Eight years ago international affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe authored Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan, published by Palgrave-Macmillan of New York. Manthorpe returns to the subject in today’s column, explaining why political upheaval looms in Taiwan as President Ma seeks to retain his party’s
JONATHAN MANTHORPE Published: September 13, 2013. Political life in the island nation of Taiwan is facing uncertainty and looming chaos as President Ma Ying-jeou attempts to counter plummeting popularity and threats to his leadership of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party. There
Chris Wood’s new Natural Security column suggests we might as well say goodbye to a bunch of Pacific Islands, along with the Majuro Declaration – scrapped by Australia’s new leader, a man in the mould of Canada’s Stephen Harper. The column, in Commentary, can be
CHRIS WOOD: NATURAL SECURITY Published September 12, 2013 The Majuro Declaration. Ever heard of it? I thought not. The two-page document was released Sept. 5 by a group of 15 small Pacific island nations, and two somewhat larger Pacific island nations —
A Black Hole is defined, in lay terms, as a piece of space with a gravitational field so fierce that no matter can escape. Since airborne terrorists attacked New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, the world has been pulled toward a metaphoric Black Hole, one created by
I learn something new with every piece by international affairs analyst Jonathan Manthorpe. In today’s column Manthorpe looks at the growing rift between Riyadh and Washington, as a symptom of both major change in the national stance of Middle Eastern countries, and a
JONATHAN MANTHORPEPublished: September 11, 2013. Saudi Arabia is increasingly disenchanted with the Middle East policy of United States President Barak Obama’s administration, which Riyadh sees as inept and fostering discord rather than security. The unprecedented rift between Riyadh and Washington is coming to a
The Thor Viking, in the waters near the L’anse aux Meadows National Historic Site in Newfoundland, Canada, which is the only proven Norse settlement in North America and the site of a festival marking 1000 years since the settlement was founded
I’ve been thinking about Brian Brennan’s funny new piece about playing the accordion, about his (tongue-in-cheek) complaint that he gets no respect. I want to listen to him. I want to hear his pain. Really – I do. I’m just having a
Whatever drove Russian leader Russian President Vladimir Putin to tell reporters this morning his support for Syria’s Assad regime is unshakeable? What is behind Russian manoeuvers that evoke Cold War brinkmanship, such as bolstering its naval deployment off Syria’s coast? The two countries have no
