As we approach the end of the Queen’s 60th year on the throne, we can reflect on what she has brought to Britain.
There is an unquantifiable part of British identity that resides in the Queen. Although some are weary of displaying too much patriotism, when the Jubilee celebrations kick off next month most of us will partake. There is a niche group of ardent royalists,...
Canada rarely celebrates its relationship with the British constitutional monarchy, although both countries have greatly mutually benefited from one another. Canada should use the upcoming Jubilee to celebrate its history.
The Canada that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne to rule in 1952 had grown over 330 years of mutually beneficial relations between the...
Queen Elizabeth II may be a valuable symbol for Britain, but as a Canadian figurehead she contributes little to the country’s identity.
As a Canadian studying in Britain, I look forward to celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this June. The House of Windsor deserves celebration as a unique British symbol.
For Canada, however, the time has come to cut our...
By Rakesh Krishnan Simha
The Russian President has one last chance to reform a creaky economy and a sulking society.
Vladimir Putin is facing an unfamiliar problem. After 13 years at the helm, he no longer has the job of saving the largest country on the planet. That file is closed. Because of Putin’s astute diplomacy and America’s Middle East...
Despite the sweeping changes taking place across the Middle East and Asia, Putin is unlikely to change Russia’s foreign policy.
What will Russian foreign policy be like now that Vladimir Putin has resumed the Russian presidency? There are two general observations that can be made about this question.
First, Putin’s return to the presidency is unlikely to...
The fruits of Putinism and the Putin-Medvedev tandem.
As the Russian winter turns to spring, the country has seen a return to opposition politics, political competition, and dissent within the corridors of power, and the election of a more opposition-minded parliament and an all-too-familiar president. Regardless of what US mainstream media and academia have told you, the...
Forecasts about growth in Africa have been revised drastically, and as investment and know-how pour in, Africa is expected to become the fastest growing region over the next decade.
International CEOs who have not recently revised their appraisal of Africa would be well served to do so, and quickly. There is an unprecedented transformation occurring across the continent...
Africa has grown by leaps and bounds over the last two decades, and will continue to do so.
What a change a decade makes. Africa has come a long way since The Economist headline (now described as “regrettable”) of May 11, 2000 that referred to Africa as “The Hopeless Continent”.
We are seeing a noticeable shift in the way the continent is...
Jean-Yves Piffard makes ephemeral works of art which are formed from and within nature. He offers an insight into his creative process.
December 2007. I am on the Carnac site in Brittany, France. The Atlantic ocean is stirred up, and all around me the sand that lies uncovered by the outgoing tide is wrinkled and spreads out before me like a virgin desert, untouched by human...
Martin Hill is a sculptor, photographer and adventurer. He discusses the impact land art has had on his work and the importance of working in harmony with the environment.
The defining characteristic of the land art movement is working directly on the land, a breakaway from the art gallery system. It not only depicts the landscape, it engages with it. The movement didn’t...
Algeria’s Islamists are bound to make gains in the country’s parliamentary elections on May 10, but it remains to be seen whether they will have a significant impact on the country.
As the Arab uprisings continue into the second year, there is a distinct hint of rising public Islamism across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Egypt has seen the ascendance of...
Turkey’s besting Iran in the contest for the hearts and minds of advocates of change in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa is proving to be both a blessing and a curse. With tension mounting over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the perceived window of opportunity for a military strike closing, Turkey faces increased challenges and the threat of a proxy war...
On Turkey’s political and economic rise, its refugee crises, and the need for a new immigration policy.
As the Syrian uprising enters its 14th month, the world waits to see if the tenuous de-escalation of violence will hold and continues to debate an international intervention. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet...
What does ageing have to do with the European financial crisis?
Developed country societies have been steadily getting older ever since the coming of the industrial revolution. But now they are ageing more quickly as birth rates in many developed countries continue to remain well below replacement rate and life expectancy continues to rise. Median ages in several countries are...
Brazil is potentially an agricultural giant but its farmers are challenged by low competitiveness.
Ask anybody at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the IMF or even the CIA, and you will get the same answer: Brazil is the country with the highest agricultural potential in the world. At present, however, this potential is compromised by the sector’s high...
An Indian veteran’s perspectives on the India-Pakistan relationship.
Old shibboleths and half-truths take a long time to wither away. Pakistan still likes to believe, or at least its leadership does, that India is determined to undo the partition and grab Pakistan.
It is essential that Pakistan be convinced through force of logic and reality, and not by hopeful...
Going to war with Pakistan rather than resolving issues diplomatically will hurt rather than benefit India.
Those with an aggressive view on India’s relations with Pakistan emphasise that the Indian army is much larger than Pakistan’s, and technically more sound in all three wings of the armed forces. Their views can be summed up as follows: “Indians know...
Bin Laden’s discovery next to Islamabad is only a hint of the internal turmoil consuming Pakistan
The discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abottabad, 30 kilometres away from the capital Islamabad, has added more turbulence to Pakistan’s existence as a sovereign state. The democratically elected parliament condemned the raid conducted on Pakistan’s soil as a...
