https://twitter.com/SenBobCorker/status/917045348820049920 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Adult Day Care Centre. That was the term Senator Bob Corker chose for the White House after President Donald Trump unleashed an early morning Twitter tirade about the retiring GOP senator. It was an unprecedented sight: a public humiliation of the president from a member of Congress in his own party. […]
Category Archives: American Politics
John Chiang, Pragmatic Progressive
Yesterday, I had the chance to listen to California state treasurer John Chiang at a lecture sponsored by the Berkeley Forum and the Goldman School of Public Policy. At first, I had debated whether or not I should go; I love politics and public policy, but just after moving here, I knew little about California’s […]
Vanquished, Not Vanished
“Stronger Together” was the slogan that Hillary Clinton had chosen for her election campaign. It was a firmly inclusive message, but it was an ironic one for the candidate. She has never really been a unifier. Whether or not the hatred for her from both the left and the right can be justified is another […]
In Defence of Free Speech
“I don’t agree with a word you say”, wrote Evelyn Beatrice Hall, “but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” The quote is often misattributed to Voltaire, because Hall was writing about the great French writer, but it does sum up his life, for he was a keen advocate of free speech […]
Conspirator in Chief?
“What did the president know, and when did he know it?” This was the question asked by Senator Howard Baker who worked on the Senate committee investigating the Watergate Scandal. It was an appropriate question back then when it pertained the extent to which Richard Nixon was involved in the Watergate scandal. The question remains […]
Welfare State Woes
What do Mitch McConnell and Prayut Chan-o-cha have in common? Not much at first glance. One is the Republican Senate Majority Leader of the United States, a masterful tactician who many in Washington fear. The other is the prime minister of Thailand, who came to power by means of a coup and is now preparing […]
The Myopia of the Trump Administration
Donald Trump’s administration is incredibly myopic. This is the main takeaway from the president’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change agreement. Let us first make clear that Trump’s announcement today was largely theatrical and will have no real impact on the Paris agreement itself. The reason for this is that […]
Rationalising the Irrational
Vox recently published an article, written by David Roberts, titled “We overanalyse Trump. He is what he appears to be”. In it, Roberts discusses the concept of a “theory of the mind”: the capacity that humans develop to “read” humans and to understand their beliefs and goals. As such, humans with this capacity are consistently […]
Chaotic Orthodoxy
This was not a blog post that I had intended to write at this juncture in time. What was in the queue was an overview of Thai politics. Instead, it is a sign of the fast turn of events that my last blog post became outdated within 24 hours of publication. Titled ‘Rock Bottom for […]
Rock Bottom for Foggy Bottom
Rex Tillerson initially seemed like a solid pick for Secretary of State. Yes, he had received an odd medal from Putin, of all people, and yes, he had no experience in government. But he had also worked for decades at ExxonMobil, with its globe-spanning business interests, and he was no stranger to negotiating with foreign […]
