Jorge Malena, Clarin
BUENOS AIRES — For Beijing, the recent U.S. pullout and Taliban takeover makes Afghanistan an urgent matter. A hostile Afghanistan could not only threaten its hold on the "autonomous" western region of Xinjiang, but also the implementation of China's Belt and Road Initiative (or New Silk Road). Chinese interests in Afghanistan relate principally to security, but also the potential impact on the economy.
Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker
Only time will tell whether the old adage about Afghanistan's being the graveyard of empires proves as true for the United States as it did for the Soviet Union.
Daoud Kuttab, Al Monitor
The Palestinian president's meeting with the Israeli defense minister comes at a time of frustration among Palestinians with Abbas.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Foreign Affairs
America and Its Allies Cannot Abandon the Fight for Democracy
Alexander Kuhn, Der Spiegel
As Greek finance minister, he made a name for himself for standing up to Germany. But his political star burned out quickly. Now, Yanis Varoufakis is trying his luck at writing novels.
Michael Strain, JT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada would reject claims that his leadership style is similar to that of former U.S. President Donald Trump or British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But in at least in one respect the comparison is getting closer to hitting its target.
Mina Al-Oraibi, Foreign Policy
The United States can no longer claim to be the leader of the free world if it abandons strategic allies and vulnerable civilians.
Robert Funk, Global Americans
On August 21, Yasna Provoste, the President of the Chilean Senate, won her country's center-left primaries. Securing 60 percent of the vote share, the Christian Democratic politician scored a resounding victory against opponents from the Socialist and Radical Parties. But while Provoste has managed to dominate the Unidad Constituyente (UC) primaries, her prospects in the general election are less promising.
Economist
Climate change, covid-19 and bad governance are to blame
Kenneth Rogoff, Project Syndicate
Many economists seem to view inflation as a purely technocratic problem, and most central bankers would like to believe that. In fact, the roots of sustained inflation mainly stem from political economy problems, and here the long list of similarities between the 1970s and today is unsettling.
James Jay Carafano, 1945
America was in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. For about 19 of those years, American presidents never talked much to the American people, treating an operation protecting 38 million Afghans and America's interests like the mad wife hidden away in Jane Eyre—a responsibility best left unseen. Instead, presidents would parachute in, announce their fiats with a sprinkling of the motto of the day, and then be whisked from the podium as soon as possible.
Edward Luce, Financial Times
For EU governments, the contrast with Donald Trump's policies is more apparent than real
Stephen Bartholomeusz, SMH
The debt-riddled underbelly of some of China's bigger companies perhaps provides another layer of insight into Xi Jinping's abrupt imposition of a new and aggressive approach to "common prosperity" on the country's biggest enterprises.
Anthony Cordesman, CSIS
Living with the Taliban involves major risks and uncertainties, and it will be more than difficult even if it proves successful. No one can dismiss the risk that the Taliban will emerge as a hardline extremist state and/or use, or at the very least, tolerate some form of terrorism. Any form of cooperation will mean accepting a substantial amount of the Taliban's restrictions on human rights and authoritarianism. It will also involve dealing with a movement that operates... Читать дальше...
