Christmas came a little early for Vladimir Putin this year. Russia usually celebrates the holiday on Jan. 7, but President Putin’s present arrived a month early when he announced his intention to remain in office via a national voting process. He has unofficially already won.　“Election” formalities are scheduled for March 18, 2018, and the legitimizing process will cost $300 million. The leading opposition candidates are already dead or disqualified. The handful of colorful and credible also-ran

It’s time to recall absurd, bizarre and downright stupid things said by politicians this past year.We’re ignoring Trumpisms because he said something ridiculous daily. There would be no room for anybody else.Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, topped all the profiles-in-courage lists for announcing he would not vote for the GOP tax bill because it adds $1.5 trillion to the national debt. Then an 11th-hour provision gave real estate moguls a huge benefit, such as about $11 million to Donald Trump and r

Who is the leader of the free world? Important as the question sounds, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s better left unanswered.The US president is no longer the obvious choice. Even the new US National Security Strategy, filled with bombastic statements such as “the whole world is lifted by America’s renewal and the re-emergence of American leadership,” acknowledges growing competition among powers. And of course “America first” is the slogan of a national, not a global, leader.So who, if not Don

Reviving manufacturing has become a prime policy objective for national leaders from Washington to Beijing to New Delhi. We can debate whether chasing factories is worth the effort in the 21st century, but not the difficulty of building and maintaining a robust industrial sector in the face of relentless global competition and technological change.At least one country seems to have figured out how to do just that, however, and a highly unexpected one: Japan.Factories churning out cars, chips and

For years, Iran has been accurately labeled as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. Now, quietly with little notice beyond the region, the militant regime in Iran has established a major land force in Syria effectively threatening the existence of Israel.　Using the cover of helping Syrian President Bashar Assad against domestic insurgents, Tehran now has stationed an estimated 125,000 troops in that country, outnumbering the Syrian army, and enhanced by Russian forces. This is in addi

The US Congress is set this week to pass a horrendous tax bill that will give the rich and corporations hefty tax cuts, will increase the deficit by $1 trillion over 10 years, will leave 13 million people uninsured by eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate and will force cuts in federal programs as revenues dry up. In terms of unfairness and reckless economic policy, it will rank among the worst legislations ever passed.But this bill is a travesty not only for what’s in it, but

In 2006 the Chinese government allowed Google to establish Google.cn for Chinese internet users. In return, Google agreed to scrub results of content that the government found objectionable. The deal held until 2010, when Google decided it could no longer agree to such terms. Within hours, the site was blocked and Google’s search business on the mainland was dead.　The Alphabet unit never completely gave up on China, however, and last week it launched its most recent effort to capture a piece of

In 2018, nearly 2 out of every 3 Latin Americans will head to the polls to elect new leaders, and the fight against corruption will be high on their agenda. The surge to throw the bums out could be a harbinger of cleaner politics. But a revival of the region’s tradition of populism could also threaten the nascent institutions and mechanisms that are Latin America’s best hope for a more honest tomorrow.Voters are rightly enraged about corruption. In Mexico, governors have allegedly stolen land, p

Where is J. William Fulbright when we need him? Or if not Fulbright, perhaps Robert M. La Follette or George W. Norris. Personally, I’d even settle for William Borah or Burton K. Wheeler.　During the 20th century, each of these now largely forgotten barons of the US Senate served the nation with distinction. Their chief contribution? On matters related to war and peace, they declined to kowtow to whoever happened to occupy the office of commander in chief. On issues involving the safety and secur