yet, strangely, it might all coalesce into a deal
- 30 September 2015
Obama's legacy: Cuba, Iran, and silly, PC Brit-bashing
Barack Obama's international legacy will come down to a probably reasonable move to reconcile with Cuba, a possibly disastrous deal with Iran, and, this side of the pond, a gratuitous history of Brit-bashing based on shallow political correctness
- 26 July 2015
Latest on the blog
We are wholly dependent on the kindness of our readers for our continued work. We thank you in advance for any support you can offer.