Comment & Opinion - Columnists Archives
Andy Sumner speculates on the future role of aid agencies.
Imagine a world without extreme poverty. The Economist did and in doing so joined others who have argued that extreme…
Andy Sumner and Alex Cobham examine why some countries manage direct tax evasion better than others.
Debate on the role of inequality in the post-2015 framework has moved rapidly…
The Syria crisis is certainly more than just another Arab Spring conflict or civil war. Syria presents a large-scale humanitarian crisis for the region. It may be another year…
This past weekend, I was in Connecticut for my dear friend Michelle’s wedding. Having arrived a day early, we elected to see Clybourne Park (now playing at the lovely and…
Cornelius Adebahr unpicks the international security dimensions of the next Iranian elections.
Ironically enough, the life-or-death decision whether a country wants to have…
I have often been asked why Africa, after finding a few good leaders in the mid Twentieth Century, has been subjected to a list of terrible leaders. Africa is accused of being the…
While the US pivot to Asia under the Obama administration has gathered much attention, a number of conflicts around the world can be seen as ‘pivots’ in which the world tilts…
As a believer in the academy as one of the few refuges of meritocracy in Western Civilization, the existence of athletic scholarships has always troubled me. As a matter of policy…
There are conflicting explanations for why DFID exists. Whether you believe the agency is a financial apology for mismanaged colonialism, a foreign policy tool to exert control…
“Almaty II” is beckoning: Next week, the UN-backed talks over Iran’s nuclear programme will continue in the Kazakh capital. However, the Iranian leadership’s obsession with…