There are several critical issues facing the United States today. These include the labor shortage and skills deficit, the disruption of supply chains, the new direction of globalization, fear of new Covid variants, and inflation, which is made worse by all these issues. In addition, there are many serious concerns caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and the fallout of China continuing to support Russia.

Give President Joe Biden credit for talking with Vladimir Putin over the latter’s demands for security guarantees. Yet the way forward appears blocked by Moscow’s insistence on assurances which Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman declared to be “simply nonstarters.” Russian officials were equally blunt. “Our patience has run out,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “Everyone understands that the situation is not improving. The potential for conflict is growing.”

Attempting to predict short-term fluctuations in inflation is extremely difficult. However, if you look at the evolution of globalization, which has a major impact on inflation, accurately predicting long-term inflation trends is a bit easier. So let me start with globalization and how it’s evolving.

Relations between the U.S. and China took a precipitous dive during the Trump administration and that trajectory unexpectedly continued after President Joe Biden took over. Biden and President Xi Jinping finally talked—virtually, which may become the new norm in the post‐COVID world. Hopefully their online meeting halted the relationship’s rapid descent, but what next?

The U.S. has had a bad military run recently. Rather than fight traditional wars and defeat conventional opponents, Washington attempted nation‐building at gunpoint. That is a daunting task anywhere and at any point in time. Especially problematic was America’s effort to transform Afghanistan, long heralded as the Graveyard of Empires.

There has never been a better time to show your employees that you appreciate them. In our previous article, 9 Critical Strategies to Attract and Retain New Workers, we mentioned that the U.S. economy has been improving, which has opened up a whole new set of problems such as labor shortages and skill deficits in the country. What can you do to keep your current workforce and prevent them from jumping ship?

A dearth of workers is slowing our recovery from the economic devastation wrought by COVID-19. Overly large unemployment insurance checks, an expanded welfare state and immigration restrictions have reduced the supply of willing workers. There are 9.2 million job openings nationwide and 9.3 million people unemployed. As a result, employers are hiking prices faster than wages and the economy is recovering at a slower pace than it should. Expanding legal immigration is one way to help.

2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and China is celebrating. Since Deng Xiaoping began economic reforms and opening up China in 1978, the country has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, according to the World Bank, and become the world’s second largest economy after the United States. But today, the direction of China's reform process is unclear, it doesn't always play by long-established international trade rules, and it's presenting new challenges. How should the United States respond?

I'm a nationally syndicated columnist, author of several books and a speaker on global business, labor, and economic trends. I'm also a beneficiary, not a victim, of dyslexia, a learning disability characterized by reading, writing and decoding difficulties. Why do I say beneficiary? Read on.

Relations between the world’s two most important nations have descended to frigid coexistence if not outright cold war. There are increasing possibilities of a military as well as political clash, with potentially catastrophic consequences. read more...