Syria’s entry into China's Belt and Road Initiative is to support its economic integration into West Asia and fortify its post-conflict recovery.

NATO’s proponents often claim it’s a democratic force, but in Canada’s case the alliance highlights the hollowness of our democracy. A healthy polity requires vigorous debate on important issues, but no major party opposes this country’s membership in the military alliance. In fact, the social democratic NDP leadership has gone to great lengths to block members from expressing themselves on NATO.

Nora Loreto | From China to cruise ships to long-haul COVID, the media focus left Canada ill-prepared for a collective pandemic response

Patrick Cockburn | CounterPunch.org | The Biden administration is in its usual muddle after allowing the Taliban to win, now imagining that it can punish them, or modify their behaviour for the better, by economic pressure. But starving them out is not going to work and, if there is any starving to be done, it will be by millions of ordinary Afghans.