by John West | 4 Feb 2026 | Decoder Replay, Journalism, Politics
For 250 years, much of the world has looked at the United States as the model democracy. Is that still the case? Sally Cawthern protests outside her home during an anti-Trump No Kings Protest in Orlando, Florida, 18 October 2025. (Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP)...
by John West | 14 Jan 2026 | Decoder Replay, Europe, History, Nationalism, Politics, United States
Under NATO, 32 countries have pledged to defend each other. Is the United States the glue that holds it all together? Service members from nine NATO countries display flags. (Photo by Spc. Seth LaCount) Editor’s note: On 11 January 2025, the British newspaper...
by John West | 31 Dec 2025 | China, Decoder Replay
With the world’s attention on Ukraine, Venezuela and Gaza, China has been hovering around an island it wants back, badly. Taiwan reservists pose during a reserve military training in Ilan County, Taiwan, 2 December 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)...
by John West | 16 Jun 2025 | China, Economy, Politics, Technology, United States
Many people in the United States feel they can’t live without an iPhone. But its global components have put it is at the heart of an international trade battle. An iPhone box. (Photo credit Marcy Burstiner) This article was produced exclusively for News...
by John West | 23 Jan 2025 | Asia, Decoders, Economy, Government, Politics, United States
The United States prides itself on being a government of the people. But the nation that invented modern democracy is no longer the model for it. Eligible voters form a long line to get on a bus bound for their vote-registered domicile for the 2024 Taiwanese...