The War in Ukraine and Climate Change

The G20 Bali Summit held 15–16 November 2022 has been called the “first global summit of the second cold war” (Foy and Ruehl 2022). It was the seventeenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. The reviews of this meeting suggest that it was a breakthrough in international … Continue reading The War in Ukraine and Climate Change

Keep Standing with Ukraine

The Russian Federation’s unjustified invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine has galvanized individuals across the world to support the Ukrainian people. The words of Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy along with other passionate and articulate diplomats in Ukraine have reinforced worldwide outrage over this invasion that has underpinned efforts of the US, UK, and NATO countries … Continue reading Keep Standing with Ukraine

McDonald’s Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine

McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Russia in 1990, after a decade of negotiations. In 2022, in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and after two months of temporarily closing its restaurants, McDonald’s announced the closure of its chain of 850 restaurants employing over sixty-thousand people, saying that remaining in Russia would not be … Continue reading McDonald’s Response to the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine

Political Narratives of the Russo-Ukraine War

A rising discussion of political narratives seems to have reached a crescendo in the first months of the David and Goliath Russo-Ukrainian War. The idea of a narrative is an attractive way to help people stay on script, but if you stick with a narrative, surely it must square with the facts. The Russian narrative … Continue reading Political Narratives of the Russo-Ukraine War

The War of Words over Ukraine

Military conflict tied to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine is largely contained within the nation, while the world looks on feeling helpless. But there is another conflict over Ukraine – a worldwide war of words on the internet, social media, and over mass media in four interrelated areas. It is important and you can … Continue reading The War of Words over Ukraine

Three Musketeers Needed in Europe

Europe Needs ‘The Three Musketeers’: A Personal Perspective NATO ‘s evocation of the spirit of ‘all for one and one for all’ is soiling the reputation of ‘The Three Musketeers’.[1] Alexandre Dumas’s The Three Musketeers was first published in 1844, providing a fictional account of four (not three) heroic musketeers over the 17th and 18th … Continue reading Three Musketeers Needed in Europe

Hold a Mirror Up to Russia

Hold a Mirror Up to Russia and the World in Ukraine: Avoid Censorship There is a UK debate over the wisdom of allowing RT Russia to broadcast, given its breach of broadcasting rules enforcing impartiality. During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched today, this debate needs to be broadened and more seriously considered in the … Continue reading Hold a Mirror Up to Russia

Understanding Conflicts in Ukraine

I recommend a 2015 - but still quite relevant - book on the international political situation in Ukraine by Menon and Rumer.* The authors provide a very accessible background on the history of Ukraine, and the evolution of contemporary relationships both within the country and internationally, with Russia, the US, and Germany, France, the UK … Continue reading Understanding Conflicts in Ukraine

Notes to Pundits of the Trump-Russia Stories: If you were my students …

Sorry if this sounds patronizing, as you are stellar journalists and politicians, but if you were my students, writing a paper for a college class, what would I say? I would definitely give you points for effort, and creativity, but would mark your work down on its analytical precision. Happy for you to come in … Continue reading Notes to Pundits of the Trump-Russia Stories: If you were my students …