A failing empire, consumed by ignorance, avarice and hatred
The once-great US of A is on a downward spiral, ruled by a megalomaniac who arrogantly exudes ignorance. I did tell you so.
Rape and murder in SA: a reply to Jackie Phamotse
There is a way of talking about violence against women in South Africa that begins from a morally serious concern and ends somewhere much less useful. A woman is murdered, raped or assaulted and almost immediately ordinary men are told that they need to “hold other men accountable”.
DA’s changing of the guard the most consequential political event this year
Many who watched it, have failed to appreciate what exactly happened in the Democratic Alliance this year. The party underwent a fundamental shift, a changing of the baton as a new guard took over. For years the DA has prided itself on its ability to cultivate and develop young talent. Not for kicks, but for leadership roles later. This year the fruits of that work can finally be seen.
Getting into a frothy over rugby
“Well, how did you enjoy the rugby?” Noah asks. Noah and I are standing our Irish friends to breakfast at a local restaurant. This is
Creepy commonalities: the revival of nostalgia for evil pasts
In the bestselling satirical novel by Timur Vermes, Look Who’s Back, a scruffy character in a dusty and petrol-soaked trenchcoat with a trademark sweep of
The most endearing feature of the high-trust society is the honesty box
In many English villages, eggs or vegetables are left outside homes on tables. You take half a dozen of the former, then you slip cash into a box, ordinarily a few pounds. Nobody is guarding the table, nobody is monitoring the box. At the end of the day the person selling is almost guaranteed to reconcile to the penny.
Crude errors: the government’s flawed strategic fuel reserve plan
Two key events in the past week put Gulf oil supplies at increased risk and helped push the price of Brent crude back above $100 a barrel. The first was Saudi Arabia’s decision to shut down its East-West crude pipeline following a drone strike. The second was a sudden advance by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen, who swept south along the Red Sea coast, seizing towns and taking control of strategic islands inside the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. This gives the Houthis the capacity to close a key artery for Gulf oil, even as passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained.
Marco Rubio takes on the South African elite on Constitution Day
Hello from the District of Columbia swamp! This column goes live on 17 September, Constitution Day in the United States, and I had the privilege of writing it during a long stay in the American capital. Two days earlier, 15 September, was National Voter Registration Day.
What does “slow down” even mean? (and Elon Musk’s big idea)
Keeping up is exhausting. The constant flow of WTF stories out of the global AI technopolitical ecosystem has rendered both the commentators and the curious (including this writer) a little punch-drunk.
Alternatives to a BRICS searching for a role
The BRICS grouping — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — and its other members and partners met in New Delhi over the weekend and issued a mammoth 51-page declaration. A long declaration with little really new is a sure sign that the drafters could not agree on a few big, important things.