Skip to main content
Access provided by

PS - The World's Opinion Page

  1. benami220_AnadoluGettyImages_damascus_celebration Anadolu/Getty Images
    0

    The Fall of the House of Assad

    Shlomo Ben-Ami

    The Middle East’s geopolitical landscape has been transformed by the swift collapse of Syria’s al-Assad dynasty. While the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” now appears hollowed out, an Islamist regime in Damascus may prove deeply unsettling not only to Israel, but also to the region’s Arab states.

     agrees with Iran’s former vice president that the Syrian regime’s collapse will transform the Middle East.
  2. barfi28_AnadoluGettyImages_hafez_alassad_statue_downed Anadolu/Getty Images
    0

    Syria’s House of Cards

    Barak Barfi

    External factors surely contributed to the Syrian regime’s vulnerability in the face of a new rebel advance. But the primary cause of President Bashar al-Assad’s downfall is that he presided over a disintegrating social contract, enabling his enemies to forge new coalitions organized around meeting the everyday needs of Syria’s people.

     explains why Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed so quickly, placing most of the blame on Assad himself.
  3. tyson121_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_musk_ramaswamy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    0

    Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify a fundamental flaw in the design of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”
  4. gregorova1_Carol YepesGetty Images_messagesencryption Carol Yepes/Getty Images
    0

    Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?

    Markéta Gregorová worries about a proposed regulation that would undermine a fundamental right in the digital domain.
  5. gortiz3_Eyepix GroupGettyImages_sheinbaum_pressconf Eyepix Group/Getty Images
    0

    How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico

    Guillermo Ortiz thinks the country and its new president could benefit from going back to the negotiating table with the US.
  6. ahuq6_JUNG YEON-JEAFP via Getty Images_southkoreaprotest Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    South Korea’s Impeachment Battle Is Democracy in Action

    Aziz Huq thinks the effort to remove a lawless president can serve as an important signal to the rest of the world.
  7. goldberg32_Spencer PlattGetty Images_USshipping Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    Subscriber Favorite
    2

    Are Tariffs Worth It?

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg thinks the risks and costs for the US will far outweigh any potential political or geopolitical benefits.
  8. x2wang1_Author_retired_dancers Author
    0

    The Second Glass Ceiling for Women

    Xianghong Wang urges the Chinese government to end its gender-specific mandatory retirement policy and adopt a flexible system.
  9. op_moyo5_Wong Yu LiangGetty Images_downarrow Wong Yu Liang/Getty Images
    0

    The Eight Headwinds Threatening Global Growth in 2025

    Dambisa Moyo highlights the major trends which, if left unchecked, could usher in a period of prolonged stagnation.
  10. Secure your copy of PS Quarterly: The Year Ahead 2025
    PS_YA25-Onsite_1333x1000

    Secure your copy of PS Quarterly: The Year Ahead 2025

    Our annual flagship magazine, PS Quarterly: The Year Ahead 2025, is almost here. To gain digital access to all of the magazine’s content, and receive your print copy, subscribe to PS Premium now.

    Subscribe Now

PSQuarterly-Homepage-Image

PS Quarterly

Subscribe to PS Digital Plus to secure 

The Year Ahead 2025 magazine

Upgrade Your Subscription

Latest

  1. Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail
    tyson121_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_musk_ramaswamy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail

    Dec 9, 2024 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify a fundamental flaw in the design of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”

  2. Syria’s House of Cards
    barfi28_AnadoluGettyImages_hafez_alassad_statue_downed Anadolu/Getty Images

    Syria’s House of Cards

    Dec 9, 2024 Barak Barfi explains why Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed so quickly, placing most of the blame on Assad himself.

  3. Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?
    gregorova1_Carol YepesGetty Images_messagesencryption Carol Yepes/Getty Images

    Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?

    Dec 9, 2024 Markéta Gregorová worries about a proposed regulation that would undermine a fundamental right in the digital domain.

  4. The Fall of the House of Assad
    benami220_AnadoluGettyImages_damascus_celebration Anadolu/Getty Images

    The Fall of the House of Assad

    Dec 9, 2024 Shlomo Ben-Ami agrees with Iran’s former vice president that the Syrian regime’s collapse will transform the Middle East.

  5. How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico
    gortiz3_Eyepix GroupGettyImages_sheinbaum_pressconf Eyepix Group/Getty Images

    How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico

    Dec 6, 2024 Guillermo Ortiz thinks the country and its new president could benefit from going back to the negotiating table with the US.

Trending

OnPoint is our suite of subscriber-exclusive content. Get long-read commentaries, thematic deep dives, interviews with world leaders, and much more. Learn more.  

  1. op_moyo5_Wong Yu LiangGetty Images_downarrow Wong Yu Liang/Getty Images
    0

    The Eight Headwinds Threatening Global Growth in 2025

    Dambisa Moyo highlights the major trends which, if left unchecked, could usher in a period of prolonged stagnation.
  2. GettyImages-876226276
    1

    Enrique Krauze on Baruch Spinoza, the US election, Mexican democracy, and more

    Enrique Krauze considers the responsibility of the state to guarantee freedom, heralds the demise of Mexico’s democracy, highlights flaws in higher-education systems, and more.
  3. op_acemoglu6_Getty Images_AI Getty Images
    Free to read
    8

    The World Needs a Pro-Human AI Agenda

    Daron Acemoglu fears that the tech industry’s current priorities will result in the worst of all possible worlds.
  4. bremmer36_Sean GallupGetty Images_trumpnato Sean Gallup/Getty Images
    0

    Europe in the Age of Trump

    Adam Michnik interviewed by Irena Grudzińska Gross about the challenges facing the continent following the US election.
  5. op_disparte1_SadikDemirozGetty Images_digitaldollar FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
    6

    Trump’s Inflationary Triple Threat

    Maurice Obstfeld warns that the incoming administration’s agenda would weaken the Fed and destabilize the financial system.
  6. BP trump china MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    What Will Trump Do About China?

    Featured in this Big Picture

    PS editors , Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg , Ian Bremmer , Todd G. Buchholz , Angela Huyue Zhang , Brahma Chellaney , Brendan Kelly

    US President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to take a confrontational approach to China, with tariffs as his weapon of choice. But unless his administration adopts a measured approach, his plans may end up harming American businesses and consumers, undermining US democracy, or even leading to military confrontation.

More than just a test of humanity’s collective resolve, climate change is also a test of existing institutions, and that makes it a profound security risk. When a fully globalized, interdependent world is placed in a kiln and the heat is turned up, some systems will eventually emerge stronger, but many others will fail.

Learn more
3Q2024_The-Climate-Crucible_DG_background

Sustainability Now brings together leading voices in all of the domains involved in combating climate change, each addressing specific facets of the challenge.

Sustainability Now is brought to you in part by:

View all
  1. scherger1ARMEND NIMANIAFP via Getty Images_farming ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty Images
    Free to read
    1

    Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet

    Sophie Scherger warns that soil-storage offsets may serve as a smokescreen for polluting industries.
  2. schalatek1_Resul RehimovAnadolu via Getty Images_cop29 Resul Rehimov/Anadolu via Getty Images
    Free to read
    0

    Is the Loss and Damage Fund Becoming an Empty Promise?

    Liane Schalatek warns that rich countries are once again shirking their responsibility to provide adequate climate finance.
  3. terzi6_green transition degrowth Getty Images
    Free to read
    1

    Inclusive Finance Is the Key to Climate Action

    Sophie Sirtaine calls for COP29 to address the overlooked question of how to channel funds to vulnerable communities.

Opinion that Moves

  1. Laura Tyson, et al. Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail
  2. Chris Patten The Sources of Japanese Resilience
  3. Shang-Jin Wei A Fiscally Low-Cost Solution to China’s Economic Challenges
  4. Xianghong Wang The Second Glass Ceiling for Women

  1. Barak Barfi Syria’s House of Cards
  2. Markéta Gregorová Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?
  3. Shlomo Ben-Ami The Fall of the House of Assad
  4. Guillermo Ortiz How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico

  1. Nana Akufo-Addo The Key to Africa’s Vaccine Sovereignty
  2. Peter G. Kirchschläger Protecting Children from Anti-Social Media
  3. Anne-Marie Slaughter, et al. How to End the Scourge of Maternal Mortality
  4. Yuen Yuen Ang Doing Development in the Polycrisis

  1. Samia Suluhu Hassan What the G20 Can Do for Africa’s Energy Agenda
  2. Sophie Scherger Carbon Farming Won't Save the Planet
  3. Ricardo Hausmann A Better Approach to Climate Finance
  4. Jayati Ghosh Trump’s Bad COP

  1. Andrew Gallucci The Dollar Diplomacy We Need
  2. S. Alex Yang, et al. America’s Tech Blind Spot
  3. Nicholas Agar, et al. The Techno-Realist Manifesto
  4. Soňa Muzikárová Central and Eastern Europe’s Bid for AI Dominance

  1. Peter Singer Choice in Dying Comes to the UK
  2. Claire Melamed Democracy’s Data Paradox
  3. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. Political Protest and the University
  4. Michael Ignatieff Ukraine’s Post-Colonial Future

Africa’s economic rise is a world-changing development, but the sources of its emerging strength – and lingering weaknesses – are little understood. W…

  1. Samia Suluhu Hassan What the G20 Can Do for Africa’s Energy Agenda
  2. Raila Amolo Odinga The G20 Must Help Africa Close the Climate-Finance Gap
  3. Hippolyte Fofack The Right Climate Finance for Developing Economies

Today’s media landscape is littered with landmines: open hostility from illiberal and autocratic regimes, mounting censorship in countries such as Hungary, Turkey,…

  1. Katrin Kivi The Case for Press Freedom Just Got Stronger
  2. Geoff Mulgan The Right to Truth
  3. Nishant Lalwani, et al. As Disinformation Thrives, Democracy Dies

As the COVID-19 crisis escalates, PS commentators assess its implications for the economy, propose policy responses, and consider what might – and sho…

  1. Gro Harlem Brundtland Recommitting to Pandemic Preparedness
  2. Winnie Byanyima, et al. How to Protect the World from the Next Pandemic
  3. Tom Achoki, et al. Preparing Now for the Next Disease X