America
Heritable guilt is in vogue
I made a poor excuse for a Presbyterian even as a kid. I resented religious indoctrination every precious school-free Sunday.…
Joe Biden is not OK
One of the most reliable standards in international comedy has long been the outstanding ineloquence of American politicians. In this…
Judge, jury and executioner
‘Immediate Justice’, the government’s new policing initiative of pursuing petty criminals, reflects the black-clad law-enforcer’s 1970s methods exactly
Can Trump’s opponents prove him wrong on Ukraine?
His opponents need to prove him wrong on Ukraine
The myths around immigration
After the media bigged up the expiration of America’s Covid-era Title 42, which enabled the US to block entries into…
Daniel Penny and the problem with have-a-go heroes
I have always liked the phrase ‘have-a-go hero’. It sums up a certain type of person who can emerge from…
The US knows the main threat is China
China’s President Xi Jinping opened the CCP’s 20th party congress by doubling down on four key issues: no let up…
Does Joe Biden know what ‘super-wealthy’ Americans pay in tax?
Joe Biden, ice cream in hand as so often, yesterday pronounced on Liz Truss’s tax reform disaster. ‘I wasn’t the…
What Washington was like during the Cuban Missile Crisis (2002)
On 27 October 1962, US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara stepped out of crisis meetings and looked up at the sky.…
Opec will regret taking on the US
Production will be cut. Supplies to the rest of the world will be curbed. And inflation will rise just a…
Isis is wreaking havoc in Afghanistan
The bomb tore through an examination hall in Kabul on Friday, where students – mostly minority Hazara, mostly young women…
The ups and downs of driving a Tesla
I began the week in Miami, looking forward to what a friend of mine describes as ‘the finest sight in…
America's touching tributes to the Queen (1901)
The United States hasn’t always reacted rather snidely to the death of the British monarch. Below is The Spectator’s lead…
A hereditary monarchy is good for politics
I suppose it was inevitable that with the death of HM the Queen certain floodgates would open. During her reign…
Not all Americans are so crass
In the face of American snark about the Queen’s death, many a British newspaper reader was disgusted. With bad tidings…
Back on the road: Less is Lost, by Andrew Sean Greer, reviewed
Get ready for more of Less: Andrew Sean Greer’s hapless novelist is back on the road. First things first: you…
China vs the US: who will win the chip war?
Semiconductors are the latest battleground for China and the US
When will the West start to deal with Africa on its own terms?
When will the West start to deal with Africa on its own terms?
The problem with Biden's student debt plan
In Europe it is handouts to help pay our energy bills – even for people who could easily afford to…
The West cannot do business with Iran
Salman Rushdie’s would-be assassin might have been a lone wolf. He might have had no contact with military or intelligence…
A strange kind of recession
It’s possible that I owe Joe Biden some sort of an apology, however mealy-mouthed it might be. Last week I…
Biden’s victories look a lot like defeats
Joe Biden’s week did not get off to a good start. When running for office in 2020 he repeatedly boasted…