Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The world economy is slowly improving with a forecast for 2.7 percent global growth, but there’s still a way to go to reach pre-recession levels. That’s part of the prognosis of the UN’s World Economic Situation midterm report for 2017 which cites stronger economic recovery […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Would Kim Jong-Un mind giving Moon Jae-In a break? More than any other South Korean leader in years, Moon would like nothing better than to be the one to bring about North-South reconciliation. Wouldn’t it be great, Moon’s newly appointed former activists must be saying, if Kim Jong-Un invited […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Storm clouds are buffeting the coast of Venezuela, the once rich South American state which is sliding into economic chaos and combustible political confrontation. Mass demonstrations have rocked the capital Caracas. As democratic opposition protesters confront the riot police and paramilitary forces of the entrenched […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk The drama of South Korean history opens a tumultuous new act with the election of a liberal labor lawyer who has promised both to bring about detente with North Korea and satisfy the demands of restive masses fed up with alleged rightist abuses. Whether Moon Jae-In will be able […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Two significant geopolitical issues dominate East Asia; the North Korean nuclear showdown and China’s maritime claims and expansion in the disputed South China Sea. Given the dangerous brinksmanship on the Korean peninsula, the UN Security Council held a landmark meeting to refocus global attention on […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk TOKYO ― The shadows of war lengthen over Japanese society in thrall to Article 9 of a “peace constitution” foisted under the “occupation” led by the victorious World War II Pacific commander, Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Much as the “rightist” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe might want to do away with […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Jeffrey T. Kuhner Donald Trump has suffered the greatest defeat of his presidency. No matter how much his administration tries to spin it, the budget deal is a major setback for Trump’s America First agenda. The $1.1 billion omnibus spending bill is a victory for Democrats and establishment Republicans. In fact, Senate […]
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Though the political setting of the upcoming French presidential election bears superficial comparison to the U.S. election of 2016, the contest is anything but an American rerun. While an establishment favorite is opposing a firebrand nationalist, the jarring reality remains that this is the first runoff election in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com Jeffrey T. Kuhner The Mainstream Media’s verdict on President Trump’s first 100 days is that he has been a failure. The reason: He has failed (so far) to get any major piece of his legislative agenda passed. Healthcare, taxes and infrastructure — all of these big items remain stalled in Congress. Hence, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk An interviewer for a radio station in Boston, winding up one of those Q&A’s to which journalists are subjected, asked, What would you do to resolve the North Korean “problem?” I answered, “I have no solution, no idea, no clue.” While that response might seem like an abject display […]
