MADRID — The narrative is becoming a trope: The United States and China are locked in a battle for global supremacy in myriad fields such as technology, commerce, defence, cyber space and even outer space.

MADRID — US President Joe Biden’s first international tour felt like a breath of fresh air.

MADRID — In early 1981, a few days before Jimmy Carter handed over the US presidency to Ronald Reagan, a short story on page 13 of The New YorkTimes mentioned a report from the Council on Environmental Quality.

MADRID — Diplomacy has always been the only sensible way to address US-Iranian tensions.

MADRID — The word “resilience” has been used a dizzying number of times since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a year ago. Most interpret resilience to mean the opposite of fragility — the most that many families and businesses can hope for in these unfortunate times.

MADRID  —  All over the world, democracy is in retreat. In 2020, the Democracy Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) since 2006, fell to its lowest-ever global level.

MADRID — Most readers will remember the widespread enthusiasm with which we met the arrival of the twenty-first century. It was a time of high hopes, grandiloquent editorials, and unfeigned daring on the part of the West.

MADRID — There is an eternal debate about how much leadership and personality matter in international relations. But after the turbulence of the last four years, there can no longer be any doubt that a lot depends on who is at the helm, particularly in the United States.

MADRID — When Donald Trump became the US Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2016, many predicted that he would tone down his inflammatory rhetoric during the election campaign against Hillary Clinton in order to attract moderate voters.