The Korea Times

The Caracas precedent: Transactional realism and the erosion of sovereignty

America’s dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday triggered global outrage and raised profound questions about the legitimacy, legality and long-term consequences of Washington’s intervention in Venezuela. The operation, hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as a triumph of American power, has instead exposed deep fractures in international law and global politics. In the early hours of Saturday morning, the United States launched airstrikes across Venezuela, followed by a rapid military operation that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown out of the country and placed in U.S. custody, with officials indicating that both will face narco-terrorism charges in American courts. Images later circulated of Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima and being escorted by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The scale of the operation was striking. Reports suggest that 150 aircraft took part, coordinated from 20 airbases, in what the Pentagon dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve.” For Washington, this was not simply a covert arrest bu

Jan 7, 2026By Imran Khalid

The Caracas precedent: Transactional realism and the erosion of sovereignty

Electronics exempt, questions remain: contradictions of US tariff policy

The Donald Trump administration's recent decision on April 12 to exempt smartphones, computers and other electronics from its newly introduced reciprocal tariff policy marks the second “U-turn” within three days. Earlier, President Trump had announced a 90-day exemption on tariff applications for all trading allies — except China. These quick U-turns expose the internal contradictions — and lack of comprehensive planning — within U.S. trade policy and its broader global economic implications. Apparently, this reversal on electronics is driven by both domestic economic considerations and the increasingly complex global trade environment. While highlighting the challenges Trump faces in implementing his tariff strategy, it also reflects the changing dynamics in the global economy, where non-U.S. actors are gaining the confidence and ability to protect their interests in ways that were once unimaginable. On one hand, the administration has passionately championed protectionism, arguing that reducing dependence on foreign manufacturing, particularly from China, is crucial for saf

Apr 27, 2025By Imran Khalid

Electronics exempt, questions remain: contradictions of US tariff policy

China is flipping the script on Trump's tariff offensive

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs on Chinese goods — raising duties to 54 percent on key imports — he likely expected Beijing to fold under the pressure. The move followed years of escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies, with Washington seemingly convinced that economic pressure would force Beijing to capitulate. Instead, what we are witnessing is something far more significant: China not only weathering the storm but also skillfully turning the situation to its advantage, while exposing the fundamental weaknesses in America's trade strategy. What makes China's response particularly effective is its surgical precision. Rather than blanket retaliatory measures, Beijing has implemented carefully targeted actions designed to maximize impact while minimizing domestic economic disruption. China has struck at the heart of America's agricultural sector, imposing 28 percent duties on key exports, including soybeans, pork and almonds — products that are predominantly sourced from politically sensitive swing states that s

Apr 9, 2025By Imran Khalid

China is flipping the script on Trump's tariff offensive

Trump's tariff turmoil: Global trade tensions escalate

U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports on Monday, doubling down on his protectionist agenda to “boost” the U.S. economy through import taxes, a move that could disrupt trade with key partners. Set to take effect on March 4, the tariffs will impact the 25 million tons of steel the U.S. imports annually. This follows a White House decision to delay tariffs on Canada and Mexico, two of the largest steel exporters alongside Brazil and Korea. The move marks another step in Trump's aggressive trade policy, coming just days after the administration imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports, escalating tensions with global trade partners. The policy enforces tariffs “without exceptions or exemptions,” ending carve-outs previously granted to certain nations and raising aluminum duty rates. This mirrors Trump’s 2018 tariffs during his first term, which triggered global retaliation. By rejecting multilateral trade norms, the move risks escalating trade disputes while prioritizing economic nationa

Feb 13, 2025By Imran Khalid

Trump's tariff turmoil: Global trade tensions escalate

McCarthy's turbulent start

By Imran Khalid Finally, after four days of grueling ballots laced with coercing, pleading, arm-twisting, bribing and finger-jabbing, Kevin McCarthy was able to flip some 20 conservative holdouts to become his supporters ― or at least not explicit opponents in his bid for the speaker's gravel. This kind of intraparty standoff is unprecedented in modern times.With 15 ballots and a midnight vote that witnessed a near-fistfight, McCarthy has been eventually elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Not since 1860 in the build-up to the American Civil War has the lower chamber of Congress voted this many times to pick a speaker.Factually speaking, the whole saga reflects a very embarrassing episode for the Republicans who were in a kind of pseudo-ecstasy after winning a majority in the House, albeit tissue-paper thin, in the midterm polls. Without any shadow of a doubt, taking oath after four days of intense bargaining and compromises, McCarthy's position has been very much weakened despite the claims by his supporters who are trying to portray his marathon efforts in 15 rounds

Jan 19, 2023By Imran Khalid

Biden's new management style

By Imran KhalidFor the last few months, U.S. President Joe Biden, considered to be a rather unglamorous politician with limited oratory capabilities, has been using an interesting strategy to compensate for this lacuna in his personality. On the domestic front, particularly during the campaign for midterm polls, he adopted a two-pronged strategy ― hot and cold. The “cold” part was played by Biden who kept a low-key campaign, abstaining from big rallies ― a feature of America's Congressional election campaigns patronized by both sides quite religiously ― and attended only fundraising events to highlight his party's accomplishments. The “hotter” part of the game plan was spearheaded by former President Barack Obama who crisscrossed various states to attend campaign rallies to promote the Democratic candidates. Unlike the traditional model of American election campaigns, which revolves around high-octane rallies and fanfare of large political gatherings, Biden adopted an atypical model to attract the voters; he focused on grabbing media headlines to promote his t

Dec 7, 2022By Imran Khalid

After victory, Lula faces massive challenges

By Imran KhalidJair Bolsonaro, a typical populist leader, was not expected to cool down so quickly after his defeat in the second round of the Brazilian presidential elections. It was being anticipated that he would not accept his defeat calmly and that his supporters would resort to a massively violent agitation. Ever since the second round of presidential election campaign was kicked off, sensing his possible defeat, Bolsonaro had been talking about possible fraudulent manipulations by his opponents to keep him from retaining the top slot. Bolsonaro has repeatedly sought to cast doubt on the integrity of Brazil's electoral process and made unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the electronic voting system and questioned the validity of opinion polls that have consistently placed him in second place. Brazilians were expecting a sudden eruption of violence just after the elections results, but surprisingly, despite countrywide protests by the Bolsonaristas and workers of the conservative Liberal Party (PL) who practically paralyzed the country with roadblocks and processions, the protes

Nov 14, 2022By Imran Khalid

Kissinger's pragmatism on Ukraine war

By Imran KhalidBeing a high priest of realpolitik, Henry Kissinger, the 99-year-old former U.S. secretary of state, is undoubtedly among the most pragmatic statesmen in recent times. He has the grits to accept his miscalculations without any whimper and is able to adopt a new stance as per the changing realities on the ground.The recent limpid alteration in his stance on important global topics ― the Ukraine war, Russia, Putin and China ― which are interwoven together in one string by compelling circumstances, is a lucid example of this realpolitik ― a sophisticated amalgam of pragmatism and ideology in the domain of international affairs. In June, when Putin was going full throttle to consolidate Russian positions in the southern and eastern parts of Ukraine, Kissinger propagated a three-pronged narrative. One: the war will be stopped sooner or later, although if the negotiations were not resumed immediately ― he meant June-July ― then it would become extremely intricate for all the stakeholders to manage and contain its side effects later on.Two: Russia has been an integral part of

Oct 26, 2022By Imran Khalid

Why is Pelosi active in global hotspots?

By Imran Khalid Why has U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi embarked upon a series of jetting into hotspots one after another ― Kyiv, Taipei and now Yerevan ― in recent months? The only plausible answer behind the sudden surge in her high-octane diplomatic voyages can be traced to the forthcoming mid-term polls in November. On the personal front, by remaining in the limelight through this jet-diplomacy, she wants to appear as a stout and active politician so as to lure her voters in the Florida constituency, while she is also indirectly trying to bolster the ebbing approval rating of Democrats. By appearing as a hawkish face of the Democrats, she is working as a helping hand for President Joe Biden to offset the possibilities of an impending rout in the midterm polls. Pelosi is facing two kinds of challenges at this juncture of her political career: one, how to save her seat in her home constituency, and later on, how to retain the speakership in the face of growing discontentment among Democrats. In the midterm elections in November, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives an

Oct 13, 2022By Imran Khalid

Floods in Pakistan: looming humanitarian crisis

By Imran Khalid“I have never seen climate carnage on the scale of the floods here in Pakistan. As our planet continues to warm, all countries will increasingly suffer losses and damage from climate beyond their capacity to adapt. This is a global crisis, it demands a global response,” wrote U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a tweet at the end of his two-day solidarity trip to Pakistan. This tweet encompasses the whole situation. Unquestionably, the recent visit by Guterres is expected to help Pakistan greatly in highlighting the devastating impact the recent floods have had on the country. The 33 million people impacted by the catastrophic floods, which have caused an estimated $30 billion worth of damages, cannot be explained in words. The scale of the colossal devastation is unimaginable. More than half a million houses in Pakistan were reported damaged or destroyed in early September, with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reporting that more than 1.17 million houses have been damaged and nearly 566,000 destroyed as of Sept. 8. The devastation

Sep 26, 2022By Imran Khalid

Imran Khalid