LAND WARS in Asia have rarely gone well for America. In Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, America spent years on the ground, ensnared in conflicts for much longer than first expected. Now President Donald Trump is threatening to repeat the experience. Short of options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he has sent thousands of troops…
For a world shaken by war in Ukraine and the Middle East, there was a faintly reassuring line in the latest Annual Threat Assessment by America’s intelligence agencies. “Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027,” said the report, released on March 18th. The new phrase was striking because…
Hong Kong-based Bar Leone is set to serve up its signature cocktails at the 98th Oscars Governors Ball with Don Julio Tequila on 15 March. Nimmi Malhotra finds out more. Diageo-owned Tequila Don Julio has partnered with the Academy Awards Governors Ball – the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official after party, for…
On the eve of Lunar New Year, last Monday night, China used the Spring Festival Gala — the most‑watched television program in the world — to showcase a technological prowess that goes far beyond entertainment. The broadcast, watched by nearly 600 million Chinese as they devour jiaozi (traditional Chinese dumplings) with their families, became a…
This is the introduction to Checks and Balance, a weekly, subscriber-only newsletter in which our writers turn their gaze to the latest political developments in America. The past year has seen a new surge in activity on prediction markets, with “event contracts” traded on digital platforms. Sign up to Checks and Balance here. I am not…
IT HAS BEEN Bad Bunny’s biggest, baddest month yet. Last week the Puerto Rican singer, Spotify’s most-streamed artist in four of the past six years, became the first musician to win an album-of-the-year Grammy for one entirely in Spanish. In his acceptance speech he won cheers for a swipe at Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown: “ICE…
ROBERT OPPENHEIMER, the father of America’s nuclear bomb, described his country’s atomic rivalry with the Soviet Union as “two scorpions in a bottle”. The risks of this standoff have been contained over the years by various arms-control agreements, most recently New START. But that treaty expires on February 5th, with no replacement—and to make matters…
The recent drama surrounding US action in Venezuela, its renewed interest in Greenland and tariff threats on governments that object, along with comments on Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, appear disjointed – part diplomacy, part law enforcement, part political theatre. Like many observers, I rely on the news to try to make sense of the policy…
Hours before US helicopters landed at the compound of Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela said he had enjoyed a “pleasant evening” with Chinese diplomats. In a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy for Latin America, Qiu Xiaoqi, the two countries reaffirmed close ties and commitment to “building a multipolar world of development…
China has moved its army, naval, air force and rocket force units to surround Taiwan for military drills, warning outside forces against supporting Taiwanese independence. The operation, dubbed “Just Mission 2025”, aims to test Beijing’s combat readiness, and will involve live-fire exercises on Tuesday. China’s Eastern Theatre Command said five zones surrounding Taiwan would be…