Latest from Andrew Sheng
The clear and present danger to modern liberal democracy is a distorted system, where the rule is ‘heads I win, tails you lose’. If there is one lesson for Asia, it is that violence cannot be an answer to the democratic process.
The clear and present danger to modern liberal democracy is a distorted system, where the rule is ‘heads I win, tails you lose’. If there is one lesson for Asia, it is that violence cannot be an answer to the democratic process.
It was a year of deep anger, and while we were angry for good reasons, it was more with reason itself. Our future depends not just on science and reason but also on our values, so if we value human life, we should cooperate for the future even as we compete.
It was a year of deep anger, and while we were angry for good reasons, it was more with reason itself. Our future depends not just on science and reason but also on our values, so if we value human life, we should cooperate for the future even as we compete.
The world should hope for the good (healing and prosperity), avoid the bad (a repeat of mistakes from the last financial crisis) and pray against the ugly: a permanent right-wing shift in America.
The world should hope for the good (healing and prosperity), avoid the bad (a repeat of mistakes from the last financial crisis) and pray against the ugly: a permanent right-wing shift in America.
The Australia-China dispute and Trump’s divided America are important signs of a changing global system, where elite minorities are being challenged by the rest. More than ever, the world needs leaders who can set aside the ‘I’ for the ‘we’.
The Australia-China dispute and Trump’s divided America are important signs of a changing global system, where elite minorities are being challenged by the rest. More than ever, the world needs leaders who can set aside the ‘I’ for the ‘we’.
Predicting the future is difficult, especially amid such polarisation. But one things seems certain: the Trump supporters that Hillary Clinton once called ‘deplorables’ are still behind him, and the issues driving them will not go away.
Predicting the future is difficult, especially amid such polarisation. But one things seems certain: the Trump supporters that Hillary Clinton once called ‘deplorables’ are still behind him, and the issues driving them will not go away.
The close-call election signals a slim mandate for the new president, leaving a weaker America to face mounting global challenges. The struggle between polarised factions within nations and between nations is only just beginning.
The close-call election signals a slim mandate for the new president, leaving a weaker America to face mounting global challenges. The struggle between polarised factions within nations and between nations is only just beginning.
At the heart of human choice is a moral issue, whether one cares only for oneself or more about other people and nature. The US election is a moral test for all involved, and their decisions will have consequences for the whole planet.
At the heart of human choice is a moral issue, whether one cares only for oneself or more about other people and nature. The US election is a moral test for all involved, and their decisions will have consequences for the whole planet.
The pandemic has hastened existing trends, advancing the move online and killing off obsolete industries. Given that studies have shown investing in people offers better returns than sinking funds into hardware, this should be our focus.
The pandemic has hastened existing trends, advancing the move online and killing off obsolete industries. Given that studies have shown investing in people offers better returns than sinking funds into hardware, this should be our focus.
A recent OECD report calls for countries to move away from a model that priorities GDP growth to one that focuses on human well-being, environmental sustainability, economic resilience and adaptability to new risks. Instead, tensions indicate we are in danger of war.
A recent OECD report calls for countries to move away from a model that priorities GDP growth to one that focuses on human well-being, environmental sustainability, economic resilience and adaptability to new risks. Instead, tensions indicate we are in danger of war.
Over the past 60 years, Asia’s growing share of the world economy has come at the expense of the West. With India and Asean about to reap the same demographic dividend as China, how Asia manages Western insecurities and societal rifts will be key.
Over the past 60 years, Asia’s growing share of the world economy has come at the expense of the West. With India and Asean about to reap the same demographic dividend as China, how Asia manages Western insecurities and societal rifts will be key.
Assumptions about US leadership of the free world were based on a belief in liberal convergence, multilateralism and US superiority. But with Trump in the White House, it is clear that these assumptions have nothing to do with the reality.
Assumptions about US leadership of the free world were based on a belief in liberal convergence, multilateralism and US superiority. But with Trump in the White House, it is clear that these assumptions have nothing to do with the reality.
Beating the drums of war and decoupling trade might aid domestic politics, but no one in their right mind can support a nuclear arms race amid a global pandemic. Disconnecting global trade and free flow of information only increases costs for all, reducing resources to deal with domestic inequalities.
Beating the drums of war and decoupling trade might aid domestic politics, but no one in their right mind can support a nuclear arms race amid a global pandemic. Disconnecting global trade and free flow of information only increases costs for all, reducing resources to deal with domestic inequalities.
By hoovering up debt, central banks are becoming major market players. In capping bank dividends, they force prudent investors into a frothy market. Does anyone still believe the central banks know what they are doing?
By hoovering up debt, central banks are becoming major market players. In capping bank dividends, they force prudent investors into a frothy market. Does anyone still believe the central banks know what they are doing?
An America reeling from the emotional trauma of a mismanaged pandemic is incapable of rational policy. When the world’s leading economy and military power feels vulnerable and insecure, there can be no global peace.
An America reeling from the emotional trauma of a mismanaged pandemic is incapable of rational policy. When the world’s leading economy and military power feels vulnerable and insecure, there can be no global peace.
The quarrel in the US and elsewhere over controversial monuments and the debate over mask wearing as a means to contain Covid-19 highlight the tension between individual rights and communal good. Societies must find the common threads that bind us or risk a break-up.
The quarrel in the US and elsewhere over controversial monuments and the debate over mask wearing as a means to contain Covid-19 highlight the tension between individual rights and communal good. Societies must find the common threads that bind us or risk a break-up.
Even after lockdowns, periodic outbreaks of Covid-19 mean we need more sustainable, resilient economic models. Governments must work with businesses and communities to encourage the mass experimentation needed to shockproof the world.
Even after lockdowns, periodic outbreaks of Covid-19 mean we need more sustainable, resilient economic models. Governments must work with businesses and communities to encourage the mass experimentation needed to shockproof the world.
If the US president carries out his threat, the latest dismaying development under his watch, it would mean invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807. Such a move would spell disaster for not just the US but also the world order.
If the US president carries out his threat, the latest dismaying development under his watch, it would mean invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807. Such a move would spell disaster for not just the US but also the world order.
Differing views on “one country, two systems” have made political compromise almost impossible. Renouncing violence and pursuing peaceful resolution is the way forward.
Differing views on “one country, two systems” have made political compromise almost impossible. Renouncing violence and pursuing peaceful resolution is the way forward.
In the US, new technology has divided society into technocratic and industrial classes, and the pandemic has thrown this divide into sharper relief. In the post-coronavirus economy, the question of social fairness must be addressed.
In the US, new technology has divided society into technocratic and industrial classes, and the pandemic has thrown this divide into sharper relief. In the post-coronavirus economy, the question of social fairness must be addressed.
The global pandemic shows us the interconnected reality of our existence, where problems easily cross borders and morph. The virus cannot be contained through force alone, but depends on us working together to respond and adapt to changing conditions.
The global pandemic shows us the interconnected reality of our existence, where problems easily cross borders and morph. The virus cannot be contained through force alone, but depends on us working together to respond and adapt to changing conditions.
Deciding whether capitalism or socialism is more suited for pandemic management is a false binary. The real issue is whether officials under each system are able to test, trace and contain the virus, and work out how to reopen economies
Deciding whether capitalism or socialism is more suited for pandemic management is a false binary. The real issue is whether officials under each system are able to test, trace and contain the virus, and work out how to reopen economies
We must support medical workers by ensuring they have enough protective gear and practising social distancing. Governments must keep a clear head and make hard choices between lives and livelihoods.
We must support medical workers by ensuring they have enough protective gear and practising social distancing. Governments must keep a clear head and make hard choices between lives and livelihoods.
This crisis is truly different. The pandemic has exposed the myth of false binaries, that complex modern problems can be solved by either purist markets or governments.
This crisis is truly different. The pandemic has exposed the myth of false binaries, that complex modern problems can be solved by either purist markets or governments.
Inequality and fake news are undermining trust worldwide. Out of the coronavirus crisis will come the winners – the institutions able to inspire trust.
Inequality and fake news are undermining trust worldwide. Out of the coronavirus crisis will come the winners – the institutions able to inspire trust.
A survey of workers and consumers in 22 advanced economies sheds light on the lack of retirement protection and job security, even as income inequality rises to extreme levels. The social contract promised in an open society, alongside a free market, is broken.
A survey of workers and consumers in 22 advanced economies sheds light on the lack of retirement protection and job security, even as income inequality rises to extreme levels. The social contract promised in an open society, alongside a free market, is broken.
In an increasingly interconnected world, those of us who enjoy the fruits of globalisation must also bear its risks: climate crisis, drug resistance and emerging epidemics. As the Wuhan outbreak shows, we must work together.
In an increasingly interconnected world, those of us who enjoy the fruits of globalisation must also bear its risks: climate crisis, drug resistance and emerging epidemics. As the Wuhan outbreak shows, we must work together.
A blog post by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser inviting ‘weirdos and misfits’ to get involved in government policymaking reflects a yearning in many societies for solutions to the intractable problems we face, such as inequality and climate change.
A blog post by Boris Johnson’s chief adviser inviting ‘weirdos and misfits’ to get involved in government policymaking reflects a yearning in many societies for solutions to the intractable problems we face, such as inequality and climate change.
Small nations may be helpless against big power politics but every country can adopt technology to meet its challenges. For a vision to work, the political leadership needs everyone on board.
Small nations may be helpless against big power politics but every country can adopt technology to meet its challenges. For a vision to work, the political leadership needs everyone on board.
Protests around the world and the rise of populist politics are rooted as much in climate change as in economic factors. Instead of lending to wealthy borrowers at negative interest rates, central banks could use quantitative easing to invest in green infrastructure.
Protests around the world and the rise of populist politics are rooted as much in climate change as in economic factors. Instead of lending to wealthy borrowers at negative interest rates, central banks could use quantitative easing to invest in green infrastructure.
Mass protests from Hong Kong to France to Ecuador are just the symptoms, reflecting the underlying problem of polarisation in society. But the proliferation of bad information and the rise of social media that amplifies discontent is complicating our search for a solution.
Mass protests from Hong Kong to France to Ecuador are just the symptoms, reflecting the underlying problem of polarisation in society. But the proliferation of bad information and the rise of social media that amplifies discontent is complicating our search for a solution.