Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
What now for Ukraine and the world?
February 27th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
I’ve hesitated to blog about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I was embarrassed by the role of Londongrad – my home city – as a laundromat for dirty money from Russian oligarchs and plutocrats. The situation in Ukraine seemed too horrific and heartbreaking for comment. I wondered what I could write when so much has […]
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Does the Earth need its own flag?
February 19th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
Sounds like a good idea to me. But what would it look like? You’ll find one possible design in this short piece.
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A review of “The Other” by Ryszard Kapuściński (2008)
February 10th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
In so many disciplines – philosophy, anthropology, psychology, sociology, politics – there is a fundamental difference between the Self and the Other. This slim volume of just 80 pages of text on the Other brings together an English translation of six thoughtful and enlightened lectures and essays by the renowned Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński with […]
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How did the Third World War begin?
February 9th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
The key event was the Moscow Conference of 2022. After months of Russian troop build-ups on the borders of Ukraine, a conference to resolve the crisis was convened in Moscow. It was the proposal of the two western attendees: French President Emmanuel Macron, who was about to face a re-election battle, and British Prime Minister […]
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A review of the important book “Seven Ways To Change The World” by Gordon Brown
January 29th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
In these troubled times when so many are depressed and even in despair about our world, it is a rare pleasure to read a book that addresses head-on most of the major problems that we face, that describes the challenges so eloquently and offers solutions that are so practical, and that is imbued with such […]
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What are the assets of the Cayman Islands?
January 14th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
As you might of guessed, this is trick question. Currently I am reading “Seven Ways To Change The World: How To Fix The Most Pressing Problems We Face” by Gordon Brown. In the chapter on tax havens, he reveals that the the territory’s foreign assets are valued at an astonishing 1,500 times the size of […]
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How many passport holders are there on St Kitts and Nevis?
January 14th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
As you might of guessed, this is trick question. Currently I am reading “Seven Ways To Change The World: How To Fix The Most Pressing Problems We Face” by Gordon Brown. In the chapter on tax havens, he reveals that the population of St Kitts and Nevis is a mere 50,000 or so, but that […]
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Just how common are pandemics? You might be surprised.
January 4th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
Currently I am reading “Seven Ways To Change The World: How To Fix The Most Pressing Problems We Face” by Gordon Brown. In his chapter on ‘Preventing Pandemics’, he writes: “Lest we think COVID-19 is a ‘black swan’ and that global pandemics are one-offs, it is worth examining the evidence. Throughout history, more people have […]
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The sad burning of the South African Parliament Building
January 3rd, 2022 by Roger Darlington
I was sad to hear of the news of the fire at the South African Parliament Building in Cape Town. Somehow it seems symbolic of the flawed attempt to create a new democracy in South Africa. But more immediately it poses questions such as: how did the arsonist gain entry to the building? why did […]
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What can the world expect in 2022? Another year of living dangerously.
December 30th, 2021 by Roger Darlington
“On the brink of a new year, the world faces a daunting array of challenges: the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, the struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, humanitarian crises, mass migration, and trans-national terrorism. There is the risk of new inter-state conflicts, exacerbated by the breakdown of the rules-based international order, and the spread […]
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