Why the world should be worried about the rise of strongman politics
Jul 24, 2018 16:25 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Back in 2016, The Financial Times Gideon Rachman advanced the view in a commentary for The Economist that the strongman style of leadership was gravitating from east to west, and growing stronger. Across the world from...

What makes Putin's vision of a Russian-US oil alliance a pipedream
Jul 20, 2018 08:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy Politics
When Russian leader Vladimir Putin addressed the media in Helsinki alongside President Donald Trump, he proposed that their countries work together to make oil and gas markets calmer. Trump didnt say whether he...
Disillusioned voters find it easy to embrace a crossbencher like Rebekha Sharkie
Jul 20, 2018 08:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics
More than two decades ago Alexander Downer stood aside as opposition leader for John Howard, paving the way for the 1996 Coalition election win. This week Howard was in Mayo, his former foreign ministers one-time South...
Biya must stop the killings in Cameroon and lead the search for peace
Jul 19, 2018 16:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
I spent part of last month in Cameroon travelling to various communities and listening to ordinary voices about the ongoing Anglophone crisis. I witnessed the devastating impact of the conflict on people and their...
Has Trump violated his oath of office? A primer on presidential duty and accountability
Jul 19, 2018 14:00 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
After his joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, U.S. President Donald Trump was barraged with criticism from both friends and foes. Standing next to Putin, Trump repudiated U.S....

Can democracy vote itself out of existence?
Jul 17, 2018 14:53 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
Look at the state of the worlds democratic nations, and it is easy to see why so many are concerned for the future of democracy. Leaders such as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vladimir Putin and Hungarys Viktor Orbán have...

Blame politicians, not Mandela, for South Africa's unfinished business
Jul 17, 2018 14:52 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
July 2018 marks Nelson Mandelas centenary year. Why is he still so revered across the world? The answer simply is that he is widely regarded as the personification of values which he spent much of his life fighting for....