Thomas Falk

London

Political Analyst and Columnist at Freelance

Western Europe Editor at Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Political Columnist @japantimes @SCMPNews @haaretzcom Tweets in rude German and impeccable English

Articles

The U.K. Is Finally Coming Out Against Israel's Gaza War. Here's How It Could Backfire - Thomas O. Falk

3 weeks ago | qoshe.com | Thomas Falk
The U.K. is finally coming out against Israel's Gaza war. Here's how it could backfire | Opinion

3 weeks ago | haaretz.com | Thomas Falk

Opinion | The U.K. is not alone in this descent into confused diplomacy. Canada, France and Germany too have made their criticism clear, which could harm more than helpJun 5, 2025 3:19 pm IDTSend in e-mailSend in e-mail Jun 5, 2025 3:19 pm IDTThe United Kingdom's recent announcement that it would suspend free trade negotiations with Israel over the Gaza war was striking both in its tone, as well as its substance.
Braving the storm: It’s time to board Russia’s shadow fleet

3 weeks ago | japantimes.co.jp | Thomas Falk

Attempts to strangle Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war machine with endless sanctions are starting to feel like Europe is shouting into the void. Each fresh package of measures is met with a shrug by the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Russian tankers slip through European waters, quietly ferrying oil worth billions — the very finances that fuel the conflict sanctions are meant to extinguish: A shadow fleet that operates outside of regulatory frameworks.
Braving the storm: It’s time to board Russia’s shadow fleet - Thomas O. Falk

3 weeks ago | qoshe.com | Thomas Falk
Opinion | Why Germany’s leader called China’s over Ukraine - and why it matters

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Thomas Falk

In an era when diplomacy often postures as virtue signalling and foreign policy has grown allergic to nuance, Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has executed a move of startling clarity and daring. He called President Xi Jinping, not to lecture him on human rights or wave the banner of Western liberalism but to propose a deal: help end the war in Ukraine. Merz’s appeal, couched in the anodyne language of international cooperation, was anything but soft.
Lessons from the U.S.-U.K. trade deal: Don’t appease a bully

1 month ago | japantimes.co.jp | Thomas Falk

The United Kingdom was the first to bend the knee to U.S. President Donald Trump and his attempt to bludgeon the global economy into submission. On April 2, with his trademark bombast, Trump declared “Liberation Day” for America, imposing a 10% levy on all imports, with punitive rates climbing as high as 145% for certain countries. In response, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a trade agreement that is a study in shortsightedness.
Lessons from the U.S.-U.K. trade deal: Don’t appease a bully - Thomas O. Falk

1 month ago | qoshe.com | Thomas Falk
Opinion | Britain blinked against a bullying Trumpian America. Others must not

1 month ago | scmp.com | Thomas Falk

The UK-US trade deal, trumpeted by President Donald Trump as a grand achievement, is no triumph of statecraft. It is a hollow spectacle, political theatre masquerading as economic progress. For Britain, it lays bare the perils of negotiating from weakness. For other major economies – the European Union, Japan or China – it stands as a cautionary tale. They must heed Britain’s experience: strength, not desperation, must define their approach; substance, not optics, must be their demand.
If China triumphs, America has itself to blame

1 month ago | japantimes.co.jp | Thomas Falk

In 2009, the late political columnist Charles Krauthammer penned an essay of prophetic clarity titled “Decline is a Choice.”With characteristic incisiveness, he argued that the United States’ global preeminence was not succumbing to some inexorable historical entropy but was being eroded by deliberate policy decisions — chiefly those of former President Barack Obama. Decline, Krauthammer insisted, was not fate; it was a choice.
If China triumphs, America has itself to blame - Thomas O. Falk

1 month ago | qoshe.com | Thomas Falk

In 2009, the late political columnist Charles Krauthammer penned an essay of prophetic clarity titled “Decline is a Choice.”With characteristic incisiveness, he argued that the United........