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Chris Patten

Chris Patten

Writing for PS since 2000
174 commentaries
3 videos & podcasts

Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong and a former EU commissioner for external affairs, is Chancellor of the University of Oxford and the author of The Hong Kong Diaries (Allen Lane, 2022).

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  1. How Trumpism Ends
    patten174_Chip SomodevillaGettyImages_trump_kennedy_center Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    How Trumpism Ends

    Mar 27, 2025 Chris Patten urges current and former policymakers to speak out against the US president’s reckless policies.

  2. Britain Must Downgrade the Special Relationship
    patten173_Carl Court - PoolGetty Images_starmertrump Carl Court - Pool/Getty Images

    Britain Must Downgrade the Special Relationship

    Feb 28, 2025 Chris Patten outlines steps UK policymakers must take to mitigate the strategic threat posed by the Trump administration.

  3. Can the Liberal International Order Survive Without America?
    patten172_Scott OlsonGetty Images_trump Scott Olson/Getty Images

    Can the Liberal International Order Survive Without America?

    Feb 5, 2025 Chris Patten urges Western countries to safeguard the institutions that have underpinned their postwar stability.

  4. China Won’t Save Labour’s Britain
    patten171_WPA PoolGettyImages_starmer_xi WPA Pool/Getty Images

    China Won’t Save Labour’s Britain

    Dec 31, 2024 Chris Patten urges British policymakers to focus instead on crafting polices that really can promote economic recovery.

  5. The Sources of Japanese Resilience
    patten170_YUICHI YAMAZAKIAFP via Getty Images_japan Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP via Getty Images

    The Sources of Japanese Resilience

    Dec 6, 2024 Chris Patten emphasizes the country’s ability to avoid the divisive politics currently plaguing other liberal democracies.

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  1. subacchi47_Ravi ChipGettyImages_us_treasury_dept Ravi Chip/Getty Images

    Will the World Keep Buying US Treasuries?

    Paola Subacchi & Paul van den Noord foresee a gradual reduction in countries’ holdings of dollar-denominated debt, not a rapid sell-off.
  2. yi20_CFOTOGettyImages_group_wedding_china CFOTO/Getty Images

    Why China’s Marriage Crisis Matters

    Yi Fuxian examines the factors underlying a key cause of the country’s demographic crisis.
  3. gebert4_AFP via Getty Images_gazaprotest AFP via Getty Images

    Israel Must Not Ignore the Anti-Hamas Protests in Gaza

    Konstanty Gebert

    Recent demonstrations in Gaza have pushed not only for an end to the war, but also for an end to Hamas's rule, thus echoing Israel's own stated objectives. Yet the Israeli government, consumed by its own internal politics, has barely acknowledged this unprecedentedly positive development.

    underscores the unprecedented nature of recent demonstrations in the war-ravaged enclave.
  4. james229_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmuskmaga Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Donald Trump Is a Globalist

    Harold James shows that the MAGA movement is actually an unalloyed version of the idea that its leader claims to reject.
  5. op_vaheesan1_Bettmann ContributorGetty Images_FDRdam Bettmann Contributor/Getty Images

    Getting Abundance Right

    Sandeep Vaheesan

    America's history is replete with episodes in which vigorous government action proved essential to achieving shared prosperity. With a lethal mutation of neoliberalism now destroying US state capacity, understanding what came before has never been more important.

    urges the creation of public utilities to accelerate decarbonization and improve living standards.
  6. acemoglu85_Antonio M. RosarioGettyImages_two_robots Antonio M. Rosario/Getty Images

    Two Models for Agentic AI

    Daron Acemoglu sees a technological crossroads ahead – and argues that one path should not be taken.
  7. arezki21_Per-Anders PetterssonGetty Images_botswanadiamonds Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

    Developing Countries Need a New Strategy

    Rabah Arezki touts industrial policies that welcome multinational corporations' participation, but on fairer terms.
  8. slaughter109_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trump Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    How the World Can Keep Trump 2.0 in Check

    Anne-Marie Slaughter outlines five steps that foreign entities should take to counteract the US president’s radical agenda.
  9. patten174_Chip SomodevillaGettyImages_trump_kennedy_center Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    How Trumpism Ends

    Chris Patten urges current and former policymakers to speak out against the US president’s reckless policies.