Aboard USSGerald R. Ford, priced at roughly $13 billion and billed as the most advanced US aircraft carrier in existence, the crew has repeatedly endured some seriously awkward and uncomfortable conditions: dysfunctional toilets, no clean laundry, and no beds. These repeated breakdowns have exposed the profound fatigue now gripping the US Navy, and perhaps the broader structure of American global dominance under sustained high-tempo and long-duration operations. According to a New York Times report published Monday, it took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard…
Posts published in “Opinion”
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump once again turned on the klieg lights by launching a new major international initiative – the “Board of Peace.” Though this multilateral body is supposed to start with managing the post-conflict restoration and future development of the Gaza Strip, many argue that its real goal has a larger scale and might reflect the US president’s ambition to find an efficient alternative to the UN, which he shows no respect for. If the pilot Gaza project turns out to be a success story, this model…
Years ago, I traveled to Iran. What stayed with me most from that trip was not the towering columns of Persepolis nor the turquoise domes of Isfahan; it was the children. At nearly every historical site, groups of schoolchildren would appear. Teachers led them through open-air history lessons among the ruins, and the moment they spotted a foreign face, some would dash over — notebooks and pens already outstretched — asking for an autograph and a selfie, grinning from ear to ear. I have a picture taken during this moment:…
Actively promoting the reform process of the international financial system to adapt to changes in the global economic landscape is not only essential for advancing the international order toward a more just and equitable direction, but also a reasonable demand of the vast majority of developing countries. On December 27, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), now a World Bank institution, celebrate 80 years since they officially came into existence in late 1945. These institutions became the two main pillars of the…
The Red Sea, one of the busiest shipping routes for global trade, has been churning since the end of last year. In November 2023, in a show of support for the Palestinians, the Houthis in Yemen launched attacks on ships “linked to Israel” passing through the Red Sea. In the following months, the US and the UK carried out large-scale airstrikes on military targets and infrastructure in Yemen, further escalating tensions in the region. The impact of tensions in the Red Sea is not limited to this region, but has…
Among all the reports on the latest US-China talks in Geneva, one detail stands out: Both sides agree to establish an economic and trade consultation mechanism. While this may seem routine, it represents a sober acknowledgment of recent years marked by confrontation and estrangement. As a Chinese journalist who has been following China-US relations for many years, I witnessed the beginning of the establishment of mechanisms between China and the US in 2002 and 2003. In history, China and the US have developed many dialogue frameworks and specialized working groups…