Results for Opinion

The apocalyptic images of the locked-down Chinese city of Wuhan have reached us all. The world is holding its breath over the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and governments are taking or preparing drastic measures that will necessarily sacrifice individual rights and freedoms for the general good. ...But few mention, let alone confront, the underlying cause of the epidemic. - Peter Singer.

Isn't it unusual that there has not been a sitting of Parliament to welcome in a change of government, formed under a new Prime Minister in October last year? - Editor's Comment, by Pesi Fonua.

Some fear that the timing of China’s coronavirus outbreak – at the start of the country's week-long New Year celebration, and in the middle of traditional school-break travels – will exacerbate the economic fallout from the epidemic. But three important factors may limit the virus’s impact on Chinese and global GDP. ...I expect that both the Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization will declare the epidemic to be under control by early April. By Shang-Jin Wei.

‘I mamani ‘oku pau ke ta’ofi mo teke’i ma’upe ka ‘i ai ha kaunoa mo ha hala loto’api atu ‘a e Politikale ‘i he sipoti. ‘Oku tohi mata’ā’ā eni ‘i he ngaahi konisitutone lelei ‘a e ngaahi kautaha sipoti` mo honau ngaahi va’a fakalao`. Ko e ‘Akapulu ‘Iunioni ‘a Tongfa ‘oku ‘ikai ‘aupito ke ‘iai ha’ane makehe ‘a’ana kapau ‘oku tau fiema’u ke fai ha laka kimu’a ‘o hange ko e ngaahi Fonua ko ee`. Ka ko e ta’u ‘e 2 mo e konga ko’eni kuotau fononga mai ai ku ou siotonu ai ‘i he ngaahi founga fakahoko ngaue ‘a e Komiti ‘Akapulu ‘a Tonga, ‘i he’enau feinga fakapa’anga pea mo e feinga faingamalie fakafo’ituitui pea mo ha paati fakapolitikale mo ha’anautolu` feinga ke a’u hanau kau poupou ke nau fili ‘i he ‘enau paati` ‘oka fai e fili koia-fakapolitikale. By 'Inoke Afeaki.

Owing to the smoke from nearby wildfires, Canberra this month has had the world’s worst air-quality index, with readings 20 times above the official hazardous threshold. The city also recently experienced its hottest day on record (111°F/44°C). Meanwhile, Delhi had its coldest December day on record. Both are evidence of growing climate volatility, confirming the reality of global warming. By Ramesh Thakur.

Before US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw his country from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister and the nuclear agreement’s chief Iranian architect, was the most popular public figure in his country. A year after the withdrawal, a University of Maryland poll shows, Zarif’s popularity was far surpassed by that of General Qassem Suleimani, the hardline Revolutionary Guard commander who was just assassinated in Baghdad on Trump’s order. Trump says he authorized the drone strike that killed Suleimani to “stop a war.” It is far more likely that he has started one – or at least the march toward one. By Djavad Salehi-Isfahani.

As 2019 comes to a close, there is hope for a better year in 2020. There is also hope in the long term for a better future for the Kingdom of Tonga, a heavily indebted and aid dependent nation, struggling with an NCD crisis, poverty and an illicit drugs problem - not to mention the impending threat from climate change. Most of Tonga’s future workforce and leaders will be the output of the education system that exists now, an education system that appears to be flawed and broken. By Pesi Fonua.

Since its invention in ancient Greece more than 2,500 years ago, democracy has depended on rules and institutions that strike a balance between participation and power. The objective is to create a system of governance in which elected leaders bring to bear their knowledge and experience, in order to advance the interests of the people. The rule of law and the separation of powers, guaranteed by a system of checks and balances, are vital. Democracies all over the world are enduring a stress test. If they are to pass, their institutional underpinnings must be reinforced. That requires, first and foremost, an understanding of what those underpinnings are, why they matter, and who is trying to dismantle them. By Alexandra Borchardt

The US president is abandoning America’s future by quitting the Paris climate accord, says Ban Ki-moon former Secretary General of the United Nations and Patrick Verkooijen chief executive of the Global Center on Adaptation. In an article in the New York Times this week, they said it is not too late for Mr Trump to reconsider his decision. Staying in the Paris Agreement is the right thing to do, for America’s sake and for the rest of the world.