OPINION

By Yanis Varoufakis ATHENS – This was the year that the remaining pillars of the late-20th-century order were shattered, exposing the hollow core of what passed for a global system. Three blows sufficed. The first was Russia’s impending victory in Ukraine over Europe’s combined leadership. For almost four years, the …

HONG KONG – For the past two years, the dominant narrative about AI has been one of boundless possibility. Larger models, trillion-token training runs, and record-breaking capex (capital expenditure) cycles have reinforced a sense of uninterrupted acceleration. But technological change is rarely so straightforward, and this time is no exception. …

By Tshering Tobgay We must not allow our limitations to overshadow the sacred duty we owe to our children. When some regions have more teachers than they need while others struggle with acute shortages, the problem is not a lack of qualified educators, it is a failure in planning, coordination, …

By Shashi Tharoor NEW DELHI – US President Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on a wide range of Indian goods, from a steep 25% to a catastrophic 50%, is reshaping India’s export economy. Half of what India sells to the United States – its largest trading partner – is now …

By Federico Fubini MILAN – The most shocking feature of US President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan for Ukraine is not its explicit and extreme bias toward Russia, exemplified by the recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied (and even unoccupied) Ukrainian territory and the diktat to downsize Ukraine’s military radically. …

By Carl Benedikt Frey OXFORD – When OpenAI recently committed $1.4 trillion to securing future computing capacity, it was merely the latest indication of irrational exuberance in 2025. By some estimates, US GDP growth in the first half of this year came almost entirely from data centers, prompting a flood …

Milan Thomas (@drukonomist) Drukair Flight 541 from Singapore touched down in Paro to triumphant cheers, nearly a full day after its scheduled arrival. For my wife and me, it was our first time arriving in Bhutan as tourists after living in Thimphu for nearly two years. The landing in Paro …

By Dorji Dhradhul “…….   It was suggested to us then that Bhutan would benefit economically from bringing in as many tourists as possible into the country. At that time, Bhutan was largely unknown to the outside world. And yet, with Drukgyal Zhipa at the helm, we had the confidence to …

By Ambassador Harald N. Nestroy At the occasion of the 70th  Birthday of His Majesty the Fourth King of Bhutan and in the name of all members and donors of “Pro Bhutan Germany”, I, herewith express our deepest gratitude to His Majesty, the Fourth King for His Majety’s benevolence shown, …

By Kinley Tenzin Wangchuk As the nation’s weight upon young shoulders came to rest, You rose with the cry: One Nation, One People! – Your quest. With values in hand, you guided the state, And Gross National Happiness you made our fate. You told the bureaucracy: Progress must serve the …