MY TWO CENTS
Obama in Cuba: 'Yes we came'
Teary-eyed Cubans watched in disbelief as they beheld the spectacle on Sunday of a beaming President Barack Obama, First Family in tow, stepping on to former “enemy” turf at José…
Europe's refugee deal with Turkey: Failing a historic test
The proposed “one in, one out” deal that would return thousands of migrants to Turkey from Greece is being hailed as a "breakthrough” by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. But…
President Donald J. Trump?
Fresh from a series of lopsided Super Tuesday victories, Donald Trump already has his sights set on a general election clash with the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.…
'Brexit': How on Earth did it come to this?
As an historic summit on Britain’s future got underway in Brussels last week, the UK’s Sun tabloid led with a report about “two randy European officials” who were “caught romping…
Putin in Syria: Bombing his way to peace
"We'll whack them, even in the outhouse." Vladimir Putin's long-ago warning to Chechen "terrorists" now applies to anyone who stands in President Bashar al-Assad's way in Syria.…
Hillary Clinton: A campaign built on wobbly pillars
After Hillary Clinton’s shellacking in New Hampshire, her strategists are retooling her campaign to fend off the insurgent challenge from Bernie Sanders. Yet while Clinton's the…
Helping Syrians: Aid without access
Donors at an international conference for Syria have pledged around $10 billion to alleviate the plight of refugees. But raising cash may be a lot easier than delivering aid -…
Christiane Taubira: Taking the moral high ground
Chances are, you’ve never heard of her. But the resignation of France’s much-maligned justice minister, Christiane Taubira, spells the exit from François Hollande’s cabinet of a…
Poland: Towards the dark side of the force
Poland’s once shining reputation as a beacon of democracy in post-Communist Eastern Europe is in jeopardy as a rightwing government pushes an agenda at odds with EU values.
The year ahead: My (cloudy) crystal ball
From Donald Trump's curtain call to more European bickering over migrants, I offer some wishful (and not-so-wishful) thinking as to what awaits us in 2016. (For some headlines,…
