The World Around Us

Two headlines in The Guardian caught my eye this week. One headline read “Top economists call for action on runaway global inequality.” The other head...

United States (US) Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, arrived in Beijing, China on July 6,2023, for a four-day visit. She became the second US Cabinet m...

Reaching 50 years is often seen as a significant milestone for any organisation. It represents longevity and resilience. It is an occasion to celebrat...

From June 22 to 23, 2023, France hosted an international conference for a new global financial pact. The summit addressed the financing needs of mainl...

Asia is home to two of the world’s most populous countries in China and India. Asia also accounts for nearly 60 percent of the world’s population and ...

On 8th June, vice president of the United States (US), Kamala Harris, met with leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Nassau, The Bahamas. On...

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries gathered in Hiroshima, Japan, from 19-21 May, 2023 for a three-day summit in which they tried to unite on...

In the United States (US), there is a law that limits or places a ceiling on the total amount of money the Federal Government can borrow to meet its o...

The 9th Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) convenes in Antigua, Guatemala, on May 12, 2023. The S...

The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6th May, 2023. The Coronation Ceremony will see His Majesty crowned alongsi...

Based on the projections in the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “State of World Population Report” for 2023, India’s population by the middle...

From 10-16 April, the annual Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place in Washington, DC. The...

On 11th April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its outlook for the global economy for 2023 and 2024. According to the IMF, the outlook ...

Of late, the future of the United States (US) Dollar (USD) has been a topic of discussion, with some concerns that the currency might be losing its gl...

On Wednesday 29th March, the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Tsai Ing-wen, embarked on a diplomatic mission to Central America, with stop...

In recent weeks, two developments on different sides of the Atlantic have rocked global financial markets. In the United States (US), Silicon Valley B...

Broadly speaking, industrial policy refers to efforts by a state to promote economic transformation, such as by shifting from lower to higher value ac...

At the time of writing, the United States (US) stock market had fallen sharply after the head of its central bank – the Federal Reserve (Fed), announc...

Following the early resignation of current World Bank President, David Malpass, the United States (US) has nominated Ajay Banga as his replacement. Th...

February 24, 2023 marks exactly one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking a conflict which has had global ramifications. Much has been written h...

The Forty-Fourth (44th) Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) takes place in Nassau, Bahamas, ...

Over the past week, news networks in the United States (US) and other Western nations were dominated by coverage of a Chinese balloon making its way a...

On a few occasions, I have lamented the prospects for small states to advance their interests in global affairs. Due to their smallness with respect t...

Since the late 1970s when China started to pursue a policy of opening up to the rest of the world, it has experienced unprecedented economic growth an...

It is the season of peace and goodwill as billions around the world celebrate Christmas. Jesus the Christ, the central figure of Christmas, preached a...

Leaders of 49 African countries and the United States (US) convened their first summit in almost a decade from December, 13-15, 2022. Through the summ...

The 1980s was widely considered to be a lost decade for many parts of the developing world, including Latin America and the Caribbean. Mounting debt l...

A few weeks ago, I asked whether the Caribbean could rediscover its place in the world. This was out of a concern that perhaps the region had been dep...

Sports, politics and society can merge in powerful, complex and unexpected ways. Sports, as is the case with other forms of entertainment, are linked ...

There seems to never be a dull moment in global politics. This past week alone saw the annual summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leaders, a new and poten...

In the northern hemisphere, autumn officially started on 23rd September. Autumn is typically marked by considerably cooler temperatures. However, this...

On 21st October 2022, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted resolution 2653, which established a sanctions regime on Haiti. T...

In last week’s column which was written mid-week, I wrote that Liz Truss, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), was “looking vulnerable and there...

In the past week, the contrasting fortunes of the leaders of China and the United Kingdom were on full display. Beyond the leaders, the contrasts betw...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided one of the bleakest global economic forecasts of the past two decades, projecting global economic g...

THE GLOBAL geopolitical environment is undergoing some radical shifts which are forcing countries to reassess their strategies of global engagement. T...

Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Truss assumed the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) on 6th September 2022. Truss has taken over the leadership ...

World leaders have assembled in New York for the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA). The Assembly opened on September 13,...

The death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8th September 2022 has been a sad occasion for many, none more so than her immediate family for whom she was not ju...

THE EXPRESSION “Winter is Coming” was popularised first in George R. R. Martin’s book “A Song of Ice and Fire,” then by the television series “Game of...

In a July 2022 report, the United Nations (UN), said that 71 million people across the globe have been pushed into poverty because of the cost-of-livi...

How did the rich countries today get rich? There is no single answer to this question. However, what is apparent is that they used certain policy tool...

History provides a powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of war. The world must never forget that war is a great tragedy which unleashes a...

The current state of global affairs is largely unacceptable. Sky high energy prices, runaway inflation, choked supply chains, military conflicts, the ...

Last week, I wrote that “the world’s largest geopolitical fault lines exist between the United States (US) and China.” This point has been further emp...

Geopolitics concerns the strategic implications of economics, politics, power and geographic space. Essentially, it helps us to better understand the ...

A record number of countries, all of them developing nations, are now at risk of economic collapse. Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Suriname and Zambia have defau...

FOR MONTHS NOW, Sri Lanka has been gripped by economic, political and social disturbance. Last weekend, the world saw images of thousands of protester...

ON 4TH JULY, the Member States of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) celebrated the signing of the original Treaty of Chaguaramas which established the...

The international conference circuit is currently abuzz. Two weeks ago, trade ministers or their representatives met in Geneva, Switzerland for the Wo...

Such is the fractured nature of multilateralism that when multilateral bodies meet, expectations are low for concrete outcomes to emerge. Therefore, h...

The long delayed (on account of COVID-19) Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), 2022 takes place 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda. Accor...

THIS WEEKEND,Trade Ministers of the 164 Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO),will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, for the 12th Session of the ...

The United States (US), will host the ninth summit of the Americas from 6–10 June 2022, with the objective of building a sustainable, resilient, and e...

THE World Economic Forum (WEF) started its annual maeeting on 23 May, 2022 in Davos, a small ski town high in the Swiss alps. The WEF espouses values ...

DIFFUSION of responsibility, otherwise known as the bystander effect, occurs when people fail to act, instead expecting that someone else will do what...

“Pressure made the diamond,” entertainer Diana Ross said in 1971. “And pressure busts pipes, you know,” San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Gary Joh...

International Workers’ Day, better known as May Day or Labour Day, is observed yearly on 1st May. The history of May Day goes back over 160 years ago,...

Billionaire, Elon Musk’s bid to take over the popular social network – Twitter, dominated the international news cycle this week, providing some momen...

When the United Nations (UN) was founded in 1945 after World War II, its members made a commitment to maintaining international peace and security, de...

The global economy appears to be heading towards a major step back by the end of 2022. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics...

The centre of gravity of the world economy has gradually shifted from the Atlantic to Asia. However, the war in Ukraine has cast doubts on many projec...

In the past two years alone, people around the world have had to contend with wars, a pandemic, storms, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, civil strife and...

It is not a secret that China harbors superpower ambitions. After all, it is the world’s most populous country, it has the world’s second largest econ...

IN INTERNATIONAL relations, the liberal international order, alternatively referenced as the rules-based or the United States (US)-led international o...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, followed by Western sanctions on and diplomatic isolation of Russia have brought into sharp focus the possibility that a...

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, many around the world are worried that an extended conflict could raise food and energ...

Tensions in Europe continue to mount over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. Last week, in a sign of possible de-escalation, Russia announced that it ...

For weeks, Russia has amassed over one hundred thousand troops at its border with Ukraine. This has sent security, political and economic jitters thro...

The national debt level of a country is a measure of how much the government owes its creditors. Economists are generally divided on the question of h...

As Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, was working to help form the United Nations (UN) after World War II (WWII), he famously said, “Ne...

Earlier this week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its global economic outlook for 2022. According to the IMF, global growth is expected...

Concerns are intensifying about a possible Russian military invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the over 100,000 Russian troops close to the Russian-U...

Last week’s article focused on three of the biggest challenges facing the world in 2022, namely the onward march of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) p...

With 2021 behind us, many are now focusing on what we can reasonably expect over the next 12 months. In this regard, individuals, businesses, organisa...

Ubuntu is a Southern African word which means “humanity.” It is often translated as “I am because we are” or “I am because you are.” In his book “No F...

Roy Lewis, also known as “Mystic Prowler” or “Mighty Prowler”, was a Vincentian born Trinidadian calypsonian who was crowned the Calypso King of Trini...

DECEMBER 26, 1991, saw the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). This brought an end to the 70-year Soviet experiment with Co...

Globalization is not new as some would contend, since it has been a reality for millennia. For thousands of years, civilizations have interacted acros...

As of 30th November, on the 55th anniversary of its independence, Barbados became the fifth Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to become a republic...

Economists normally define inflation as a general rise in prices and a fall in the purchasing value of money. In other words, prices rise, and consume...

The United Nations (UN) Climate Change Summit (COP26) wrapped up in Glasgow, Scotland, on 12th November 2021. At times, it is difficult to keep cynici...

With the United Nations (UN) climate change conference in Glasgow in full flow, it is being subject to the customary attention deficit media blitz. Af...

The Group of 20 (G20) leaders met in Rome on 30th and 31st October 2021. In their own words, the leaders met in an effort to address the most pressing...