Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on July 16, 2020
The decision to impose restrictions on visas for foreign students is a textbook example of the incompetence, ignorance, hubris and blundering of a misguided president and ineffectual administration. Imagine you had decided that American politics in the age of Donald Trump was simply too much, a risk of non-stop heartburn, high blood pressure and elevated angst. […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on April, 13, 2020
The real hope for a genuine ceasefire in Yemen ironically may be the horrifying prospect of the deadly coronavirus appearing in a country devastated by war, cholera, food insecurity and attendant misery. On April 9, the government of Saudi Arabia unilaterally called for a two-week ceasefire in the five-year conflict that has ravaged Yemen, the […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on April 8, 2020
The president of the world’s most powerful, richest and technologically-advanced nation apparently can’t be bothered with the mundane duties of a shipping clerk. In a recent press briefing, US President Donald Trump was asked why he hadn’t ordered the federal government to do more to respond to the pleas of state governors for more help […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at Fair Observer on March 30, 2020
Never before in history has mankind been better positioned than today to confront a health challenge like the coronavirus and its economic effects. With nearly every government and populace around the world now mobilized to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the sort of broad-based international coordination often seen in previous global crises remains glaringly absent, and it’s holding […]
Published on by Gary Grappo
Published first at The Cipher Brief on January 16, 2020
Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the ruler of Oman and the Middle East’s longest serving ruler, died on January 10 after nearly 50 years in power. Oman, under Qaboos rule, transformed from an undeveloped country in the 1970’s, to a country known as ‘the Switzerland of the Middle East’ at the time of his death. Oman […]