North Korea Signals Interest in Building Tokyo Ties
North Korea has been clearly signaling an interest in improving relations with Japan, although there remain far more questions than answers.
Tomosaburo Kato and Military Retrenchment
From 1922-1923, Admiral Tomosaburo Kato led the Japanese government. While in principle it was a clear setback for democracy to have a military man and not an elected politician running the administration, Kato skillfully carried out the sensitive tasks of cutting defense budgets and ending some internationally controversial military deployments.
Communist Party Aims for Gender Equity
The Japan Communist Party (JCP) has made another step forward toward becoming the major national political party most committed to gender equity, but it is far from clear this approach will allow it to break into the mainstream.
Hunger, Disease, and Death in Gaza
The United Nations continues to urgently proclaim to the world that the civilian population of the Gaza Strip is being “stalked by hunger, disease, and death.” But these desperate pleas fall on deaf ears in Washington, both its political class and the mainstream media, which continues to be deeply beholden to the Israel Lobby, and to provide money, weapons, and political support to the ongoing mass murder.
The Evolution of Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson has been evolving into someone whose foreign policy views now run parallel with some tenets of the anti-imperialist left, even if his conclusions have sprung from a different intellectual and moral path.
Korekiyo Takahashi and the Eclipse of Central Authority
From 1921-1922, finance specialist Korekiyo Takahashi served as prime minister of Japan. His brief tenure, however, was mainly notable as a period in which the nation was adrift at its senior levels; those in authority or who had commanded policy in earlier years had disappeared through death and illness.
Political Divisions Harden in West Africa
Three military dictatorships in West Africa have announced a split with a major regional organization which they had helped cofound almost half a century ago, marking an increasingly bitter division in the region, with global implications.
Many Democrats Give Biden Pass on Enabling Genocide
Polling reveals that half of the US citizens who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. However, many seem to either support the genocide or, at least, don’t view the Biden administration’s backing of a genocide as a disqualification to receive a second presidential vote.
Takashi Hara and the Wilsonian Challenge
From 1918-1921, Takashi Hara skillfully led Japan’s first modern government which was truly commanded by elected politicians, a major step forward for democracy.
Operation Lone Star Boosts Republicans
While it is on dubious legal and sometimes factual ground, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” looks to be a political winner in 2024, causing headaches for US Democrats both at the national and local levels.