Oil: the writing is finally on the wall
Eat your hearts out, Pablo Escobar, Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzman and Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes. The richest cartel by far is still the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (...
Energy security and economy still depend on oil
In recent years, the world has witnessed record investment in environmentally friendly renewable energy, rapid advances in battery technology and ambitious net‑zero commitments, all supported by sharply falling costs. ...
The 2013 crisis was caused by banks, no matter what Disy says
In the run-up to the parliamentary election on May 24, candidates have clashed on the ability of their political parties to manage the economy. In particular, in reaction to the policy ...
EU positions itself as a defence alliance as Nato wobbles
Ever mindful of defence contingencies, the EU has positioned itself to evolve into a defence alliance as well as an economic and political union by adopting a mutual assistance clause ...
Speaking English badly
It is a matter of chronic surprise that politicians, otherwise well-trained in saying just the right thing for the audience they are addressing, forget that whatever they say can be ...
Genocide and the promise of ‘never again’
April 24 is not simply a date. It marks a beginning and a warning.
In 1915, in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were arrested in ...
A plea for a federal Cyprus on the Swiss model
There is very bad turbulence all around Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean that calls for wise leadership all round to steer Cyprus in a safe direction.
Switzerland managed to stay ...
Cyprus: navigating the governance paradox
The global governance landscape in 2026 is increasingly defined by a “rule of law recession,” forcing a severe institutional reckoning within the Republic of Cyprus as well. While Cyprus maintains the ...
Artemis II and our warring planet
The courageous crew of the recent Artemis II mission felt what every astronaut before them has felt, awe at the fragile beauty of Earth, the desire to protect that spectacular ...
Death Rattle of a Superpower?
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single ...
Cyprus’ energy failures mainly down to vested interests at a political level
Energy is one of the most critical sectors in Cyprus, impacting everyday life, the economy, industry and almost everything else on the island. And yet, it is one of the ...
Even the most self-aggrandising rulers can achieve peace
Events in the Gulf war continue to attract global attention, despite the ongoing preoccupation here in Cyprus with our own Sandy-gate saga.
President Trump has maintained a barrage of announcements, ...
Thirty years on: rethinking Huntington’s Clash of Civilisations
Thirty years on, why revisit Professor Samuel Huntington’s seminal and widely debated book, The Clash of Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order, published in 1996?
Not to celebrate a ...
Scientific study forms a good basis for economic policy
In the EU, a significant number of existing high‑level research centres focus on empirical studies of issues of public economic interest. Such centres aim to support, in a practical ...
Support offered for the impact of war is woefully inadequate
President Nikos Christodoulides and Finance Minister Makis Keravnos brag frequently about the successful performance and good management of the economy by citing the relatively rapid growth of GDP and the ...
Law clients’ right to legal professional privilege is sacrosanct
Early on Easter Saturday a team of police officers raided the home of the well-known lawyer Nikos Clerides in Nicosia, armed with a search warrant issued by a judge shortly ...
The Iran war revisited: what if America loses?
The 2026 Iran War marks a turning point in modern geopolitics and shows how the West’s attempts to maintain dominance through military intervention destabilise the region, hastening the rise of ...
Power, illusion and the Thucydides warning
Power rarely collapses from weakness. It collapses from the consequences of misjudgement. The confrontation between the US and Israel with Iran may prove to be one of those moments.
My ...
Democracy at risk: what the EIU 2025 index reveals about Cyprus
In a previous article, we examined the concentration of power and erosion of democracy in Cyprus. This article advances that discussion, focusing on the 2025 Democracy Index from the Economist Intelligence ...
Fanatics, an obsessive, and a belligerent fool
We don’t have to look very far to find a useful historical analogy for the current crisis in the Middle East. In 1967 Egypt closed the Strait of Tiran to ...
Cyprus EEZ in the limelight
Cyprus EEZ came back into the limelight on the occasion of EGYPES, Egypt’s annual and foremost energy conference and exhibition that took place in Cairo this week. And in ...
A timely look at happiness
A couple of weeks ago, we had the joy of our granddaughter staying over for a few days. That Friday night, worrying about the escalating war, I sat watching her ...
Misinformation has major macroeconomic impacts
Advances in technology have enabled the rapid spread of information and knowledge, but, at the same time, they have amplified the phenomenon of misinformation and the circulation of false news.
...
Concentration of power and the erosion of democracy in Cyprus
The Republic of Cyprus is currently at a significant constitutional juncture. The legislative debate on amending Article 17 of the Constitution, which guarantees the secrecy of correspondence, for a new surveillance ...