Letícia Chagas, Global Americans
In the first week of January, Brazil announced the efficacy of the Coronavac vaccine, produced by Instituto Butantã and Sinovac.
David Ignatius, WaPo
When Biden administration officials traveled this month to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations, they saw a striking change: Like the United States, these countries seem to have learned the limits of military power and are instead stressing domestic economic growth and diplomacy.
Daniel Moss, Bloomberg
China's slowest population growth in decades may be felt more acutely beyond its borders than within them. The economy will keep humming and incomes can continue to climb, albeit at a slower rate.
Derek H. Burney, National Post
Though Joe Biden's immediate priority is his massive $6-trillion domestic spending package, he faces multiple challenges on foreign policy. His leadership mettle is being tested by a more assertive China, an always disruptive Russia and by other nagging threats to global security like Iran and North Korea.
T. Maulana, Diplomat
In Indonesia, long holidays are projected to carry with them the threat of a significant increase in positive COVID-19 infections.
Janine Di Giovanni, The Nation
Last week at Yale Jackson Institute, we held a conference with Justice for Kurds, an advocacy group that seeks to raise awareness for the Kurdish cause. My panel focused on whether there should be a new US Strategy for Syria, Iraq and the Kurds. In other words, should the US help facilitate a Kurdish state?
Paul Mason, New Statesman
D. Melyantsou, Moscow Times
Relations between Belarus and Russia continue to baffle observers with their unpredictability. Just a year ago, the two countries were holding tough negotiations over road maps outlining their closer integration, which, ironically, only made public their growing differences.
Howard W. French, Foreign Affairs
In the early twentieth century, during a period when Tibet was effectively self-governed, it was known as "the hermit kingdom." This moniker reflected the general remoteness of the place, reinforced by the altitude of its habitable plateaus, the forbidding mountain ranges (including the Himalayas) that hem Tibet in, and the supposedly insular character of its people, whose abiding wish, it was said, was to be left alone.
Nette Nöstlinger & Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico EU
Sebastian Kurz, the made-for-Instagram Austrian chancellor who rose to prominence by harnessing the power of social media, is racing to take back control of his story.
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Joshua Keating, Slate
There may be few public figures as quintessentially American as Donald Trump, but the 45th president's election in 2016 was also widely seen as part of a global political backlash against liberalism, globalization, and immigration.
Sui-Lee Wee, NYT
China's population is growing at its slowest pace in decades, with a plunge in births and a graying work force presenting the Communist Party with one of its gravest social and economic challenges.
