On October 7, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech at the Pnyx in Athens, one of the most historically significant locations associated with ancient Greek democracy. Standing near the Acropolis, he reflected on the foundations of Western civilization, the achievements of the ancient Greeks, and the historical responsibilities of nations that have inherited their intellectual and political traditions. He emphasized the importance of national sovereignty, cultural confidence, and the willingness of free societies to defend their institutions and historical inheritance.
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When Democracies Get It Wrong: Political Correction, Presidential Judgment, and an Uncertain World
The international environment of 2026 has forced governments to reconsider assumptions that seemed relatively comfortable only a few years ago. The continuing war in Ukraine, the U.S. operation in Venezuela, the war involving the United States, Israel, and the Iranian regime, severe disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, tensions across the Taiwan Strait, and renewed arguments over European defense have all changed how political leaders evaluate power, credibility, and risk. These events are interconnected not because they form part of a single conflict, but because every government watches what happens elsewhere and updates its expectations about what allies and adversaries are willing and able to do.
Continue readingMy American Dream: Why the United States Still Matters to Me 250 Years After Independence
Today, July 4, 2026, the United States of America celebrates 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. For me, this anniversary is more than an important date in American history. It is also deeply personal.
Continue readingRemembering June Fourth: Historical Memory, Liberty, and the Resilience of the Chinese People
Every year, as June approaches, the world is reminded of one of the most significant events in modern Chinese history: the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the tragedy that unfolded on June 4. More than three decades later, the Chinese Communist Party continues to censor discussion of the event inside Mainland China. References to June Fourth remain heavily restricted, and younger generations often grow up with little knowledge of what occurred.
Continue readingHow Long Should It Take to Start a Business? Economic Freedom, Bureaucracy, and the Jobs Spain Never Sees
How long should a citizen have to wait before being allowed to create a firm? The question sounds administrative, but it is fundamentally economic and political. A new firm is not merely a registration in a government database. It can become a workplace, a source of income for a family, a competitor that forces established firms to improve, or the first opportunity for someone who has been unemployed to enter the labor market. When the state makes entry unnecessarily slow, expensive, or uncertain, the cost is therefore borne not only by the entrepreneur standing at the administrative counter. It is also borne by people whose jobs, wages, products, and opportunities may never come into existence.
Continue readingTrump’s Visit to Mainland China: Tactical Easing, Structural Rivalry, and the Real Taiwan Question
Donald Trump’s visit to Mainland China should not be misunderstood as the end of strategic confrontation between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. In the short term, bilateral relations may indeed become more manageable. The two sides reportedly discussed trade, tariffs, agriculture, aviation, technology, Taiwan, and the Iranian regime; Reuters described the trade outcomes as “preliminary,” with tentative understandings rather than a grand settlement.
Continue readingWho Really Pays the Corporate Tax? Investment, Jobs, and the Politics of Taxing Firms
A corporate tax is legally paid by a corporation, but a corporation is not a person standing apart from society with an independent capacity to bear economic pain. A firm is a network of workers, owners, consumers, suppliers, and investments. When government taxes corporate profits, the legal liability may appear on the company’s tax return, but the economic burden can be distributed through lower returns to owners, weaker investment, lower wages, fewer jobs, or higher prices. This is why corporate taxation is not a technical argument about whether one sympathizes with “business.” It is a question about capital formation and, ultimately, about the opportunities available to ordinary people.
Continue readingOn the 101st Anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s Death: The Revolution Remains Unfinished
March 12 this year marked the 101st anniversary of the death of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China. In 1924, after being invited north amid efforts to address China’s political fragmentation, he journeyed toward Beijing despite already being in poor health. Historical accounts agree that after the October 1924 Beijing coup, Feng Yuxiang, working with Duan Qirui and Zhang Zuolin, sought to bring Sun north for discussions on national affairs; Sun issued his Northward Declaration in November 1924 and arrived in Beijing in December. His condition deteriorated rapidly, and he died in Beijing on March 12, 1925.
Continue readingThe 80th Anniversary of China’s Victory in the War of Resistance: Defending the Truth and the Legitimacy of the Republic of China
September 3, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance against Japan. Eighty years ago, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the National Government and leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang), the Chinese people endured fourteen years of bloody struggle and finally achieved victory. The Republic of China’s armed forces paid a heavy price: about three million soldiers perished, including more than 200 generals. Before the war, the National Revolutionary Army fielded over 1.7 million regular troops; by the final years of the war, total mobilization reached nearly 5 million. By contrast, the Communist forces numbered only about 50,000 in 1937, but opportunistically expanded to over 1.2 million by the war’s end, having used the conflict to build strength.
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