John Metzler

FPI / May 28, 2020 By John J. Metzler The World Health Organization (WHO) held its annual Assembly with barely a mention of the member state which brought this UN agency so much political grief — China. But this year’s Assembly convened not in the alpine splendor of its Geneva headquarters, but in virtual reality […]

FPI / May 22, 2020 By John J. Metzler After years of consistent economic expansion and growth throughout much of the world, the global economy is facing tectonic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic. For developed states such as the United States and Western Europe, the “unseen enemy” of the virus has shattered economic forecasts and […]

FPI / May 14, 2020 By John J. Metzler Can we economically sustain a prolonged lockdown? Well the stunningly high unemployment numbers for April, just over 20 million lost jobs, should answer that question and serve as yet another jolting wake-up call that while we are wisely protecting ourselves from wider exposure to the deadly […]

FPI / May 8, 2020 By John J. Metzler Syria’s devastating conflict continues despite the spread of coronavirus and calls by the international community for a ceasefire to stop the fighting which has continued for over nine years and killed more than 500,000 people. Now, an uneasy calm seems to be setting in as the […]

FPI / April 29, 2020 By John J. Metzler North Korea’s Marxist “Monarchy” could be at a critical crossroads as recurring rumors about the death or incapacitation of the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un swirl around the nervous Korean peninsula. Despite a wildfire of media speculation, pending the definitive outcome of Kim’s health, the hard reality […]

FPI / April 23, 2020 By John J. Metzler Since mid-March the American economy has been on pandemic lockdown. Commercial, social and educational interaction have faced a form of limbo, forced to follow a still uncertain script dictated by the deadly coronavirus and decreed by state governors. For many of us, the world seems suspended […]

FPI / April 16, 2020 By John J. Metzler It’s easy to point fingers during a deadly pandemic, and let’s do so. WHO first sounded the alarm? WHO downplayed real medical risks? WHO calmed or stoked irrational fears? WHO in this case, is the global medical monitor providing us with real time warnings and assessments. […]

FPI / April 9, 2020 By John J. Metzler The Coronavirus outbreak has closed down the world, at least as we know it. From the Far East into Europe and North America shutdowns, lockdowns, and stay at home orders are the norm. And for good reason; COVID-19 poses the most dangerous global Pandemic since the […]

FPI / April 4, 2020 By John J. Metzler What would happen if an alien force invaded the world? This was the hypothesis of many sci-fi films over the years in which warring countries and governments would somehow, suddenly, and urgently join together to fight the greater threat. War of the Worlds, (1953) based on […]

FPI / March 25, 2020 By John J. Metzler NEW YORK — It’s almost become a sad cliche to say that America is shutting down over the Coronavirus pandemic. Uncertainty and fear stalk the land, but the enemy remains invisible. The growing global effects of COVID-19 from China to Western Europe, and now North America, […]

FPI / March 17, 2020 By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Truth is often stranger than fiction. If somebody suggested a thriller novel plot set to the backdrop of gyrating stock markets, falling oil prices, rising tensions with Iran, amidst a spreading worldwide health pandemic, all juxtaposed to a contentious American Presidential election, most […]

FPI / March 10, 2020 By John J. Metzler GENEVA — In recent decades China has emerged as the factory to the world; a key player in production networks for automobiles, smartphones, computers, textiles and medical equipment. Indeed, as the world’s second largest economy Mainland China has become an indispensable part of globalization’s network combining […]

FPI / March 3, 2020 By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The imagery and optics presented a publicist’s dream; an American president being feted by a cast of millions on foreign soil with exotic backdrops ranging from the enchanting Taj Mahal to a rousing Namaste Trump rally at the Motera Cricket stadium with 110,000 […]

FPI / February 23, 2020 By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Are the two sides of the Atlantic drifting apart? Do the political and security ties forged during the dark years of the Cold War still hold firm? Is the Atlantic Alliance which preserved Europe’s freedom and allowed for its prosperity, now simply a […]

FPI / February 16, 2020 By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The so-called Islamic State, the Caliphate which at its height controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq has been destroyed by focused and lethal military strikes by the United States and its allies. Yet in effect, the shattered group has now splintered and […]