What Actually Mattered This Week: French Debate, Mask Mandate No More
Pandemic. Climate change. AI revolution.
Preorder my forthcoming book?The Power of Crisis?now for a roadmap of this decade's three Great Crises and how they might help us build a better world.
WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK
My thoughts on some of this week’s biggest news stories:
Le Pen’s last chance was a surprise win in the presidential debate. That didn’t happen.
Macron set to win re-election by a comfortable margin.
I’m happy to see the end of the public transport mask mandate, but the U.S. chose to end it in the stupidest/most arbitrary way possible, because our politics are ridiculous.
Why am I happy to see the end of airplane mask mandate?
Because it didn’t make sense. Airlines were still serving drinks and food and not enforcing standards for effective masks. it was performative.
TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS
U.S. leadership approval rating in:
Africa
2017: 51%
2021: 60%
Americas
2017: 24%
2021: 52%
Asia
2017: 30%
2021: 41%
Europe
2017: 25%
2021: 41%
领英推荐
-via Gallup
THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN
GRAPHIC TRUTH
YOUR QUICK TAKE
My Quick Take on the risks of Russia losing the war in Ukraine:
WORLD IN 60 SECONDS
As Russia is launching a new phase of war, will eastern Ukraine fall?
What is the West's last resort if the war further escalates?
With US airlines dropping mask requirements for passengers, is this a bold move?
Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!
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BECAUSE THE INTERNET
For once, I’m rooting for the cat
WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
The Age of the Strongman by Gideon Rachman
Gideon Rachman is exactly the right storyteller to bring us “The Age of the Strongman,” a vitally important story for 21st century democracy. Gideon knows these charismatic leaders and the important countries they lead, and his new book offers original insights into how and why they’re now changing the world and menacing our collective future. “The Age of the Strongman” is a thought-provoking and terrifying page-turner.?
DEEP THOUGHTS
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof." – John Kenneth Galbraith
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Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. He currently teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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2 年Grab Your ??! Center to Right vs Far-Right!!! ??. This is going to be interesting.
Humane Business Founder @ Retail Market Practise - B.Com(Hons), MA, SIIRSM - Stress Reduction Consultant emfstrategy.com Future-proofing assets while de-stressing people & spaces Today!
2 年Hope Macron stays on ????
Retired(rewired). Currently residing in San Diego. Actively engaged in consulting with focus on Japan and Asia.
2 年Looks like Macron came out on top on this one.
Sr Control Engineer at Power-Tech Engineers, Inc.
2 年Thanks for posting
US and international political and policy forecasting for financial markets and investors that’s independent, unaffiliated, expert, and actionable
2 年Equal opportunity offender “analysis”: the mask mandate "didn't make sense" and "was performative", but the "US chose to end it in the stupidest/most arbitrary way possible, because our politics are ridiculous". ‘You're all worthless and weak', as the philosopher Niedermeyer said.