A bunch of deeply unimpressive politicians are paralysing Taiwan’s democracy for shameful, self-interested reasons. China is the only winner. My column on the KMT-led opposition antics holding Taiwan politics hostage. economist.com/internationa...

Taking Taiwan’s democracy hostage

Self-interested Taiwanese politicians are making the country increasingly ungovernable. China is the only winner

economist.com

The Economist Insider🎙️| What does Iran want? Sanam Vakil joined @dsorennie.bsky.social for the @economist.com's Insider podcast to discuss Iran's new cadre of leaders and the motives driving Tehran's actions amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

The world’s in a gangsterish state, with Trump, Putin & Xi turning dependencies into protection rackets. That’s a dilemma for candidates to be next UN Sec. General. How to defend basic norms without crossing the veto-wielding bullies of the Security Council? My column economist.com/internationa...

Al Capone would recognise today’s world order. That’s not good

In a gangsterish age, the UN needs an ultra-pragmatist as secretary-general

economist.com

The idea might boil Trump’s blood, but if he had heeded Barack Obama’s core advice to US presidents, “Don’t Do Stupid Shit”, he would be in a far better place today. My column, The Telegram, on how the Iran debacle could consume Trump’s presidency. economist.com/internationa... from The Economist

The Iran war is consuming the Trump presidency

Donald Trump may hate to hear it, but Barack Obama was right about avoiding “stupid shit”

economist.com

To avoid dependency on AI from a domineering America, lots of countries and firms are tempted by open source/weight models from China. But China is an unreliable champion of openness, with ambitions for global dominance of its own. My column, The Telegram economist.com/internationa...

When China’s open-source AI is a trap

America’s quest for AI dominance is scary. China is not the solution

economist.com

As Donald Trump dominates another NATO summit, the alliance’s SecGen Mark Rutte will annoy many Europeans by flattering and placating Trump. My column on why allies should stop grumbling and give Rutte a medal for sacrificing his dignity economist.com/internationa... from The Economist

If ludicrous Trump flattery can save NATO, bring it on

The NATO chief Mark Rutte is quite annoying. It is in a worthy cause

economist.com

The Hormuz debacle has taught friends and adversaries of America a bleak lesson. To get Donald Trump’s respect, show that you can hurt him. My column on a world of coercion. It’s reported from Taiwan, home to a chipmaking choke point economist.com/internationa... from The Economist

Allies learn how to bully America

Can Taiwan use its chipmaking industry to strong-arm Donald Trump?

economist.com

This month @dsorennie.bsky.social is joined by a panel of Latin America experts to discuss Donald Trump’s threats against Cuba, and to consider the likelihood of democratic transition

Will Donald Trump try to take Cuba? | The Economist Insider

Earlier this year Donald Trump vowed that “the honour of taking Cuba” would be his. To make this dream a reality he’s tried economic coercion, imposing a punishing oil embargo on the island that has made ordinary Cubans suffer. Fuel, food, medicine and clean water are all in short supply, but the regime shows little sign of surrendering. A frustrated Mr Trump is now threatening force.  Would America really launch a military operation in Cuba? If it did, would it work? Or can Mr Trump cut a deal with the country’s leaders? David Rennie, The Economist’s geopolitics editor, is joined by a panel of Latin America experts to discuss these questions and consider the likelihood of democratic transition there.

econ.st

To Asian allies, Carney-esque talk of middle powers saving a benign world order is a fantasy. They are sure only America can restrain a China bent on domination, and dislike what they see as selfish European posturing against Trump. My column from Japan economist.com/internationa...

Asian allies are doomed to hug Donald Trump close

Forget middle-power coalitions. Japan and neighbours know that only America can deter China

economist.com

Excellent take on China-EU by my colleague @dsorennie.bsky.social, who travelled to both Beijing and Brussels (having lived in both previously) to gauge the rising trade frictions between them. *Very* sobering assessment of Europe by the Chinese. Nearing contempt, often.

The Economist@economist.com · 3mo ago

Chinese officials are connoisseurs of power and coercion. They see Europe as an economic giant with puny geopolitical leverage, hobbled by its need for consensus among 27 members

The Economist’s The Telegram: The EU and China are stumbling into a trade war – ‘If China is blamed for destroying European steel or carmaking jobs, say, any German chancellor or French president will face demands to intervene.’

The EU and China are stumbling into a trade war

Swamped by Chinese exports, Europe nears a point of no return

economist.com

America’s Founders feared Roman-style decadence.They’d have been alarmed by Trump-era echoes of Caligula, who put his name on temples, erected golden statues of himself, humiliated senators, wooed the public with gladiator games and vowed to make his horse a consul. economist.com/internationa...

America must hope Donald Trump is not a new Caligula

In the annals of rulers committing acts of folly, Roman decadence stands out

economist.com

It’s risky to let Ukraine into the EU-it’s a corrupt, fragile democracy with disputed borders. It’s more dangerous to keep it out. To fight or deter Russia, Europe needs Ukraine.And a spurned Ukraine would be a dangerous neighbour.No easy choices.My column, The Telegram economist.com/internationa...

To fight Russia, Europe needs Ukraine

It is risky to let Ukraine into the EU. It’s more dangerous to keep it out

economist.com

To critics, the mess in the Gulf reflects Trumpian flaws: impatience, hubris, over-reliance on threats, incuriosity about how foreigners think. In fact, several US presidents have made similar blunders. Trump stands out for unusual cynicism & incompetence economist.com/internationa...

A dangerous blind spot in Donald Trump’s Iran war strategy

America sets too little store by foreigners’ beliefs and values. It’s a costly mistake, each time

economist.com

To appreciate the global disorder being unleashed by the Iran war, consider the economic and political pain it is starting to inflict on India, a country that usually boasts of thriving on chaos. My column, The Telegram, reported from Delhi economist.com/internationa... from The Economist

India has much to lose from a world in chaos

Not long ago, India was cocky about handling an unpredictable America. No longer

economist.com

A giant gamble is underway in Iran. The result may take years to be known. An early winner, though, is Israel. Fearing a fight with Donald Trump, allies from Germany to Australia are endorsing Israeli rules of war, notably the killing of enemy govt leaders. My column economist.com/internationa...

Binyamin Netanyahu is the big winner from the Iran war, for now

To avoid a row with Donald Trump, Western allies are endorsing Israeli theories of war

economist.com

Donald Trump is trying something risky: the half-abandonment of allies. He is willing to do much less for the defence of Europe and NATO, but still expects allies to do as America says. That’s not a stable relationship and trust is crumbling. My column from #MSC2026 economist.com/internationa...

Donald Trump’s envoys failed to reassure Europe

A gathering of world leaders in Munich shows how trust has collapsed

economist.com

Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford? Europeans & US allies hear that now in Washington & from Asian, MidEast govts. But here’s the trap: when democracies turn illiberal they don’t become efficient technocracies, they become Russia or Hungary. My column economist.com/internationa...

Are liberal values a luxury the West cannot afford?

Yes, China has impressive high-speed trains. That is no reason for the West to adopt iron-fisted rule

economist.com

📳 NEW EDITION 📳 Is US foreign policy really being run on Trump’s whims… or is there a coherent agenda under the chaos? Economist geopolitics editor @dsorennie.bsky.social takes @seththevoz.bsky.social on a journey into America’s new belligerence. 📳 Listen up: linktr.ee/bunker_pod

As AI & robots upend the world of work expect a contest over models of humiliation management. China channels it into industrial adjustment. Centrists promise (only somewhat credibly) to keep loss & decline at bay. Populists weaponise humiliation for gain. My column economist.com/internationa...

Anger is deadly to moderate politicians

AI-driven disruption is about to make the world a more resentful place

economist.com

World leaders are attacking Europe. Trump, Xi, Putin and Zelensky think Europeans weak and annoying. True, Europe (I include the UK) can be smug and slow. But the derision is overdone, and leaders are often blaming Europe for choices they made. My column, The Telegram economist.com/internationa...

Lots of world leaders are attacking Europe. Why?

Often, Europe-bashing is best explained by domestic politics in America, China and beyond

economist.com

Quite proud of this The Telegram column from 8 Feb 2025, predicting that allies will appease Trump up until the point he convinces them the 1945 world order is dead, whereupon their initial plan to buy him off/wait him out will turn into resistance and hedging economist.com/internationa...

Allies will not appease Donald Trump for ever

If Trump convinces partners that the post-1945 order really is dead, things will get ugly

economist.com

We asked @dsorennie.bsky.social for one word or phrase to describe foreign policy under Trump 2.0. He did not hesitate: “Dominance.” The whole conversation is a great synthesis of a disorienting year. theworld.org/segments/202...

Trump's first year reshapes the global economy — Part 1 - The World from PRX

One year on, US President Donald Trump’s second term has rattled the global economy. Terms like “weaponized tariffs” and “trade bazooka” suggest we’re clearly in new territory. The World’s Host Caroly...

theworld.org

Boosters call China an alternative to a scary US. Hawks accuse Mark Carney and other Western leaders of aligning with the PRC. In reality China is as ruthlessly self-interested as ever and offers lonely Western middle powers only a limited hedge.My column,The Telegram economist.com/briefing/202...

Western leaders navigate a lonely world

China cannot and will not save mid-size American allies from Donald Trump

economist.com

Sign of the times - I initially read this as an argument for laying defensive landmines in Greenland

POLITICO Europe@politico.eu · 7mo ago

As Donald Trump threatens to take Greenland by force, Europe’s failure to mine the icebound Danish territory is increasingly looking like a mistake. 🔗 politi.co/45Lffob

“We’re not going back to the status quo ante, tariffs are always going to be part of the landscape.” My video interview with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for The Economist. Topics include SCOTUS Plan B, and how the US has no illusions about changing China www.economist.com/insider/insi...

Are America’s tariffs here to stay? | The Economist Insider

A year into Donald Trump’s second term, global trade has been transformed. America has abandoned its role as guardian of the post-1945 order, instead wielding tariffs to punish political foes and pres...

economist.com

Donald Trump begins 2026 in a hurry to remake the world. What happened to his risk-averse view of foreign interventions? In part he’s been lucky, avoiding U.S. casualties so far. My column, The Telegram economist.com/internationa... from The Economist

Donald Trump is a man in a hurry

America’s president used to be risk-averse. Is that changing?

economist.com

If you are a subscriber, do have a look at @dsorennie.bsky.social interviewing Da Wei of Tsinghua University. Very interesting conversation. www.economist.com/insider/insi...

China’s grand plan: Taiwan, tech and the Trump effect | The Economist Insider

Reporting on China is challenging. The country’s leaders seldom give interviews to Western media and when they do they tend to stick to prepared official lines. To understand China journalists rely on...

economist.com

In 2026 the nationality of global companies will be more important politically but more ambiguous. Expect rows about local content rules, and the China subsidiaries of multinationals out-competing parent companies in export markets. My column, The Telegram

Patriotism tests loom for big business

Economic nationalism makes it harder for multinationals to navigate the world

economist.com

China’s foreign policy establishment is wary but confident that it’s cracked the code of handling Trump and his trade war. Taiwan is a harder challenge. A wide-ranging interview with a China insider Prof Da Wei of Tsinghua Univ, who doesn’t duck tough questions www.economist.com/insider/insi...

China’s grand plan: Taiwan, tech and the Trump effect | The Economist Insider

Reporting on China is challenging. The country’s leaders seldom give interviews to Western media and when they do they tend to stick to prepared official lines. To understand China journalists rely on...

economist.com