Author
Stephan Richter
Director of the Global Ideas Center, a global network of authors and analysts, and Editor-in-Chief of The Globalist.
[Berlin/Germany]
Stephan Richter is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Globalist, the daily online magazine on the global economy, politics and culture, which he founded and launched in January 2000.
Mr. Richter is a frequent guest on leading radio and television programs, including Germany’s “Meet the Press” program on ARD and ZDF’s Morning Show. While based in the U.S., he frequently appeared on National Public Radio as well as on the PBS Newshour and CNN.
A sought after and thought-provoking keynote speaker at executive conferences and retreats, he has moderated more than 150 policy events during his time in Washington, D.C., featuring prime ministers, CEOs, Nobel laureates and heads of international organizations.
His articles and views have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Salon, Japan Times, Le Monde, Les Echos, Die Welt, Der Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Die Zeit, Handelsblatt, Manager Magazin, Cicero, NZZ and Foreign Affairs.
For the past ten years, he was the presenter of the Marketplace Globalist Quiz, aired on public radio stations all across the United States as part of NPR’s Morning Report. He also created The Globalist Quiz, a weekly feature exploring the global agenda in an innovative fashion syndicated to newspapers around the world.
From 2002-08, he was a monthly columnist for Les Echos, the leading financial daily in France. He was also the U.S. correspondent for Rheinischer Merkur from 1990-98, as well as a monthly columnist for CEO Magazine.
In addition, he has been a keynote speaker on geopolitical and geoeconomic issues and trends at major international conferences organized by asset managers, investment banks and public policy institutions in Europe, the United States and Asia.
Prior to starting The Globalist, Mr. Richter led a global strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C., advising ministers and CEOs of governments, leading global banks and corporations, international organizations and foundations around the world.
In that capacity, he served as North American advisor to the German Economics Ministry and Vice Chancellor in the early 1990s, when he successfully shaped the “New Federal States” campaign, designed to create a dynamic brand image for the former Communist East Germany.
In the fall of 1990, at the request of the U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, he drafted the Sense of the U.S. Senate resolution calling for forgiveness of Poland’s Communist-era public debt. It proved a crucial step in the successful conclusion of the April 1991 Debt Agreement in the Paris Club.
For those activities, he was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit by the President of Poland in June 2014, “for outstanding services rendered to the promotion of Poland’s transition to democracy.”
Mr. Richter received his J.D. from the University of Bonn, Germany in 1984, was a Rotary Foundation Award recipient in 1980-81 and a Congressional Fellow of the American Political Science Association in 1986-87.
His 1992 book, Clinton: What Europe and the United States Can Expect, correctly forecast the Clinton Administration’s emphasis on fiscal consolidation in U.S. public accounts.
In 2013, he was the co-editor of the book, In Search of a Sustainable Future: Reflections on Economic Growth, Social Equity and Global Governance.
Stephan Richter’s features on United States in The Globalist
Articles by Stephan Richter
The Death of Economic Liberalism in Germany?
Germany urgently needs an effective growth agenda. However, the SPD and the Greens seem determined to undercut it.
December 17, 2024
Trump’s Winning Formula In 10 Points: A Political Psychogram of the 2016 Race
Men fear failing their families as providers. Trump casts himself subliminally as a super-provider.
November 11, 2024
The “Untied” States of America: No Longer Just a Typo
Americans' willingness to work with each other and to learn from one another is becoming ever more deficient.
January 15, 2024
BYD = Bury Your Dreams? Looking Back to 2010
The Globalist’s publisher wrote this remarkable frontline report from Shenzhen in 2010 on the Chinese battery manufacturer BYD's ambition to become a leading electric-car maker.
September 28, 2023
Olaf Scholz: A Man of His Word?
Why Chancellor Scholz might have difficulty to deliver his own promises of a truly mature Germany.
July 3, 2022
Empress Angela and Her Two Big Sins
Reflections on the former German Chancellor’s sense of her own record and responsibilities in dealing with Putin, Russia and Ukraine.
June 12, 2022
Why Brexit Has Been Good for Ukraine
Russia’s war against Ukraine provided Boris Johnson with a unique opportunity to highlight Britain’s international leadership credentials.
May 16, 2022
Olaf and Volodymyr: A Double Portrait
The politician who had prepared himself all his life for his top role flops. Meanwhile, the man who had made a career as a comedian on TV turns out to be a very determined and successful statesman.
May 4, 2022
China’s Changing Tides
Reflections on the hurdles that China’s economy faces – and why Xi Jinping has become the biggest risk to China’s future evolution.
March 13, 2022
Schröder, Putin and the Laws of Omerta
Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" movie is all you need to understand Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor and close Putin crony.
March 11, 2022
The World and Russia After Putin
Even if Russia were to still “win” the war, it will lose the peace. Regime change in Russia is not on the official agenda of the Western Alliance, but it seems a likely result.
March 2, 2022
German Chancellor Scholz´s Churchill Moment?
Reflections on a speech by Olaf Scholz that might have moved Germany from a Putin enabler to a leading democratic force in Europe.
February 28, 2022
Europe’s New Hitler: Another Psychopath at Work
Vladimir Putin is a murderous despot: Why the West’s response to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine matters. And why we must deal firmly with his European enablers.
February 24, 2022
Germany, Greenpeace and the Jennifer Morgan Saga
The reaction to the appointment of Jennifer Morgan as a German deputy foreign minister betrays a lot of provincialism in Germany’s political culture.
February 15, 2022
Will Putin Put Down the Kazakh Spring?
Why the popular uprising against corrupt national elites in oil-rich Kazakhstan has Putin and Russia so nervous.
January 7, 2022
Closing Memorial: Putin’s Blueprint for U.S. Republicans
How the closure of the Memorial in Russia is a template for the kind of society Republicans want to build in the U.S.
January 5, 2022
Is Putin Destabilizing or Uniting the West?
Putin is keen on inciting “hybrid attacks” against the West to de-stabilize it. He may well end up inadvertently stabilizing it.
December 16, 2021
When Mob Rule Comes to the United States of America
The parallels between the Leninist power usurpation in early 20th century Russia and the Trumpian brigades in today’s United States are becoming ever more eerie.
November 8, 2021
After Brexit: How Poland Replaces the UK
The EU-related obstinacy of Poland’s governing party is rooted not just in the desire to rewrite their own country’s post-war history, or even Europe’s. It is all a big-time deflection maneuver.
October 29, 2021
Why September 11 Was No Radical Break With American History
As tragic as September 11 was, it triggered a return to the American past - a nation driven by fear, not optimism.
September 9, 2021
Olaf Scholz: The CDU’s Best Chancellor Candidate
If Germany’s CDU had used an executive search firm to find a successor for Angela Merkel as Chancellor, it would have probably come up with an intriguing proposition.
September 1, 2021
From Ideology to Confusionism: The End of the Isms?”
Are we finally reaching the post-ideological age? Given the complexity of today’s world, that would represent major progress.
July 14, 2021
Making the United States “democratic” Again
How the U.S. Senate’s filibuster rule must be modified to restore majority rule and give the U.S. a prayer to be a modern, dynamic country.
May 11, 2021
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Next Woman Chancellor?
In a curious twist of history, Baerbock holds the promise to execute on what turned out to be Angela Merkel’s highly misleading self-advertising.
April 28, 2021
Biden: Appeasing Putin?
Putin’s little PR bluster games shows how much Russia has declined in the global league tables of geopolitical relevance. Why Joe Biden won’t take Putin’s bait.
April 24, 2021
US Corporations: The US’s New Principled Liberals?
Republicans increasingly force U.S. corporations to act as a kind of extra-parliamentary opposition to protect their brands and consumer appeal.
April 12, 2021
Reining in Facebook and Google: A Common Transatlantic Project
Big Tech media present a serious challenge for Western democracies. Tackling them is a worthy mission for the Biden Administration and the EU to work on jointly.
April 7, 2021
The US Republicans’ Putin-Style “Managed” Democracy
Yet more evidence that US Republicans are close soul mates of Russia’s President when it comes to restraining democracy.
March 15, 2021
Jeffrey Sachs: Xi Propagandist?
One does not need to be a hardliner on China, just a global realist, to see that there is a vast gap between Xi’s rhetoric and reality.
March 4, 2021
Mr. Steinmeier’s Faux Pas: Pleasing Russia, Stiffing Eastern Europe
North Stream 2: Is the gas pipeline’s completion really mandated by history, as the German President has claimed?
February 22, 2021
Mr. Leahy, Why Not Go to the Supreme Court?
The German legal system offers a perfect way out of a great U.S. legal conundrum during Trump’s second impeachment trial.
February 9, 2021
Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum Run Away from Their Past
We are no fans of neo-liberalism. But look who is now suddenly disavowing it.
January 26, 2021
North Stream 2: What the Germans Must Do for Transatlantic Solidarity
As much as the current German government would wish otherwise, the North Stream 2 pipeline controversy continues to threaten European unity as well as transatlantic solidarity.
January 25, 2021
Merkel and Her Ill-Advised CAI Deal
What US and German political transitions mean for China relations.
January 16, 2021
Merkel’s EU China Policy: Double Crossing Joe Biden
Surprisingly, Germany’s veteran Chancellor is replicating Gerhard Schröder’s moves to poison the transatlantic relationship -- in her case by eagerly doing China’s bidding inside the EU.
January 13, 2021
Mark Zuckerberg: Lindsey Graham’s Improbable Twin
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is spineless and acts irresponsible for commercial reasons, except for brief moments.
January 11, 2021
Joe Biden and the US’s Pivot to Europe
Faced with the Biden administration, Germany must finally come to terms with its geostrategic obligations and commitments.
December 16, 2020
Joe Biden and His Inner FDR
Before the election, Joe Biden was probably inclined to morph into a modern-day Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Can he still?
December 6, 2020
The Rise and Fall of Diego Maradona: A True Symbol of Argentina
Why Maradona’s life and death has reverberated throughout the world.
November 28, 2020
Putin and the Slow-Burn US Civil War
An overly lengthy transition period can be highly destabilizing even in the U.S. -- a nation that deems itself a mature democracy.
November 19, 2020
Virility as Political Asset? Trump as a Huckster and Hustler
To explain how Trump almost pulled off his reelection requires a deep dive into the less familiar buildings blocks of American culture.
November 7, 2020
Kamala Harris: The Woman Who “Liberated” Angela Merkel
Donald Trump is a compulsive misogynist. Why Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and other women can now breathe more freely.
August 13, 2020
The US and the EU: A Tale of Two Continents
Compared to the extreme disunity and cynicism that rules the U.S. political process, the decision-making process of the EU27 is a sea of calm and rationality.
July 23, 2020
How Facebook Plays the US Political System
How Facebook has gotten away with its constant abuses dealing with the greatest raw material of all time, data about human preferences and interactions.
June 29, 2020
Your Guide to the Facebook Innocence Shuffle in 15 Steps
With its deep pockets and shameless leadership, Facebook has perfected the art of wiggling out of tricky situations.
June 29, 2020
Change Is Coming to America
Nearly four years after Barack Obama’s two-term presidency, the political promise he represented might finally be fulfilled.
June 16, 2020
US Democracy and the Age of American Impotence
U.S. democracy has devolved into a kabuki show. No real reform, no matter how pressing, ever gets done.
June 7, 2020
When a President Tweets
Should laxer standards of truthfulness and honesty be applied to a U.S. President? Remember the times when U.S. Presidents were viewed as role models and held to a higher standard?
June 1, 2020
US: Police Systematically Out of Control
The far too liberal use of deadly force by police in a conservative country.
May 28, 2020
Downhill from Peak Globalization: When Will It End?
The world has encountered a series of shocks over the past 15 years. This should lead to more realistic expectations about the timetable for further globalization moves.
May 17, 2020
COVID 19 Today and China’s Great Famine
Are there any lessons to be learned from China 60 years ago for today’s world, which is facing the worst pandemic of the past 100 years?
May 16, 2020
Trump and Musk: Two Unstable Geniuses Compared
Recognizing what constitutes reality is a minimum job requirement for any leader. While Donald Trump often appears delusional, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is so only part of the time.
May 11, 2020
Kent State at 50: An America Even More Divided
Is it possible that U.S. society is more divided today than it used to be at the height of the anti-Vietnam war protests in the late 1960s?
May 4, 2020
The Ayatollah in the White House
Ironies of the coronavirus times: For all their mutual enmity, have the United States and Iran ever been closer?
May 2, 2020
COVID 19: Trump and Iran’s Ayatollahs
How the supreme leaders of Iran and the U.S. handled the COVID 19 challenge: A short comparative study
April 21, 2020
Mariusz Handzlik: In Memoriam
The late Mariusz Handzlik, diplomatic advisor to President Lech Kaczyński, served Poland with boundless energy. He died in the presidential plane on April 10, 2010 en route to Smolensk. He is sorely missed.
April 11, 2020
Merkel vs. Bertolt Brecht: The Coronavirus and the Three Penny Opera
In her management of the Coronavirus crisis, Angela Merkel is making a big bet against the German playwright Bertolt Brecht and his “Three Penny Opera.”
March 20, 2020
Coronavirus: What Does Merkel Know That Macron Doesn’t?
Angela Merkel is acting – though definitely not looking – like a flower power girl from California. Focused on consensus, not leadership, she believes in human goodness.
March 19, 2020
Thank God for France’s Sense of European Realism
French President Emmanuel Macron's restrictive stance on EU membership for the Western Balkans injects a much-needed dose of realism into EU affairs.
February 18, 2020
Is Germany’s Der Spiegel Racist?
In the latest case of self-flagellation, the ever more twisted German left, in its filter bubble, now accuses Der Spiegel for an anti-Chinese racist cover.
February 6, 2020
Australia’s Great Fire and Biblical Justice
The images from the Sydney skyline are so indelible not because the city is located in the developed world, but because they represent the front gates of hell.
January 28, 2020
Ai Weiwei Cries Wolf About Germany
Ai Weiwei engages in the very same racial stereotyping about Germany that he complains, with very thin, if not contrived proof the Germans exhibited toward him.
January 25, 2020
US Tech Transfer: First to China, Now to the Middle East
The shortsightedness of the United States in allowing arms production facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is unbelievable.
January 20, 2020
How Trump Is Tied to China, Literally
Clothes making can provide deep insights into both the character of global leaders and commercial realities.
January 17, 2020
Iran: Another Hong Kong, But No Russia or North Korea
The two messages from the Iranian people to their leaders: First, for all your gloating about Iran’s nuclear arsenal, nobody can eat nuclear weapons. Second, we want a different future.
January 14, 2020
Remembering Jean-Pierre Lehmann
Jean-Pierre Lehmann, a true thinker between cultures, serves as an example to us all for his unstinting courage.
December 21, 2019
In Defense of Democracy
Understanding the key reasons why everybody is now so frustrated with democracy and government.
December 8, 2019
Macron, NATO and Opposite Day
How the French government is using psy-ops and parental logic to turn the U.S. President into a fan of NATO.
December 4, 2019
May and Nahles: Two Convenient Whipping “Boys”
Women in Europe are still rarely the leaders of well-known parties. Now, the two most prominent of them could possibly leave the political top level in the same week.
June 6, 2019
AOC and Francis Fukuyama: Reflections on Social Democracy and the US
While the “end of history” may have been reached for social democracy in Europe, it hasn’t even begun to unfold its appeal and its political power in the United States.
March 23, 2019
Xi Jinping: Smooth Talker vs. Brass-Knuckle Operator
China’s president talks high-mindedly about economic globalization. Sounds good, until you see his latest global export strategy – tools for human control.
January 24, 2019
What It Means to Be a Patriot, a Nationalist and a Globalist
Stephan Richter in conversation with Amanda Vanstone, the host of Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Counterpoint program.
November 17, 2018
After the US Midterms: Democrats, Read the Fine Print
Despite the Democrats’ gains, the United States is structurally a remarkably conservative country. Republicans have the tools to defend themselves for decades to come.
November 8, 2018
Can Democrats Overcome Trump’s Shadow?
Should the Democratic Party be fortunate enough to rise to power again, the question arises: What will they do with it?
October 11, 2018
12 Rules for How Not to Negotiate a Successful Brexit
Why the UK’s Brexit strategy is such a terrible failure diplomatically.
September 22, 2018
Republicans and the US’s Heavily Managed Democracy
Can Republicans' efforts to tilt U.S. democracy toward feudalism be stopped?
September 12, 2018
Donald Trump, Compulsive Misogynist
Trump, the politician, evidently always needs a woman to beat up on. Think Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Angela Merkel, Theresa May, Margrethe Vestager and Omarosa Manigault Newman.
August 18, 2018
A Rare Case: Trump Is Right
The German government should not need any exhortations from the U.S. President to raise its level of defense spending.
July 9, 2018
World Cup 2018: Why Germany Will Flame Out
German hopes for the football tournament in Russia appear way overblown.
June 28, 2018
Why Trump (Still) Loves Macron
However hard they try, U.S. presidents lack the power of a French president to transform their nation.
June 14, 2018
Italian Reality Check: Six False Assumptions
The new Italian government seems keen to play blame games – and pursuing economic solutions that have already failed conclusively in the past.
June 6, 2018
The Benefits of the Post-American Order
The most pivotal insight for the post-American world order is that the pursuit of economic self-interest and self-preservation go hand in hand, whether at the national, regional or global level.
May 2, 2018
Heiko Maas: Standing Up to the Old Guard
The new German foreign minister charts a refreshingly principled stance toward Russia.
April 25, 2018
SPD: Andrea Nahles’ Elusive Task
Why it is practically impossible for the SPD to reinvent itself.
April 24, 2018
Globalists and Patriots
Globalists are patriots who have a worldview that is not limited to the political boundaries of one state.
April 21, 2018
Stephan Richter on NPR: Why Trump’s Trade Policies May Resurrect COMECON
Trump's trade policy is back to the past -- almost Old Testament. It’s called the COMECON. A conversation with Marketplace Morning Report’s David Brancaccio.
March 24, 2018
No Buicks! Janis Joplin’s Message to Donald Trump
Vanity and materialism -- not cheating -- drive German luxury car sales in the US.
March 15, 2018
Italy’s Elections: How Germany Is Italianizing Itself
Italian politicians warning against "Germany-type problems" in forming a government after the next election are a truly striking moment of European integration – although not a particularly welcome one.
March 1, 2018
The Globalist’s Top Thirteen Features by Jean-Pierre Lehmann
A selection of the most interesting features by Jean-Pierre Lehmann.
January 12, 2018
UK Tories Vs. the People’s Needs
Failing to deliver on basic necessities of modern life does not seem to faze many Tory politicians much.
January 9, 2018
Burying Air Berlin: The Curious World of French Pragmatism, German Statism
The loser in the Air Berlin game, as the government played it, are Germany’s citizens, consumers and air travelers.
October 19, 2017
The American Un-Society
The Las Vegas massacre has exposed that the idea of the existence of an American “society” is increasingly becoming pure fiction.
October 13, 2017
Hillary: The Perfect One
A self-indulgent campaign memoir from the unsuccessful U.S. presidential candidate does little to get Democrats back on track.
September 14, 2017
President Mike Pence?
Where Donald Trump is undisciplined and entertaining, Mike Pence is very disciplined and boring. But that discipline will not benefit the Americans at large.
July 22, 2017
The Liberal International Order: Just Who Shredded It?
Blaming Putin cannot cover up the noxious combination of collective U.S. amnesia and the transparent shift of accountability for the proper conduct in international affairs.
July 12, 2017
Theresa May: A Perfect Symbol for the UK
It isn’t just the UK Prime Minister who is confused about what kind of UK she wants. So is the rest of the country.
June 11, 2017
The Trumps and the Fuggers
The Trumps want to become a dynasty like the Fugger family. Are they in the same league? Get the fugg outta here!
April 16, 2017
Trump, the Great American Traditionalist
Close family ties were a way of life in early American presidential politics.
April 11, 2017
Stephan Richter on NPR: Trump’s Move Away From Globalization – Europe’s Perspective
Europeans are truly baffled by a U.S. government rejecting any kind of multilateralism. A conversation with Marketplace Morning Report’s David Brancaccio.
March 21, 2017
Anti-Nepotism Vs. Adult Supervision for Donald Trump
Moderating the US president and keeping him from erratic isolation may fall to his children and especially his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
February 14, 2017
Media As “Opposition”? If Only Steve Bannon Were Right
U.S. journalists may balk at the Trump White House calling them the opposition, but that's their proper role.
January 30, 2017
When Japan Attacked Globalism
In a curious role reversal, it was a Japanese Prime Minister who stole the march on Trump and his anti-globalism chants.
January 18, 2017
Binary Choice and American Politics in the Age of Complexity
The domestic set-up in the US, with two dominant political parties, is not conducive to constructive engagement. It favors paralysis or overreach.
January 16, 2017
Blaming Populists for Making Empty Promises?
The inclination of establishment politicians to overpromise is the core cause of the rise of populism.
January 12, 2017
Political Inversions: Clinton in ’08 and Obama in ’16?
A reflection on the strategic consequences of accidental American political inversions.
January 6, 2017
Did Democrats Fail in 2016 Because of Sexism in America?
Relying on demographic changes, the Democrats expected 2016 to become the End of History for the Republicans. Boy, were they wrong.
November 14, 2016
Why The Tata Case Is So Global and an Epoch-Making Event
Why the dismissal of the Tata Group’s Chairman is an epochal event in the annals of Indian capitalism.
October 31, 2016
The New Battle For Berlin
Centrality, not hegemony is the name of the German political game. They love network logic.
October 13, 2016
TTIP: Yes or No? — A Brief Checklist
Plenty of reasons why Europeans should be very wary to conclude this trade deal with the US.
September 14, 2016
Absolute Power: Erdogan’s Self-Made Trap
With next to no obstacles in his way any longer, Turkey’s President will soon run out of people to blame for Turkey’s mounting woes. The country will suffer.
August 11, 2016
The UK Opts Out: Four Major Effects
High time for a reality check on what the British vote really means – for the UK, Europe and the world.
July 1, 2016
Cameron’s Major Brexit Folly: Britain Needed “Fixing” More Than Europe
When it comes to urgently needed reforms, the British Prime Minister should have focused on Britain first.
June 26, 2016
The Silent Emergence of the Obama Doctrine
The benefits of ending the curious U.S. practice of turning natural allies into mortal enemies: Iran, Cuba, Vietnam.
March 22, 2016
Beyond Cuba: Washington’s Strategic Neglect of Latin America
Can the United States afford to integrate itself with Asia at the cost of Latin America?
October 3, 2015
Joe Biden: Just Bidin’ His Time
Biden-Warren 2016? Joe Biden is one Clinton scandal away from becoming the Democrats' presidential candidate.
August 13, 2015
Italy: The (In)Consequential Beppe Grillo
The message remains the same: Just blame Europe.
July 20, 2015
The Two Souls and Two Minds of Lindsey Graham
How is the South Carolina Senator forward-thinking on immigration and climate, but not the Middle East?
July 13, 2015
Has Tsipras Delivered?
The French bureaucracy's fingerprints are all over Greece's new proposal. Growth remains an afterthought.
July 10, 2015
The War of Ideas: Does It Exist? Can It Be Won?
What is the big idea (or set of ideas) the West is battling about?
June 13, 2015
Cameron, the Realist: A Message to America
Why the British Prime Minister’s more modest foreign policy goals for the UK should inspire the U.S.
June 4, 2015
Barack Obama a “Progressive”? Teddy Roosevelt Wouldn’t Agree
On Obama’s awkward efforts to defend his trade strategy.
June 1, 2015
UK’s Cameron: Caught in the Syriza/Tsipras Trap
Why Britain won’t get a “new deal” from Brussels and Europe.
May 15, 2015
Germany-UK: Making Up for a Lost Century
Britain and Germany must recognize at long last they have a common future.
May 12, 2015
Vietnam: On the Futility of US Invasions
Why on earth did the US invade Vietnam half a century ago? Have the lessons finally been learned?
April 30, 2015
Greece: Caught Between Nero and Catharsis
The Syriza government has done wonders to unify the rest of the Eurozone.
April 28, 2015
France’s Message to Germany: Back to the 19th Century?
France takes exception to the words of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.
April 22, 2015
Eurozone: The Battle Over What Solidarity Means
Are two divergent economic cultures clashing inside the Eurozone?
April 21, 2015
GE and Siemens: What Goes Around Comes Around
A curious role reversal between the U.S.’s and Germany’s largest industrial titans.
April 20, 2015
Candidate Clinton: The Foreign Policy Dimension
Hillary Clinton should shift course on her foreign policy as she launches her second presidential campaign.
April 14, 2015
Hillary Clinton’s Arduous Road to the White House in 2016
The Democratic Party's likely 2016 presidential nominee faces many challenges.
April 13, 2015
Obama: No More Special Treatment for Mr. Modi and India
The U.S. finally announces the installation of an Air Quality Monitor in Delhi – as it did in Beijing in 2008.
February 28, 2015
Germany’s Position on Greece: A Reality Check
It’s not about debt forgiveness now, but what Greece must do to reshape itself.
February 18, 2015
The Transatlantic Battle Over Ukraine
Comparing the 2015 disagreement over Ukraine with the 2003 spat over Iraq.
February 11, 2015
Wishful Thinking About Poverty in America
It takes determination not to see the facts on U.S. poverty for what they are.
January 28, 2015
Modi’s India: A Reality Check
A double take on economic planning and dynamism in India.
January 28, 2015
On Top of India: The Neemrana Fort-Palace
A visit to one of the world’s most magical hotels.
January 25, 2015
An America That Says No – To Itself
After the State of the Union speech, a United States that can’t agree on anything?
January 24, 2015
TTIP and GMOs: The European Race to Please America
The amateurishness and subservience of European politicians coming to Washington knows no bounds.
January 8, 2015
The Jeb Bush Surprise
Intriguing turns and twists of the emerging 2016 presidential race.
January 7, 2015
No NSA Reform, No CIA Reform
Reflections on U.S. politics as an eternal talk show.
December 14, 2014
France’s Sudden Chinese Impulses
Why is the French finance minister invoking other cultures’ diplomatic style to defend France?
December 11, 2014
America’s Mezzogiorno: A Thanksgiving Reflection
Why are U.S. southern states so determined not to serve the very real needs of their poor populations?
November 26, 2014
Visiting India? Battling a Kafkaesque Bureaucracy
Reflections on the amazing difficulties of obtaining a visa to India.
November 24, 2014
Angela Merkel and German Leadership in Foreign Policy
Evidence of German foreign policy leadership – on the UK, Russia and beyond.
November 10, 2014
Global Truths on Putin’s Tirades
Russia’s president constantly undermines his own case on the global stage.
November 6, 2014
Rousseff’s Global Challenge: Do Better Than India
With Modi, India got a new life politically. What about Brazil?
October 28, 2014
Europe’s Rules? Forget About Them
The rest of the world has it all wrong: The EU isn’t obsessing about rules.
October 27, 2014
Oil as a WMO: The West’s Weapon of Mass Obedience?
Will lower oil prices drive Saudi Arabia and Russia to pursue sensible reforms at home at long last?
October 16, 2014
The New Washington Consensus? Deutschland Über Alles
The art of casting Germany both as chief villain and magic wand of the global economy.
October 14, 2014
How ISIS Catches the United States With Its Pants Down
A new form of asymmetric warfare against the world’s biggest military.
October 9, 2014
Modi and Obama: A Study in Parallels
Obama’s case in the U.S. suggests caution is warranted regarding the current hype about India’s one-man show.
September 29, 2014
In Defense of Germany’s Decision to Ban Uber (For Now)
The company has to play by the rules.
September 10, 2014
Willful Ignorance on Foreign Policy
Stability through strength was and is a phantom concept
September 6, 2014
The Five Deadly Sins of U.S. Foreign Policy
Is the United States starting to resemble the Middle East?
August 25, 2014
The Dumbest U.S. Foreign Policy Question Asked This Century
What do U.S. politicians mean when they say they want to save Syria?
August 19, 2014
A Black President?
In too many ways, African Americans aren't much better off today than 50 years ago.
August 9, 2014
Anti-Corruption Fight in China: How India Undermines Progress
India has a free press and elections -- but even more corruption than China.
August 5, 2014
Corruption Campaign in China: What it Means for the World
The arrest of a top official might be the first shot in a battle to root out corruption in China.
July 31, 2014
Hedge Funds as Bottom Fishers
How America’s rich ruthlessly exploit the dysfunctional U.S. political system.
July 30, 2014
Clinton-itis as a National Disease
Clinton moneymaking, national "conversations" and the US policy agenda.
July 26, 2014
A Germany That Bets Big
Five unconventional moves that made Germany the 2014 World Cup champions.
July 14, 2014
Iraq’s Predictable Fate
Will the purveyors of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq ever pay a penance for their sins of warmongering?
June 18, 2014
Freeing Poland From the Shackles of Its Debt Mountain
The story of how the transatlantic partners collaborated to help Poland secure a stable future.
June 3, 2014
The NRA: Still America’s Cosa Nostra
The UCSB shooting is yet another monument to the cowering silence the NRA has forced the U.S. public into.
May 27, 2014
The Rise of the “Little Englanders”
Why are anti-immigration parties on the rise in much of Europe?
May 26, 2014
The New Vietnam War
Global ironies in Asia’s continuing struggle for national independence, now against China.
May 22, 2014
U.S. Declinism or Constructivism?
Why are U.S. media and elites so quick to quiet criticism of how the United States conducts itself?
May 22, 2014
Elizabeth Warren: When Political Labels Completely Mislead
The pursuit of consumer rights a 'leftist' agenda? Only in America!
May 15, 2014
Radek Sikorski: Truthteller in Action
A bold voice for a new direction in European foreign policy.
May 11, 2014
Radek Sikorski: Europe’s Next Top Diplomat?
Why Poland’s foreign minister should become Europe’s new foreign policy chief.
May 11, 2014
Africa: We Feel Your Pain (Sometimes)
Power outages in the capital city of the United States are a surprisingly regular feature.
May 9, 2014
South China Seas: When China Perversely Does America’s Bidding
How China's aggressiveness undermines its own long-term interests in Asia.
May 8, 2014
The Creeping Saudi Arabization of America
The U.S. Supreme Court chips away at the separation between church and state.
May 7, 2014
The Disastrous U.S. Habit to Rush Elections
From Iraq and Afghanistan to Ukraine, the U.S. always hopes to get “its man” into office quickly -- with poor results.
May 6, 2014
U.S.-Russia: Seeking Salvation in Sanctions
U.S. foreign policy is driven by acts of symbolism. When they fail, the U.S. is quick to blame others.
May 4, 2014
The Transatlantic World is Falling Apart
The U.S. is issuing frantic wake-up calls on defense – but Europe isn’t listening.
May 2, 2014
Healing D.C.: What Muriel Bowser Must Do
Can the D.C. mayor-in-waiting overcome the racial divide that persists in the U.S. capital city?
April 7, 2014
Zwei Hirten. Zwei Kulturrevolutionen?
Chinas KP unter Xi Jinping und der Vatikan unter Franziskus stehen vor weitgehend gleichen Governance-Problemen -- von Finanz- und Sexskandalen bis hin zum sinkender Gefolgsbereitschaft.
March 27, 2014
Venezuela Today Vs. the Polish Liberation Episode
Pope Francis and John Paul II are both transformative figures.
March 26, 2014
Two Shepherds, Two Cultural Revolutions?
Comparing the agendas and performance of Pope Francis and China’s Xi Jinping.
March 26, 2014
The Meaning of Ukraine’s Big Weekend
Poland’s Sikorski unstoppable for top Brussels post; U.S.’s Nuland now in a chorus with Putin.
February 23, 2014
France and the United States: The Story of Four Amazing Parallels
Two "grand nations" strangely united in the pursuit of wrong priorities.
February 13, 2014
“F*** the EU:” How Victoria Nuland Stirs the Pot in Ukraine
What really caused the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe to speak her mind so clearly?
February 7, 2014
Yes We Can: The NSA and Obama
Why is President Obama so permissive with regard to excesses of the U.S. intelligence apparatus?
January 29, 2014
As Goes Best Buy, So Goes U.S.?
What does the shaky fate of the U.S. consumer electronics chain portend for the economic future of the United States?
January 22, 2014
U.S.-Iran: Two Countries in the Iron Grip of Conservatives
Counting the ways in which Iran and the United States are alike.
January 17, 2014
The Old King is Dead. Long Live the King!
It's time to realize that focusing on the horse race aspect of American presidential politics is precluding actual governance.
December 9, 2013
Angela Merkel’s True Colors
Is Angela Merkel aiming to be the most successful Social Democratic Chancellor in German history?
November 21, 2013
CEO Pay: A Swiss Rebellion
What will be the ramifications of a Swiss referendum on executive compensation?
November 21, 2013
Climate Change as Terrorism Against the People
In view of the typhoon in the Philippines, has the United States misplaced its global priorities?
November 17, 2013
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s “Yes We Can” Minister – A 2013 Portrait
An interview with Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her country's future path.
November 14, 2013
Brazil: An Object of History — or a Subject?
Brazil must act decisively to become a leader or be relegated to an object of history.
November 14, 2013
The Case for President Warren
How about a woman in the Oval Office who isn't Hillary Clinton?
November 12, 2013
The United States’ Self-Defeating Gotcha Culture
Congressional hearings on healthcare.gov: show-trials and perils for democracy.
November 11, 2013
The Incorrigible Senator McCain
How to promote interventions, from Iraq to Syria, without ever being held accountable.
November 8, 2013
Beyond NSA Spying: The Transatlantic Culture Gap
The Guardian op-ed by Stephan Richter and Jan Philipp Albrecht: What can be done to deter U.S. spying in Europe?
October 30, 2013
U.S. Shale Gas: All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
The shale boom in the United States isn't the game-changer its proponents claim.
October 21, 2013
The United States as a Failing State? A Perspective From 2013
A country's success or failure must be measured against its inherent potential.
October 18, 2013
Boehner’s Berlusconi Moment
Will it take the United States 20 years to rid itself of Tea Party obstructionism?
October 6, 2013
The U.S. Civil War Continues
One of the biggest hoaxes of American history is that the Civil War ended back in 1865. Battling over racism then, health care now, U.S. society is still at war with itself.
October 5, 2013
Innovation and Management in China, Germany and the US
Will China follow the U.S. model or the German model for innovation and management?
October 1, 2013
Merkel Greens: Germany’s Next Big Transformation
Why Angela Merkel will ultimately opt for a Black-Green coalition.
September 30, 2013
Systematically Silencing America
How Republicans and their cynical allies deal with America's real problems.
September 24, 2013
Weakened West or Triumph of Democracy?
In a triumph of Western democracy, the interventionist impulses of US and UK are cut down to size.
September 22, 2013
Walmart: Benevolent Dictator of America
After the D.C. mayor’s veto: What’s Walmart’s real game plan — aside from refusing to pay a living wage?
September 13, 2013
Mexico & Brazil: Why U.S. Spying Stings So Much
After the NSA snooping, why are politicians and citizens all across Latin America so dismayed?
September 10, 2013
U.S. Into Syria: Six Key Mysteries
What happens when a bunch of former senators run U.S. foreign policy?
September 10, 2013
Syria: The End of American Omnipotence
How is the Syria crisis forcing U.S. elites to see what the world already knows?
September 3, 2013
The Transatlantic Battle Against Tax Evasion
Why is combating tax evasion so important in the globalization debate?
September 2, 2013
Shadows of Snowden Over the Atlantic Alliance
Beyond betrayal of trust, what about the NSA scandal worries Europe most?
August 27, 2013
What Really Ails Detroit
Stephan Richter's NYTimes Oped: Detroit’s collapse — bad luck, globalization to blame or indicative of a U.S.-wide problem?
August 16, 2013
Rajan Vs. Summers: Two Economists, Two Central Banks
How does Larry Summers, would-be Fed Chair, measure up to India's new central banker, Raghu Rajan?
August 15, 2013
Larry Summers and A Tale of Two Harvard Professors
Why can't a smart man like Larry Summers bring even a bit of compassion and common humanity to his economic analyses?
August 13, 2013
Ben Franklin, America’s First Globalist
What can Ben Franklin's warning to 13 rebellious colonies teach us about global cooperation today?
August 10, 2013
Larry Summers Reloaded
Is it a good idea to make a brilliant man the next U.S. Fed Chairman?
August 2, 2013
Data Privacy: When Angela Merkel Leads From Behind
How the German Chancellor turns big political crises into major reforms. After the NSA scandal, it's data privacy.
July 31, 2013
Japan — Viewed from Above
Abenomics is widely hoped to provide an economic turnaround for Japan. But is the prime minister focusing on the right issues?
July 26, 2013
It’s Not a Conspiracy, Mr. Erdogan!
Does it make sense for Turkey's Prime Minister to attack financial markets? They have actually been his country's friend.
July 3, 2013
Syria, Iran and American Forgetfulness
Which nation is the key enabler of Iran's steady rise in the Middle East?
June 17, 2013
Erdogan’s Fundamental Miscalculation
Why do the AK Party's own followers have doubts about Erdogan's path for Turkey's future?
June 14, 2013
Obama’s Cardinal Sin
Why is the U.S. president so keen on excelling by doing his very own opposition's bidding? Is it because he is a non-politician and utter elitist?
June 10, 2013
German Diplomacy and French Intransigence
Have German politicians finally learned the art of diplomacy?
May 31, 2013
France: Sovereignty as a Blocking Statute
Is French leadership strong only when opposing action? Have German leaders finally learned to be diplomatic?
May 31, 2013
Obama’s Third Term
Why is the United States forever engaging in political scandals and horse races -- rather than in the business of governing?
May 17, 2013
Pakistan’s Elections: How to Remake a Society
Could all the suicide bombings and car bombs indicate that the forces of medievalism are losing the battle for Pakistan?
May 10, 2013
Pope Francis: A Martin Luther in the Making?
Is Jorge Bergoglio up to the task of reforming the Catholic Church without breaking it apart? Governance reforms are centuries overdue.
April 16, 2013
American Disingenuousness: Jack Lew Goes to Europe
Why is the U.S. Treasury Secretary urging Europe to adopt the same borrow-and-spend policies that got the United States into so much fiscal trouble?
April 12, 2013
Israel: Gatekeepers of Self-Destruction?
Will Israel be able to create a better political reality in order to save its very existence?
April 3, 2013
Asia’s Lacking Pride
Why would emerging countries copy the unhealthy eating habits of the West, when their own tradition is so much healthier?
March 25, 2013
Mr. Bremer’s Shades of Grey
If a black-or-white political culture is grounds for sending in U.S. troops, then few countries require an invasion more urgently than the United States.
March 21, 2013
The United States: From Global Vanguard to Global Hindrance
The United States used to be the key force promoting global governance. What are the global consequences of America's deeply divided domestic politics?
March 18, 2013
Health Care and the Road to American Serfdom
Individual rights in the United States are not threatened because government is too oppressive. The real problem is that government is too weak.
February 22, 2013
Hillary Clinton and the Art of Defending American Power Linguistically
Why are even America's self-acclaimed liberal internationalists still so keen on being top dog? Will John Kerry follow in Hillary Clinton's footsteps on this issue?
January 31, 2013
Turning Environmental Threats into Profits
How does one turn environmental problems into a threat for the United States and then into a profit opportunity?
January 26, 2013
The U.S. Yearning for Systemic Uncertainty
Why is it that U.S. business and society seem less well prepared to tackle a long-term challenge such as climate change?
January 25, 2013
The U.S. Refusal to See China as a Positive Challenge
Why don't Americans let themselves be spurred to stimulate their competitive juices when they look at China?
January 24, 2013
Optimism as a Force for Good — And Doing Nothing
Can optimism be a substitute for doing really hard work? Or is it just a very transparent excuse for a cop-out on climate change?
January 23, 2013
Climate Change and the Claim to Global Leadership
What is the real challenge President Obama and the American people must urgently resolve?
January 22, 2013
An America That Can’t: A Reflection on Obama’s Second Inaugural
Does it even make sense to hold federal elections in the United States? After all, they never provide any real resolution.
January 21, 2013
The EU: Regulation King by Default
Is the United States' anti-regulation stance undermining its global power position?
January 15, 2013
The U.S. Democrats as a Conservative Party
Despite all the talk about the Republican Party in need of splitting into two camps, aren't the Democrats a more realistic target?
January 5, 2013
The Republicans’ Endgame
Is the best political game plan available to U.S. Republicans to be refuseniks?
January 4, 2013
When the United States Strikes Out
How does the world's largest economy perform on the three most important tasks to create a better global economy?
January 3, 2013
President Elizabeth Warren: An Angela Merkel in the Making?
Will 2016 finally bring the arrival of a woman in the Oval Office? How about somebody other than Hillary Clinton?
December 11, 2012
Tackling Too Big To Fail: The Most Important Rightsizing in U.S. History
Why is it taking so long to write and implement new U.S. financial reform regulations?
September 11, 2012
The Editor and His Dog: A Tribute
What's a writer to do when he's looking for the next great idea or opening line?
May 19, 2012
The Tragedy of Turkish Food
How might Turkey's relations with Europe be different if it had engaged in food diplomacy?
May 12, 2012
21st Century Coffeehouse Society
How are U.S. coffee shops turning into the office away from the office?
February 18, 2012
U.S. Message to the BRICS: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Is "soft power" just a friendlier-sounding way for the United States to dominate the world?
November 9, 2011
“Defeating the Taliban”: Naïveté and the American Empire
While modern "Rome" is burning, why do U.S. foreign policy elites keep meddling in overseas adventures?
October 26, 2010
Dateline UK: In Praise of Coalition Governments
Has the time come to consider new political arrangements among opposing political camps?
May 13, 2010
Why Afghanistan Is Lost
Will 30,000 additional U.S. troops help President Obama turn the tide in Afghanistan?
December 3, 2009
Americanism and Globalism: Joined at the Hip
Is globalism an inherently anti-American concept? Nothing could be further from the truth.
November 13, 2009
Versailles, Take II?
What parallels may emerge between the G-20 and the aftermath of World War I?
April 3, 2009
Are You a Minister? (Or: It’s All About the Money, Stupid!)
An amazing conversation on the role and responsibility of elites in the U.S. capital.
January 23, 2009
Hillary Clinton and Biblical Justice?
Why might the Bush clan be secretly rooting for Hillary Clinton's presidential fortunes to improve?
December 14, 2007
Iran and Intelligent Opposition
Are U.S. intelligence services a more effective counterweight to the Bush Administration than the U.S. Congress?
December 6, 2007
Stop Those Girls!, or: The Don Imus and Nancy Pelosi Show
When it comes to foreign policy under the Bush Administration, is it 'Boys Only, No Girls Allowed'?
April 13, 2007
The POP (Public Opinion Poll) Superpower
Why is it dangerous to legitimize U.S. foreign policy decisions through opinion polls?
March 23, 2007
The Death of Economic Liberalism in Germany?
Germany urgently needs an effective growth agenda. However, the SPD and the Greens seem determined to undercut it.
December 17, 2024
Trump’s Winning Formula In 10 Points: A Political Psychogram of the 2016 Race
Men fear failing their families as providers. Trump casts himself subliminally as a super-provider.
November 11, 2024
The “Untied” States of America: No Longer Just a Typo
Americans' willingness to work with each other and to learn from one another is becoming ever more deficient.
January 15, 2024
BYD = Bury Your Dreams? Looking Back to 2010
The Globalist’s publisher wrote this remarkable frontline report from Shenzhen in 2010 on the Chinese battery manufacturer BYD's ambition to become a leading electric-car maker.
September 28, 2023
Olaf Scholz: A Man of His Word?
Why Chancellor Scholz might have difficulty to deliver his own promises of a truly mature Germany.
July 3, 2022
Empress Angela and Her Two Big Sins
Reflections on the former German Chancellor’s sense of her own record and responsibilities in dealing with Putin, Russia and Ukraine.
June 12, 2022
Why Brexit Has Been Good for Ukraine
Russia’s war against Ukraine provided Boris Johnson with a unique opportunity to highlight Britain’s international leadership credentials.
May 16, 2022
Olaf and Volodymyr: A Double Portrait
The politician who had prepared himself all his life for his top role flops. Meanwhile, the man who had made a career as a comedian on TV turns out to be a very determined and successful statesman.
May 4, 2022
China’s Changing Tides
Reflections on the hurdles that China’s economy faces – and why Xi Jinping has become the biggest risk to China’s future evolution.
March 13, 2022
Schröder, Putin and the Laws of Omerta
Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" movie is all you need to understand Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor and close Putin crony.
March 11, 2022
The World and Russia After Putin
Even if Russia were to still “win” the war, it will lose the peace. Regime change in Russia is not on the official agenda of the Western Alliance, but it seems a likely result.
March 2, 2022
German Chancellor Scholz´s Churchill Moment?
Reflections on a speech by Olaf Scholz that might have moved Germany from a Putin enabler to a leading democratic force in Europe.
February 28, 2022
Europe’s New Hitler: Another Psychopath at Work
Vladimir Putin is a murderous despot: Why the West’s response to Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine matters. And why we must deal firmly with his European enablers.
February 24, 2022
Germany, Greenpeace and the Jennifer Morgan Saga
The reaction to the appointment of Jennifer Morgan as a German deputy foreign minister betrays a lot of provincialism in Germany’s political culture.
February 15, 2022
Will Putin Put Down the Kazakh Spring?
Why the popular uprising against corrupt national elites in oil-rich Kazakhstan has Putin and Russia so nervous.
January 7, 2022
Closing Memorial: Putin’s Blueprint for U.S. Republicans
How the closure of the Memorial in Russia is a template for the kind of society Republicans want to build in the U.S.
January 5, 2022
Is Putin Destabilizing or Uniting the West?
Putin is keen on inciting “hybrid attacks” against the West to de-stabilize it. He may well end up inadvertently stabilizing it.
December 16, 2021
When Mob Rule Comes to the United States of America
The parallels between the Leninist power usurpation in early 20th century Russia and the Trumpian brigades in today’s United States are becoming ever more eerie.
November 8, 2021
After Brexit: How Poland Replaces the UK
The EU-related obstinacy of Poland’s governing party is rooted not just in the desire to rewrite their own country’s post-war history, or even Europe’s. It is all a big-time deflection maneuver.
October 29, 2021
Why September 11 Was No Radical Break With American History
As tragic as September 11 was, it triggered a return to the American past - a nation driven by fear, not optimism.
September 9, 2021
Olaf Scholz: The CDU’s Best Chancellor Candidate
If Germany’s CDU had used an executive search firm to find a successor for Angela Merkel as Chancellor, it would have probably come up with an intriguing proposition.
September 1, 2021
From Ideology to Confusionism: The End of the Isms?”
Are we finally reaching the post-ideological age? Given the complexity of today’s world, that would represent major progress.
July 14, 2021
Making the United States “democratic” Again
How the U.S. Senate’s filibuster rule must be modified to restore majority rule and give the U.S. a prayer to be a modern, dynamic country.
May 11, 2021
Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Next Woman Chancellor?
In a curious twist of history, Baerbock holds the promise to execute on what turned out to be Angela Merkel’s highly misleading self-advertising.
April 28, 2021
Biden: Appeasing Putin?
Putin’s little PR bluster games shows how much Russia has declined in the global league tables of geopolitical relevance. Why Joe Biden won’t take Putin’s bait.
April 24, 2021
US Corporations: The US’s New Principled Liberals?
Republicans increasingly force U.S. corporations to act as a kind of extra-parliamentary opposition to protect their brands and consumer appeal.
April 12, 2021
Reining in Facebook and Google: A Common Transatlantic Project
Big Tech media present a serious challenge for Western democracies. Tackling them is a worthy mission for the Biden Administration and the EU to work on jointly.
April 7, 2021
The US Republicans’ Putin-Style “Managed” Democracy
Yet more evidence that US Republicans are close soul mates of Russia’s President when it comes to restraining democracy.
March 15, 2021
Jeffrey Sachs: Xi Propagandist?
One does not need to be a hardliner on China, just a global realist, to see that there is a vast gap between Xi’s rhetoric and reality.
March 4, 2021
Mr. Steinmeier’s Faux Pas: Pleasing Russia, Stiffing Eastern Europe
North Stream 2: Is the gas pipeline’s completion really mandated by history, as the German President has claimed?
February 22, 2021
Mr. Leahy, Why Not Go to the Supreme Court?
The German legal system offers a perfect way out of a great U.S. legal conundrum during Trump’s second impeachment trial.
February 9, 2021
Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum Run Away from Their Past
We are no fans of neo-liberalism. But look who is now suddenly disavowing it.
January 26, 2021
North Stream 2: What the Germans Must Do for Transatlantic Solidarity
As much as the current German government would wish otherwise, the North Stream 2 pipeline controversy continues to threaten European unity as well as transatlantic solidarity.
January 25, 2021
Merkel and Her Ill-Advised CAI Deal
What US and German political transitions mean for China relations.
January 16, 2021
Merkel’s EU China Policy: Double Crossing Joe Biden
Surprisingly, Germany’s veteran Chancellor is replicating Gerhard Schröder’s moves to poison the transatlantic relationship -- in her case by eagerly doing China’s bidding inside the EU.
January 13, 2021
Mark Zuckerberg: Lindsey Graham’s Improbable Twin
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is spineless and acts irresponsible for commercial reasons, except for brief moments.
January 11, 2021
Joe Biden and the US’s Pivot to Europe
Faced with the Biden administration, Germany must finally come to terms with its geostrategic obligations and commitments.
December 16, 2020
Joe Biden and His Inner FDR
Before the election, Joe Biden was probably inclined to morph into a modern-day Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Can he still?
December 6, 2020
The Rise and Fall of Diego Maradona: A True Symbol of Argentina
Why Maradona’s life and death has reverberated throughout the world.
November 28, 2020
Putin and the Slow-Burn US Civil War
An overly lengthy transition period can be highly destabilizing even in the U.S. -- a nation that deems itself a mature democracy.
November 19, 2020
Virility as Political Asset? Trump as a Huckster and Hustler
To explain how Trump almost pulled off his reelection requires a deep dive into the less familiar buildings blocks of American culture.
November 7, 2020
Kamala Harris: The Woman Who “Liberated” Angela Merkel
Donald Trump is a compulsive misogynist. Why Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and other women can now breathe more freely.
August 13, 2020
The US and the EU: A Tale of Two Continents
Compared to the extreme disunity and cynicism that rules the U.S. political process, the decision-making process of the EU27 is a sea of calm and rationality.
July 23, 2020
How Facebook Plays the US Political System
How Facebook has gotten away with its constant abuses dealing with the greatest raw material of all time, data about human preferences and interactions.
June 29, 2020
Your Guide to the Facebook Innocence Shuffle in 15 Steps
With its deep pockets and shameless leadership, Facebook has perfected the art of wiggling out of tricky situations.
June 29, 2020
Change Is Coming to America
Nearly four years after Barack Obama’s two-term presidency, the political promise he represented might finally be fulfilled.
June 16, 2020
US Democracy and the Age of American Impotence
U.S. democracy has devolved into a kabuki show. No real reform, no matter how pressing, ever gets done.
June 7, 2020
When a President Tweets
Should laxer standards of truthfulness and honesty be applied to a U.S. President? Remember the times when U.S. Presidents were viewed as role models and held to a higher standard?
June 1, 2020
US: Police Systematically Out of Control
The far too liberal use of deadly force by police in a conservative country.
May 28, 2020
Downhill from Peak Globalization: When Will It End?
The world has encountered a series of shocks over the past 15 years. This should lead to more realistic expectations about the timetable for further globalization moves.
May 17, 2020
COVID 19 Today and China’s Great Famine
Are there any lessons to be learned from China 60 years ago for today’s world, which is facing the worst pandemic of the past 100 years?
May 16, 2020
Trump and Musk: Two Unstable Geniuses Compared
Recognizing what constitutes reality is a minimum job requirement for any leader. While Donald Trump often appears delusional, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is so only part of the time.
May 11, 2020
Kent State at 50: An America Even More Divided
Is it possible that U.S. society is more divided today than it used to be at the height of the anti-Vietnam war protests in the late 1960s?
May 4, 2020
The Ayatollah in the White House
Ironies of the coronavirus times: For all their mutual enmity, have the United States and Iran ever been closer?
May 2, 2020
COVID 19: Trump and Iran’s Ayatollahs
How the supreme leaders of Iran and the U.S. handled the COVID 19 challenge: A short comparative study
April 21, 2020
Mariusz Handzlik: In Memoriam
The late Mariusz Handzlik, diplomatic advisor to President Lech Kaczyński, served Poland with boundless energy. He died in the presidential plane on April 10, 2010 en route to Smolensk. He is sorely missed.
April 11, 2020
Merkel vs. Bertolt Brecht: The Coronavirus and the Three Penny Opera
In her management of the Coronavirus crisis, Angela Merkel is making a big bet against the German playwright Bertolt Brecht and his “Three Penny Opera.”
March 20, 2020
Coronavirus: What Does Merkel Know That Macron Doesn’t?
Angela Merkel is acting – though definitely not looking – like a flower power girl from California. Focused on consensus, not leadership, she believes in human goodness.
March 19, 2020
Thank God for France’s Sense of European Realism
French President Emmanuel Macron's restrictive stance on EU membership for the Western Balkans injects a much-needed dose of realism into EU affairs.
February 18, 2020
Is Germany’s Der Spiegel Racist?
In the latest case of self-flagellation, the ever more twisted German left, in its filter bubble, now accuses Der Spiegel for an anti-Chinese racist cover.
February 6, 2020
Australia’s Great Fire and Biblical Justice
The images from the Sydney skyline are so indelible not because the city is located in the developed world, but because they represent the front gates of hell.
January 28, 2020
Ai Weiwei Cries Wolf About Germany
Ai Weiwei engages in the very same racial stereotyping about Germany that he complains, with very thin, if not contrived proof the Germans exhibited toward him.
January 25, 2020
US Tech Transfer: First to China, Now to the Middle East
The shortsightedness of the United States in allowing arms production facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is unbelievable.
January 20, 2020
How Trump Is Tied to China, Literally
Clothes making can provide deep insights into both the character of global leaders and commercial realities.
January 17, 2020
Iran: Another Hong Kong, But No Russia or North Korea
The two messages from the Iranian people to their leaders: First, for all your gloating about Iran’s nuclear arsenal, nobody can eat nuclear weapons. Second, we want a different future.
January 14, 2020
Remembering Jean-Pierre Lehmann
Jean-Pierre Lehmann, a true thinker between cultures, serves as an example to us all for his unstinting courage.
December 21, 2019
In Defense of Democracy
Understanding the key reasons why everybody is now so frustrated with democracy and government.
December 8, 2019
Macron, NATO and Opposite Day
How the French government is using psy-ops and parental logic to turn the U.S. President into a fan of NATO.
December 4, 2019
May and Nahles: Two Convenient Whipping “Boys”
Women in Europe are still rarely the leaders of well-known parties. Now, the two most prominent of them could possibly leave the political top level in the same week.
June 6, 2019
AOC and Francis Fukuyama: Reflections on Social Democracy and the US
While the “end of history” may have been reached for social democracy in Europe, it hasn’t even begun to unfold its appeal and its political power in the United States.
March 23, 2019
Xi Jinping: Smooth Talker vs. Brass-Knuckle Operator
China’s president talks high-mindedly about economic globalization. Sounds good, until you see his latest global export strategy – tools for human control.
January 24, 2019
What It Means to Be a Patriot, a Nationalist and a Globalist
Stephan Richter in conversation with Amanda Vanstone, the host of Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Counterpoint program.
November 17, 2018
After the US Midterms: Democrats, Read the Fine Print
Despite the Democrats’ gains, the United States is structurally a remarkably conservative country. Republicans have the tools to defend themselves for decades to come.
November 8, 2018
Can Democrats Overcome Trump’s Shadow?
Should the Democratic Party be fortunate enough to rise to power again, the question arises: What will they do with it?
October 11, 2018
12 Rules for How Not to Negotiate a Successful Brexit
Why the UK’s Brexit strategy is such a terrible failure diplomatically.
September 22, 2018
Republicans and the US’s Heavily Managed Democracy
Can Republicans' efforts to tilt U.S. democracy toward feudalism be stopped?
September 12, 2018
Donald Trump, Compulsive Misogynist
Trump, the politician, evidently always needs a woman to beat up on. Think Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Angela Merkel, Theresa May, Margrethe Vestager and Omarosa Manigault Newman.
August 18, 2018
A Rare Case: Trump Is Right
The German government should not need any exhortations from the U.S. President to raise its level of defense spending.
July 9, 2018
World Cup 2018: Why Germany Will Flame Out
German hopes for the football tournament in Russia appear way overblown.
June 28, 2018
Why Trump (Still) Loves Macron
However hard they try, U.S. presidents lack the power of a French president to transform their nation.
June 14, 2018
Italian Reality Check: Six False Assumptions
The new Italian government seems keen to play blame games – and pursuing economic solutions that have already failed conclusively in the past.
June 6, 2018
The Benefits of the Post-American Order
The most pivotal insight for the post-American world order is that the pursuit of economic self-interest and self-preservation go hand in hand, whether at the national, regional or global level.
May 2, 2018
Heiko Maas: Standing Up to the Old Guard
The new German foreign minister charts a refreshingly principled stance toward Russia.
April 25, 2018
SPD: Andrea Nahles’ Elusive Task
Why it is practically impossible for the SPD to reinvent itself.
April 24, 2018
Globalists and Patriots
Globalists are patriots who have a worldview that is not limited to the political boundaries of one state.
April 21, 2018
Stephan Richter on NPR: Why Trump’s Trade Policies May Resurrect COMECON
Trump's trade policy is back to the past -- almost Old Testament. It’s called the COMECON. A conversation with Marketplace Morning Report’s David Brancaccio.
March 24, 2018
No Buicks! Janis Joplin’s Message to Donald Trump
Vanity and materialism -- not cheating -- drive German luxury car sales in the US.
March 15, 2018
Italy’s Elections: How Germany Is Italianizing Itself
Italian politicians warning against "Germany-type problems" in forming a government after the next election are a truly striking moment of European integration – although not a particularly welcome one.
March 1, 2018
The Globalist’s Top Thirteen Features by Jean-Pierre Lehmann
A selection of the most interesting features by Jean-Pierre Lehmann.
January 12, 2018
UK Tories Vs. the People’s Needs
Failing to deliver on basic necessities of modern life does not seem to faze many Tory politicians much.
January 9, 2018
Burying Air Berlin: The Curious World of French Pragmatism, German Statism
The loser in the Air Berlin game, as the government played it, are Germany’s citizens, consumers and air travelers.
October 19, 2017
The American Un-Society
The Las Vegas massacre has exposed that the idea of the existence of an American “society” is increasingly becoming pure fiction.
October 13, 2017
Hillary: The Perfect One
A self-indulgent campaign memoir from the unsuccessful U.S. presidential candidate does little to get Democrats back on track.
September 14, 2017
President Mike Pence?
Where Donald Trump is undisciplined and entertaining, Mike Pence is very disciplined and boring. But that discipline will not benefit the Americans at large.
July 22, 2017
The Liberal International Order: Just Who Shredded It?
Blaming Putin cannot cover up the noxious combination of collective U.S. amnesia and the transparent shift of accountability for the proper conduct in international affairs.
July 12, 2017
Theresa May: A Perfect Symbol for the UK
It isn’t just the UK Prime Minister who is confused about what kind of UK she wants. So is the rest of the country.
June 11, 2017
The Trumps and the Fuggers
The Trumps want to become a dynasty like the Fugger family. Are they in the same league? Get the fugg outta here!
April 16, 2017
Trump, the Great American Traditionalist
Close family ties were a way of life in early American presidential politics.
April 11, 2017
Stephan Richter on NPR: Trump’s Move Away From Globalization – Europe’s Perspective
Europeans are truly baffled by a U.S. government rejecting any kind of multilateralism. A conversation with Marketplace Morning Report’s David Brancaccio.
March 21, 2017
Anti-Nepotism Vs. Adult Supervision for Donald Trump
Moderating the US president and keeping him from erratic isolation may fall to his children and especially his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
February 14, 2017
Media As “Opposition”? If Only Steve Bannon Were Right
U.S. journalists may balk at the Trump White House calling them the opposition, but that's their proper role.
January 30, 2017
When Japan Attacked Globalism
In a curious role reversal, it was a Japanese Prime Minister who stole the march on Trump and his anti-globalism chants.
January 18, 2017
Binary Choice and American Politics in the Age of Complexity
The domestic set-up in the US, with two dominant political parties, is not conducive to constructive engagement. It favors paralysis or overreach.
January 16, 2017
Blaming Populists for Making Empty Promises?
The inclination of establishment politicians to overpromise is the core cause of the rise of populism.
January 12, 2017
Political Inversions: Clinton in ’08 and Obama in ’16?
A reflection on the strategic consequences of accidental American political inversions.
January 6, 2017
Did Democrats Fail in 2016 Because of Sexism in America?
Relying on demographic changes, the Democrats expected 2016 to become the End of History for the Republicans. Boy, were they wrong.
November 14, 2016
Why The Tata Case Is So Global and an Epoch-Making Event
Why the dismissal of the Tata Group’s Chairman is an epochal event in the annals of Indian capitalism.
October 31, 2016
The New Battle For Berlin
Centrality, not hegemony is the name of the German political game. They love network logic.
October 13, 2016
TTIP: Yes or No? — A Brief Checklist
Plenty of reasons why Europeans should be very wary to conclude this trade deal with the US.
September 14, 2016
Absolute Power: Erdogan’s Self-Made Trap
With next to no obstacles in his way any longer, Turkey’s President will soon run out of people to blame for Turkey’s mounting woes. The country will suffer.
August 11, 2016
The UK Opts Out: Four Major Effects
High time for a reality check on what the British vote really means – for the UK, Europe and the world.
July 1, 2016
Cameron’s Major Brexit Folly: Britain Needed “Fixing” More Than Europe
When it comes to urgently needed reforms, the British Prime Minister should have focused on Britain first.
June 26, 2016
The Silent Emergence of the Obama Doctrine
The benefits of ending the curious U.S. practice of turning natural allies into mortal enemies: Iran, Cuba, Vietnam.
March 22, 2016
Beyond Cuba: Washington’s Strategic Neglect of Latin America
Can the United States afford to integrate itself with Asia at the cost of Latin America?
October 3, 2015
Joe Biden: Just Bidin’ His Time
Biden-Warren 2016? Joe Biden is one Clinton scandal away from becoming the Democrats' presidential candidate.
August 13, 2015
Italy: The (In)Consequential Beppe Grillo
The message remains the same: Just blame Europe.
July 20, 2015
The Two Souls and Two Minds of Lindsey Graham
How is the South Carolina Senator forward-thinking on immigration and climate, but not the Middle East?
July 13, 2015
Has Tsipras Delivered?
The French bureaucracy's fingerprints are all over Greece's new proposal. Growth remains an afterthought.
July 10, 2015
The War of Ideas: Does It Exist? Can It Be Won?
What is the big idea (or set of ideas) the West is battling about?
June 13, 2015
Cameron, the Realist: A Message to America
Why the British Prime Minister’s more modest foreign policy goals for the UK should inspire the U.S.
June 4, 2015
Barack Obama a “Progressive”? Teddy Roosevelt Wouldn’t Agree
On Obama’s awkward efforts to defend his trade strategy.
June 1, 2015
UK’s Cameron: Caught in the Syriza/Tsipras Trap
Why Britain won’t get a “new deal” from Brussels and Europe.
May 15, 2015
Germany-UK: Making Up for a Lost Century
Britain and Germany must recognize at long last they have a common future.
May 12, 2015
Vietnam: On the Futility of US Invasions
Why on earth did the US invade Vietnam half a century ago? Have the lessons finally been learned?
April 30, 2015
Greece: Caught Between Nero and Catharsis
The Syriza government has done wonders to unify the rest of the Eurozone.
April 28, 2015
France’s Message to Germany: Back to the 19th Century?
France takes exception to the words of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.
April 22, 2015
Eurozone: The Battle Over What Solidarity Means
Are two divergent economic cultures clashing inside the Eurozone?
April 21, 2015
GE and Siemens: What Goes Around Comes Around
A curious role reversal between the U.S.’s and Germany’s largest industrial titans.
April 20, 2015
Candidate Clinton: The Foreign Policy Dimension
Hillary Clinton should shift course on her foreign policy as she launches her second presidential campaign.
April 14, 2015
Hillary Clinton’s Arduous Road to the White House in 2016
The Democratic Party's likely 2016 presidential nominee faces many challenges.
April 13, 2015
Obama: No More Special Treatment for Mr. Modi and India
The U.S. finally announces the installation of an Air Quality Monitor in Delhi – as it did in Beijing in 2008.
February 28, 2015
Germany’s Position on Greece: A Reality Check
It’s not about debt forgiveness now, but what Greece must do to reshape itself.
February 18, 2015
The Transatlantic Battle Over Ukraine
Comparing the 2015 disagreement over Ukraine with the 2003 spat over Iraq.
February 11, 2015
Wishful Thinking About Poverty in America
It takes determination not to see the facts on U.S. poverty for what they are.
January 28, 2015
Modi’s India: A Reality Check
A double take on economic planning and dynamism in India.
January 28, 2015
On Top of India: The Neemrana Fort-Palace
A visit to one of the world’s most magical hotels.
January 25, 2015
An America That Says No – To Itself
After the State of the Union speech, a United States that can’t agree on anything?
January 24, 2015
TTIP and GMOs: The European Race to Please America
The amateurishness and subservience of European politicians coming to Washington knows no bounds.
January 8, 2015
The Jeb Bush Surprise
Intriguing turns and twists of the emerging 2016 presidential race.
January 7, 2015
No NSA Reform, No CIA Reform
Reflections on U.S. politics as an eternal talk show.
December 14, 2014
France’s Sudden Chinese Impulses
Why is the French finance minister invoking other cultures’ diplomatic style to defend France?
December 11, 2014
America’s Mezzogiorno: A Thanksgiving Reflection
Why are U.S. southern states so determined not to serve the very real needs of their poor populations?
November 26, 2014
Visiting India? Battling a Kafkaesque Bureaucracy
Reflections on the amazing difficulties of obtaining a visa to India.
November 24, 2014
Angela Merkel and German Leadership in Foreign Policy
Evidence of German foreign policy leadership – on the UK, Russia and beyond.
November 10, 2014
Global Truths on Putin’s Tirades
Russia’s president constantly undermines his own case on the global stage.
November 6, 2014
Rousseff’s Global Challenge: Do Better Than India
With Modi, India got a new life politically. What about Brazil?
October 28, 2014
Europe’s Rules? Forget About Them
The rest of the world has it all wrong: The EU isn’t obsessing about rules.
October 27, 2014
Oil as a WMO: The West’s Weapon of Mass Obedience?
Will lower oil prices drive Saudi Arabia and Russia to pursue sensible reforms at home at long last?
October 16, 2014
The New Washington Consensus? Deutschland Über Alles
The art of casting Germany both as chief villain and magic wand of the global economy.
October 14, 2014
How ISIS Catches the United States With Its Pants Down
A new form of asymmetric warfare against the world’s biggest military.
October 9, 2014
Modi and Obama: A Study in Parallels
Obama’s case in the U.S. suggests caution is warranted regarding the current hype about India’s one-man show.
September 29, 2014
In Defense of Germany’s Decision to Ban Uber (For Now)
The company has to play by the rules.
September 10, 2014
Willful Ignorance on Foreign Policy
Stability through strength was and is a phantom concept
September 6, 2014
The Five Deadly Sins of U.S. Foreign Policy
Is the United States starting to resemble the Middle East?
August 25, 2014
The Dumbest U.S. Foreign Policy Question Asked This Century
What do U.S. politicians mean when they say they want to save Syria?
August 19, 2014
A Black President?
In too many ways, African Americans aren't much better off today than 50 years ago.
August 9, 2014
Anti-Corruption Fight in China: How India Undermines Progress
India has a free press and elections -- but even more corruption than China.
August 5, 2014
Corruption Campaign in China: What it Means for the World
The arrest of a top official might be the first shot in a battle to root out corruption in China.
July 31, 2014
Hedge Funds as Bottom Fishers
How America’s rich ruthlessly exploit the dysfunctional U.S. political system.
July 30, 2014
Clinton-itis as a National Disease
Clinton moneymaking, national "conversations" and the US policy agenda.
July 26, 2014
A Germany That Bets Big
Five unconventional moves that made Germany the 2014 World Cup champions.
July 14, 2014
Iraq’s Predictable Fate
Will the purveyors of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq ever pay a penance for their sins of warmongering?
June 18, 2014
Freeing Poland From the Shackles of Its Debt Mountain
The story of how the transatlantic partners collaborated to help Poland secure a stable future.
June 3, 2014
The NRA: Still America’s Cosa Nostra
The UCSB shooting is yet another monument to the cowering silence the NRA has forced the U.S. public into.
May 27, 2014
The Rise of the “Little Englanders”
Why are anti-immigration parties on the rise in much of Europe?
May 26, 2014
The New Vietnam War
Global ironies in Asia’s continuing struggle for national independence, now against China.
May 22, 2014
U.S. Declinism or Constructivism?
Why are U.S. media and elites so quick to quiet criticism of how the United States conducts itself?
May 22, 2014
Elizabeth Warren: When Political Labels Completely Mislead
The pursuit of consumer rights a 'leftist' agenda? Only in America!
May 15, 2014
Radek Sikorski: Truthteller in Action
A bold voice for a new direction in European foreign policy.
May 11, 2014
Radek Sikorski: Europe’s Next Top Diplomat?
Why Poland’s foreign minister should become Europe’s new foreign policy chief.
May 11, 2014
Africa: We Feel Your Pain (Sometimes)
Power outages in the capital city of the United States are a surprisingly regular feature.
May 9, 2014
South China Seas: When China Perversely Does America’s Bidding
How China's aggressiveness undermines its own long-term interests in Asia.
May 8, 2014
The Creeping Saudi Arabization of America
The U.S. Supreme Court chips away at the separation between church and state.
May 7, 2014
The Disastrous U.S. Habit to Rush Elections
From Iraq and Afghanistan to Ukraine, the U.S. always hopes to get “its man” into office quickly -- with poor results.
May 6, 2014
U.S.-Russia: Seeking Salvation in Sanctions
U.S. foreign policy is driven by acts of symbolism. When they fail, the U.S. is quick to blame others.
May 4, 2014
The Transatlantic World is Falling Apart
The U.S. is issuing frantic wake-up calls on defense – but Europe isn’t listening.
May 2, 2014
Healing D.C.: What Muriel Bowser Must Do
Can the D.C. mayor-in-waiting overcome the racial divide that persists in the U.S. capital city?
April 7, 2014
Zwei Hirten. Zwei Kulturrevolutionen?
Chinas KP unter Xi Jinping und der Vatikan unter Franziskus stehen vor weitgehend gleichen Governance-Problemen -- von Finanz- und Sexskandalen bis hin zum sinkender Gefolgsbereitschaft.
March 27, 2014
Venezuela Today Vs. the Polish Liberation Episode
Pope Francis and John Paul II are both transformative figures.
March 26, 2014
Two Shepherds, Two Cultural Revolutions?
Comparing the agendas and performance of Pope Francis and China’s Xi Jinping.
March 26, 2014
The Meaning of Ukraine’s Big Weekend
Poland’s Sikorski unstoppable for top Brussels post; U.S.’s Nuland now in a chorus with Putin.
February 23, 2014
France and the United States: The Story of Four Amazing Parallels
Two "grand nations" strangely united in the pursuit of wrong priorities.
February 13, 2014
“F*** the EU:” How Victoria Nuland Stirs the Pot in Ukraine
What really caused the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Europe to speak her mind so clearly?
February 7, 2014
Yes We Can: The NSA and Obama
Why is President Obama so permissive with regard to excesses of the U.S. intelligence apparatus?
January 29, 2014
As Goes Best Buy, So Goes U.S.?
What does the shaky fate of the U.S. consumer electronics chain portend for the economic future of the United States?
January 22, 2014
U.S.-Iran: Two Countries in the Iron Grip of Conservatives
Counting the ways in which Iran and the United States are alike.
January 17, 2014
The Old King is Dead. Long Live the King!
It's time to realize that focusing on the horse race aspect of American presidential politics is precluding actual governance.
December 9, 2013
Angela Merkel’s True Colors
Is Angela Merkel aiming to be the most successful Social Democratic Chancellor in German history?
November 21, 2013
CEO Pay: A Swiss Rebellion
What will be the ramifications of a Swiss referendum on executive compensation?
November 21, 2013
Climate Change as Terrorism Against the People
In view of the typhoon in the Philippines, has the United States misplaced its global priorities?
November 17, 2013
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria’s “Yes We Can” Minister – A 2013 Portrait
An interview with Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her country's future path.
November 14, 2013
Brazil: An Object of History — or a Subject?
Brazil must act decisively to become a leader or be relegated to an object of history.
November 14, 2013
The Case for President Warren
How about a woman in the Oval Office who isn't Hillary Clinton?
November 12, 2013
The United States’ Self-Defeating Gotcha Culture
Congressional hearings on healthcare.gov: show-trials and perils for democracy.
November 11, 2013
The Incorrigible Senator McCain
How to promote interventions, from Iraq to Syria, without ever being held accountable.
November 8, 2013
Beyond NSA Spying: The Transatlantic Culture Gap
The Guardian op-ed by Stephan Richter and Jan Philipp Albrecht: What can be done to deter U.S. spying in Europe?
October 30, 2013
U.S. Shale Gas: All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
The shale boom in the United States isn't the game-changer its proponents claim.
October 21, 2013
The United States as a Failing State? A Perspective From 2013
A country's success or failure must be measured against its inherent potential.
October 18, 2013
Boehner’s Berlusconi Moment
Will it take the United States 20 years to rid itself of Tea Party obstructionism?
October 6, 2013
The U.S. Civil War Continues
One of the biggest hoaxes of American history is that the Civil War ended back in 1865. Battling over racism then, health care now, U.S. society is still at war with itself.
October 5, 2013
Innovation and Management in China, Germany and the US
Will China follow the U.S. model or the German model for innovation and management?
October 1, 2013
Merkel Greens: Germany’s Next Big Transformation
Why Angela Merkel will ultimately opt for a Black-Green coalition.
September 30, 2013
Systematically Silencing America
How Republicans and their cynical allies deal with America's real problems.
September 24, 2013
Weakened West or Triumph of Democracy?
In a triumph of Western democracy, the interventionist impulses of US and UK are cut down to size.
September 22, 2013
Walmart: Benevolent Dictator of America
After the D.C. mayor’s veto: What’s Walmart’s real game plan — aside from refusing to pay a living wage?
September 13, 2013
Mexico & Brazil: Why U.S. Spying Stings So Much
After the NSA snooping, why are politicians and citizens all across Latin America so dismayed?
September 10, 2013
U.S. Into Syria: Six Key Mysteries
What happens when a bunch of former senators run U.S. foreign policy?
September 10, 2013
Syria: The End of American Omnipotence
How is the Syria crisis forcing U.S. elites to see what the world already knows?
September 3, 2013
The Transatlantic Battle Against Tax Evasion
Why is combating tax evasion so important in the globalization debate?
September 2, 2013
Shadows of Snowden Over the Atlantic Alliance
Beyond betrayal of trust, what about the NSA scandal worries Europe most?
August 27, 2013
What Really Ails Detroit
Stephan Richter's NYTimes Oped: Detroit’s collapse — bad luck, globalization to blame or indicative of a U.S.-wide problem?
August 16, 2013
Rajan Vs. Summers: Two Economists, Two Central Banks
How does Larry Summers, would-be Fed Chair, measure up to India's new central banker, Raghu Rajan?
August 15, 2013
Larry Summers and A Tale of Two Harvard Professors
Why can't a smart man like Larry Summers bring even a bit of compassion and common humanity to his economic analyses?
August 13, 2013
Ben Franklin, America’s First Globalist
What can Ben Franklin's warning to 13 rebellious colonies teach us about global cooperation today?
August 10, 2013
Larry Summers Reloaded
Is it a good idea to make a brilliant man the next U.S. Fed Chairman?
August 2, 2013
Data Privacy: When Angela Merkel Leads From Behind
How the German Chancellor turns big political crises into major reforms. After the NSA scandal, it's data privacy.
July 31, 2013
Japan — Viewed from Above
Abenomics is widely hoped to provide an economic turnaround for Japan. But is the prime minister focusing on the right issues?
July 26, 2013
It’s Not a Conspiracy, Mr. Erdogan!
Does it make sense for Turkey's Prime Minister to attack financial markets? They have actually been his country's friend.
July 3, 2013
Syria, Iran and American Forgetfulness
Which nation is the key enabler of Iran's steady rise in the Middle East?
June 17, 2013
Erdogan’s Fundamental Miscalculation
Why do the AK Party's own followers have doubts about Erdogan's path for Turkey's future?
June 14, 2013
Obama’s Cardinal Sin
Why is the U.S. president so keen on excelling by doing his very own opposition's bidding? Is it because he is a non-politician and utter elitist?
June 10, 2013
German Diplomacy and French Intransigence
Have German politicians finally learned the art of diplomacy?
May 31, 2013
France: Sovereignty as a Blocking Statute
Is French leadership strong only when opposing action? Have German leaders finally learned to be diplomatic?
May 31, 2013
Obama’s Third Term
Why is the United States forever engaging in political scandals and horse races -- rather than in the business of governing?
May 17, 2013
Pakistan’s Elections: How to Remake a Society
Could all the suicide bombings and car bombs indicate that the forces of medievalism are losing the battle for Pakistan?
May 10, 2013
Pope Francis: A Martin Luther in the Making?
Is Jorge Bergoglio up to the task of reforming the Catholic Church without breaking it apart? Governance reforms are centuries overdue.
April 16, 2013
American Disingenuousness: Jack Lew Goes to Europe
Why is the U.S. Treasury Secretary urging Europe to adopt the same borrow-and-spend policies that got the United States into so much fiscal trouble?
April 12, 2013
Israel: Gatekeepers of Self-Destruction?
Will Israel be able to create a better political reality in order to save its very existence?
April 3, 2013
Asia’s Lacking Pride
Why would emerging countries copy the unhealthy eating habits of the West, when their own tradition is so much healthier?
March 25, 2013
Mr. Bremer’s Shades of Grey
If a black-or-white political culture is grounds for sending in U.S. troops, then few countries require an invasion more urgently than the United States.
March 21, 2013
The United States: From Global Vanguard to Global Hindrance
The United States used to be the key force promoting global governance. What are the global consequences of America's deeply divided domestic politics?
March 18, 2013
Health Care and the Road to American Serfdom
Individual rights in the United States are not threatened because government is too oppressive. The real problem is that government is too weak.
February 22, 2013
Hillary Clinton and the Art of Defending American Power Linguistically
Why are even America's self-acclaimed liberal internationalists still so keen on being top dog? Will John Kerry follow in Hillary Clinton's footsteps on this issue?
January 31, 2013
Turning Environmental Threats into Profits
How does one turn environmental problems into a threat for the United States and then into a profit opportunity?
January 26, 2013
The U.S. Yearning for Systemic Uncertainty
Why is it that U.S. business and society seem less well prepared to tackle a long-term challenge such as climate change?
January 25, 2013
The U.S. Refusal to See China as a Positive Challenge
Why don't Americans let themselves be spurred to stimulate their competitive juices when they look at China?
January 24, 2013
Optimism as a Force for Good — And Doing Nothing
Can optimism be a substitute for doing really hard work? Or is it just a very transparent excuse for a cop-out on climate change?
January 23, 2013
Climate Change and the Claim to Global Leadership
What is the real challenge President Obama and the American people must urgently resolve?
January 22, 2013
An America That Can’t: A Reflection on Obama’s Second Inaugural
Does it even make sense to hold federal elections in the United States? After all, they never provide any real resolution.
January 21, 2013
The EU: Regulation King by Default
Is the United States' anti-regulation stance undermining its global power position?
January 15, 2013
The U.S. Democrats as a Conservative Party
Despite all the talk about the Republican Party in need of splitting into two camps, aren't the Democrats a more realistic target?
January 5, 2013
The Republicans’ Endgame
Is the best political game plan available to U.S. Republicans to be refuseniks?
January 4, 2013
When the United States Strikes Out
How does the world's largest economy perform on the three most important tasks to create a better global economy?
January 3, 2013
President Elizabeth Warren: An Angela Merkel in the Making?
Will 2016 finally bring the arrival of a woman in the Oval Office? How about somebody other than Hillary Clinton?
December 11, 2012
Tackling Too Big To Fail: The Most Important Rightsizing in U.S. History
Why is it taking so long to write and implement new U.S. financial reform regulations?
September 11, 2012
The Editor and His Dog: A Tribute
What's a writer to do when he's looking for the next great idea or opening line?
May 19, 2012
The Tragedy of Turkish Food
How might Turkey's relations with Europe be different if it had engaged in food diplomacy?
May 12, 2012
21st Century Coffeehouse Society
How are U.S. coffee shops turning into the office away from the office?
February 18, 2012
U.S. Message to the BRICS: No More Mr. Nice Guy
Is "soft power" just a friendlier-sounding way for the United States to dominate the world?
November 9, 2011
“Defeating the Taliban”: Naïveté and the American Empire
While modern "Rome" is burning, why do U.S. foreign policy elites keep meddling in overseas adventures?
October 26, 2010
Dateline UK: In Praise of Coalition Governments
Has the time come to consider new political arrangements among opposing political camps?
May 13, 2010
Why Afghanistan Is Lost
Will 30,000 additional U.S. troops help President Obama turn the tide in Afghanistan?
December 3, 2009
Americanism and Globalism: Joined at the Hip
Is globalism an inherently anti-American concept? Nothing could be further from the truth.
November 13, 2009
Versailles, Take II?
What parallels may emerge between the G-20 and the aftermath of World War I?
April 3, 2009
Are You a Minister? (Or: It’s All About the Money, Stupid!)
An amazing conversation on the role and responsibility of elites in the U.S. capital.
January 23, 2009
Hillary Clinton and Biblical Justice?
Why might the Bush clan be secretly rooting for Hillary Clinton's presidential fortunes to improve?
December 14, 2007
Iran and Intelligent Opposition
Are U.S. intelligence services a more effective counterweight to the Bush Administration than the U.S. Congress?
December 6, 2007
Stop Those Girls!, or: The Don Imus and Nancy Pelosi Show
When it comes to foreign policy under the Bush Administration, is it 'Boys Only, No Girls Allowed'?
April 13, 2007
The POP (Public Opinion Poll) Superpower
Why is it dangerous to legitimize U.S. foreign policy decisions through opinion polls?
March 23, 2007