By Biljana Vankovska China’s conduct in the UN Security Council often disappoints those who expect it to openly confront what they see as an unrestrained American imperial machine. This expectation was especially evident in China’s abstentions on two key recent occasions: UNSC Resolution 2803 on Gaza, which effectively enabled Trump’s ‘Peace Board’ experiment and even hints at bypassing the UN, and the latest vote on Iran ( Resolution 2817 ), which produced the distorted im

The Cayman Islands sits at the heart of a network of British financial jurisdictions. Together, they manage trillions in assets, influencing global capital flows and investment networks. Flag of the Cayman Islands -- Dickelbers, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By John P. Ruehl China, which was the largest holder of U.S. government debt as recently as 2019 , has cut its holdings to the lowest level since 2008 , driven by changing trade patterns, geopolitical concerns, and

The American Southern accent reveals how linguistic prejudice reinforces classism, regionalism, and subconscious bias across generations. Plate with a quote from the film Forrest Gump at Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant in Hollywood, California, USA. -- Prayitno, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Madeline VanArsdale [Author’s note: IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet. It is an alphabet of symbols, not entirely unlike the Latin alphabet, which is used to guide pronunc

U.S. military action is disrupting key energy suppliers, putting China’s reliance on foreign sources to the test. Even as Beijing strengthens domestic capacity and diversifies imports, the crisis exposes the limits of its energy strategy. A tanker docked in the Chinese port of Qingdao -- Benlisquare, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Brittani Banks (WP User) and John P. Ruehl China’s energy security may be put to its first true test in 2026 with the seizure of Venezuelan

By Biljana Vankovska The New Year did not begin with hope or joy, except for the arms dealers. More precisely, for the military-industrial-media-academic-NGO complex that feeds on permanent war. Orders are flowing, profits are booming, and blood has once again become a growth sector. For any normal society, pirates belong in adventure films, not in the civilian power corridor. Yet Venezuela, more precisely, its legally elected president Nicolás Maduro, became the first trophy

Trump on December 13 -- public domain image By Tings Chak On 10 December 2025, U.S. forces seized the oil tanker Skipper off the coast of Venezuela, carrying over a million barrels of crude. “Well, we keep [the oil],” President Trump told reporters. Venezuela’s foreign ministry called it “blatant theft and an act of international piracy,” adding: “The true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed. It has always been about our natural

Skyline of Pudong, Shanghai, seen from Suzhou creek area -- Steffen Wurzel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Shiran Illanperuma Is Asia possible? This provocation comes from a recent intervention by Tricontinental Asia, the latest in a series of conjunctural analyses on the Asian continent. There is increasing acknowledgement that the world economy’s centre of gravity is shifting to Asia. Home to 60 percent of the world’s population, the continent contributes to 70 per

Milososki, Mizrahi and Bytyqi at a meeting with the Taiwanese delegation / Photo: RSM Assembly / Facebook By Biljana Vankovska A familiar drama has resurfaced in Skopje. While I was still in Beijing attending the CASS academic conference on the Belt and Road Initiative, news broke that the Vice Speaker of the Macedonian Parliament, accompanied by two MPs, formally received a Taiwanese parliamentary delegation. The visit came less than two weeks after the new Ambassador of

Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China -- image via X By Biljana Vankovska Just days before the second round of local elections in Macedonia, everyone here seems obsessed with one question: who will control the municipalities —and through them, control us? Power in this country flows like a pyramid: from Vodno (the president’s office) to Ilindenska (the government’s building), and down to every local council. My local readers will

Trump and Xi Jinping, October 30, 2025 -- public domain image By Prabir Purkayastha The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan, South Korea today —30 October 2025— may have brought about a temporary relief in the US-China trade war. But unless we see the fine print of the agreement, it is difficult to assess whether this is a temporary truce or the beginning of a real rapprochement between the two nations. The jury is still out on that one and we will wait for a better understanding of wh

Washington’s unease is rising as Brazil’s Pix bypasses U.S.-dominated payment networks. The country’s digital payment revolution may soon be impossible to contain as other countries adapt their own models. By John P. Ruehl The Trump administration’s July 2025 decision to have the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) investigate Brazil’s “ attacks on American social media companies as well as other unfair trading practices ,” followed by the launch of 50 percent tari

Who and where were the Proto-Indo-Europeans? Almost 450 languages spoken by 4 billion people descend from their tongue—and J.P. Mallory...

BRICS leaders in Brazil, July 06, 2025 -- Prime Minister's Office (GODL-India), via Wikimedia Commons By Giovani Vastida and Steven Lee...

Image cropped via X By Busani Ngcaweni “Is this how Rome treats its heroes?” These words echo across the Colosseum in Gladiator II. They...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 31, 2025 -- Prime Minister's Office (GODL-India),...

From deregulated economic zones to experiments in private governance, charter city projects aim to reshape how we live. Their rise...

Shot from the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China -- public domain image By Shiran Illanperuma China’s modernisation...

A scene from the 2015 Victory celebrations in Beijing for the 70th anniversary -- http://www.president.go.kr/ , KOGL Type 1, via...

From trading posts to tech empires, corporations continue to grow in strength. Without reform, their power may soon eclipse public...

Trump at the NATO Summit -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad Na conclusão da reunião anual da Organização do Tratado do Atlântico...