LATE INTO THE NIGHT on January 9, 2026, global financial markets witnessed a seismic moment. U.S. President Trump posted a seemingly routine but ultimately explosive tweet: he ordered the Federal Housing Finance Agency to make use of the balance sheets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to immediately purchase US$200 billion in Mortgage-Backed Securities.
This…
[speech given to the United Nations security council on 5 January 2026]
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Mr. President, distinguished members of the Security Council, the issue before the council today is not the character of the government of Venezuela.
The issue is whether any member state by force, coercion, or economic strangulation has the right to determine Venezuela's…
The surge in China’s military capacity, especially over the last decade, has been the focus of increasing Western commentary, some of it measured, much of it alarmist. Many alarmists believe it is a truth universally acknowledged that any large nation possessed of a significantly upgraded stockpile of advanced martial equipment will want to use it…
MORE THAN 15 MONTHS AGO, I explained how “America, itself, has verified that it is no longer a normal country” (see this link). Since I wrote that article, America’s grave political deformity has been stunningly ratified.
NORMAL VS ABNORMAL
Some Americans relish the idea of the US not being normal because they view it as…
If one country out of the 200 nations on earth starts behaving in an erratic, anti-social way, it shouldn't worry the entire planet. But when it's the United States of America, which is following its "God-given right" to lead the world, the rest of humanity is understandably concerned, and growing more so by the day.…
MOST Republicans and Democrats believe that the United States will cease to be a democracy, according to a new poll by Yahoo News and YouGov.
Democrats (55%) and Republicans (53%) now believe it is “likely” that America will “cease to be a democracy in the future”.
When people who fit into neither of those two…
A quiet but intense battle for power in this region is already long advanced. Dramatic recent moves in South Korea and Taiwan are the most recent plays by the United States. Hong Kong needs strong leadership, says academic and commentator CK Yeung.
IN ORDINARY TIMES, Hong Kong does not need John Lee. In extraordinary times,…
