Rulers for life: The world's enduring autocrats and their legacy
Beyond Africa, the pattern repeats in different guises. Vladimir Putin of Russia has dominated Kremlin politics since 1999, cleverly redrawing constitutional boundaries to extend his reign, while Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has exercised near-absolute authority over Iran for 36 years, navigating both internal and regional upheavals. In Southeast Asia, Cambodia's Hun Sen spent nearly four decades in power before passing the premiership to his son while retaining significant influence as Senate President.History reveals yet more tales that forged — and sometimes shattered — entire eras. Fidel Castro's rule in Cuba survived dozens of assassination attempts and entrenched his revolutionary legacy for almost half a century. Spain's Francisco Franco emerged victorious from a brutal civil war to command for 36 years, ultimately opening the door (albeit reluctantly) to democracy after his death. The iron-fisted Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) presided over one of Africa's most corrupt governments, while Ferdinand Marcos' martial law regime in the Philippines and Suharto's crony-laden New Order in Indonesia left respective legacies of repression and endemic graft.What unites these leaders is not merely brute force or ideological zeal, but a playbook honed over decades. Strategic manipulation of constitutions is a recurring motif: Uganda's Museveni abolished age limits, Putin in Russia reset term limits, and Nguesso in Congo engineered referendums for renewed legitimacy. Cults of personality also play a key role—leaders become brands, their images and eccentricities elevated into tools of rule, as seen with Mobutu's iconic attire or Castro's marathon speeches. Control of national narratives through state media, censorship, and repression of dissent remains standard practice, insulating regimes from external and internal scrutiny. Family ties and loyal inner circles further cement their grip, ensuring that ruling clans and cronies share in both the privileges and risks of extended tenure.While some long-serving leaders claim to have brought stability or national pride, the consequences of prolonged rule are often dire. Democratic norms are eroded, elections become exercises in choreography, dissent is silenced, and corruption flourishes on an astonishing scale. Dynastic succession has become commonplace, with power handed from father to son in places such as Azerbaijan, Syria, and Cambodia.Other notorious figures, such as Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, have employed a blend of performance and raw force, with the people's will side-lined in favour of personal rule. In cases where these strongmen have been toppled—like Saddam Hussein in Iraq or Suharto in Indonesia—the aftermath has frequently been chaotic and fraught, underscoring the fragility of state institutions hollowed out by decades of autocracy.advertisementYet, change is stirring. From the youth movements of Havana to the digital activism blossoming across Africa and Asia, new generations are voicing dissent and demanding accountability. Whether the twenty-first century will ultimately break or entrench the legacies of these strongmen remains an open question. For now, as 2025 unfolds, the world continues to bear witness to the stubborn tenacity—with ballot or bullet—of the world's marathon rulers, even as the tide, slow but steady, hints at transformation.- Ends
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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
America's tariff avalanche catches Switzerland unawares
THE FIREWORKS in celebration of the Rütlischwur, the foundational oath of Switzerland on August 1st 1291, had just subsided when Donald Trump announced that Swiss exports to America would soon face tariffs of 39%. It came as a shock to Europe's most stubbornly independent country. After consulting with businesses and holding a crisis meeting on August 4th, the government announced it will make America a more attractive offer. Switzerland had negotiated early and swiftly. The deal it offered 'was not so different from that of the European Union', says a senior Swiss official. It contained similar pledges to invest in America, an overall tariff rate that was lower than the EU's, a few concessions on agriculture and various other offers, such as collaboration in training American manufacturing workers. Switzerland could hardly open the Swiss market any further: the country had already cut tariffs on nearly all industrial goods to zero, and its currency is overvalued by about 50%, according to The Economist's Big Mac index. What sealed Switzerland's fate was its outsize trade surplus with America. The Eidgenossenschaft (oath confederation), as the Swiss call their country, exported goods worth about $48bn more to America in 2024 than it imported. That comes to about 5% of Swiss GDP—too much for the deficit-obsessed American president, who bizarrely thinks this amounts to 'stealing money' from Americans. The country was lucky that he did not take as his baseline early 2025, when Switzerland's trade surplus with America ballooned to a whopping $54bn in the first quarter alone. What sealed Switzerland's fate was its outsize trade surplus with America. The culprit behind that surge was Mr Trump. Upon his inauguration, uncertainty over America's economic policy rose sharply, leading investors to seek safety in one of Switzerland's main exports: gold (see chart). The country is responsible for about a third of global gold refining, and typically exports around $4.5bn-worth of the precious metal to America each year. But in 2024 America imported $12.5bn-worth of gold from the country. Switzerland's role as a refiner can make trade flows look deceptively big. Although its gold exports amounted to $116bn last year, it also imported $100bn-worth of the metal. With some 1,000 workers in total, the industry is not exactly a jobs-booster. America charges no tariffs on gold imports, and Mr Trump is not likely to impose any on his favourite metal. Switzerland's gold exports, along with the watches and jewellery it sells to America (worth $7bn in 2024), may simply have convinced the president the country is rich enough to bear more. Pharmaceuticals are the other Swiss export that aroused the president's ire. The Swiss shipped $35.5bn of these to America last year. 'We want to be making pharmaceuticals in our country,' Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, said after the tariff announcement. America is also keen to bring down the prices of medicines. Mr Trump sent letters to 17 pharma CEOs, including those of Novartis and Roche, two Swiss companies, to demand prices in line with the lowest in comparable economies. 'I don't think it was a coincidence that we had a tough call with the president 20 minutes after he had sent out his letters to the pharma industry,' says the Swiss official. Luckily for Switzerland, tariffs on drugs will remain at zero until America makes decisions about its global pharma policy. Because of the exemptions for gold and (temporarily) pharma, Switzerland faces an overall effective tariff rate of just 12% for now. But businesses other than gold and pharma must pay the 39% rate, much to their dismay. They might end up as the main victim of Mr Trump's economically misguided focus on bilateral trade balances. Half of Switzerland's overall trade surplus with the world is with America, because its specialties—pharma, gold, luxury items and high-end machinery—fit American demand. Thermoplan, the sole supplier of coffee machines to Starbucks, a coffee chain, is reluctantly considering a partnership with an American firm to lower the tariff burden. 'There is a wide range of responses among businesses. Some say they will just increase prices, others have already lost half of their orders from America,' says Daniel Kalt of UBS, a bank. Switzerland is likely to face a mild recession, should the tariffs stick. Many hope negotiations will bring down the rate. And Switzerland's flexible economy will be able to adjust. The Swiss will also look more eagerly to co-operate with others. The EU's better deal is helpful because Swiss firms are integrated into European supply chains, and the country trades far more with Europe than America. Yet politically, being slighted by America hurts. The country is moving towards a referendum on a permanent package of agreements with the EU, in place of its long-standing patchwork of temporary deals. Eurosceptics who want to reject that proposal will find their case harder to make. 'Their narrative is breaking down now, being alone out there has not paid off,' says Mr Kalt. That was also the central insight of the Rütlischwur more than 700 years ago.
Mint
6 hours ago
- Mint
Swiss Gold Trading Takes Spotlight in Trade Talks With Trump
The trade imbalances that prompted President Donald Trump to slap hefty levies on Swiss imports have been driven by a small industry at the center of the world's gold market. The country is the world's biggest gold-refining hub, thanks to a longstanding reputation for quality and discretion. Billions of dollars worth of gold is constantly flowing into and out of the nation, from mines in South America and Africa to banks in London and New York. Flows of the precious metal cause big swings in the country's trade balances, even if the Swiss refiners capture only a small portion of the value of the commerce. Bullion is by far the country's largest export good, according to Simon J. Evenett of IMD Business School. 'Gold is special,' Evenett said. 'It isn't really manufactured in Switzerland. Processed is a better word.' The impact of the industry is more important than ever as the Trump administration focuses on leveling trade deficits. Record bullion exports of more than $36 billion made up more than two-thirds of Switzerland's trade surplus with the US in the first quarter, according to Swiss customs data. The US president's decision to slap tariffs of 39% on all Swiss imports has caused a shock in the country, with the government having previously been confident it would avoid heavy duties. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the tariffs reflect the balance of commerce with America and the country's willingness to address its trade deficit. The recent flood of gold imports into the US was largely in response to a potentially lucrative trans-Atlantic arbitrage opportunity opened up by concerns the precious metal could get caught up in sweeping US import duties. Traders in Europe wanted to deliver bullion to New York to capture premium prices, but first they needed their metal recast from the 400-ounce bars standard in London — the largest gold trading venue — into the 1 kilo or 100oz bars required by the US-based Comex exchange. That made Switzerland's gold refiners a crucial node in the arbitrage. In the second quarter, that flow reversed after bullion was exempted from Trump's tariffs, leading US prices to fall back into line with the benchmark spot price in London. Switzerland saw a net inflow of well over $1 billion of gold over the period. The exemption means that Switzerland's future gold exports probably wouldn't be hit by the new 39% levy. Despite the vast sums involved in the bullion trade, refining is a relatively small business. Switzerland only has five companies producing investment-grade gold, most of whom only employ a couple of hundred people. While the price of the gold that passes through the refineries has surged to nearly $3,500 an ounce this year, the refiners will usually only capture a couple of dollars of that price when they recast a bar. The Swiss National Bank had addressed the issue earlier this year in a paper, arguing that outsized gold exports to the US shouldn't be included when analyzing the trade relationship between the two economies. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
On Russian oil, India and China speak the same language to Trump
Live Events China's framing India's tone: Different pitch, same tune From marginal to essential Oil keeps flowing The oil wildcard Sanctions hit, but not hard enough Enter Trump BRICS and the Global South Parallel defiance (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel When the United States demanded that China and India stop buying Russian oil, it likely didn't anticipate triggering a geopolitical alignment between two long-time that's what's unfolding. While far from coordinated, and certainly not allies, Beijing and New Delhi are responding in strikingly similar fashion: with mounting pressure from the Trump administration to cut off what Washington calls 'Putin's war machine,' both countries are choosing energy security over two of the world's largest oil importers, India and China wield enormous influence over global crude demand. That clout is now under direct has warned of imposing tariffs of up to 100% on countries that continue purchasing Russian oil, unless Moscow agrees to a peace deal with Ukraine by August 7–9. To complicate things further, a new bipartisan bill in the US Senate is calling for a 500% tariff on goods from countries that keep buying Russian oil and gas while refusing to back the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, the bill has been introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (Republican) and Richard Blumenthal (Democrat), with support from over 80 co-sponsors across party lines, enough to potentially override a presidential proposed law would slap steep tariffs, up to 500%, on imports from countries that continue buying Russian crude, gas, petroleum products, or uranium and don't actively support on Monday, Trump said he will be "substantially" raising the tariff paid by India to America, accusing the country of buying massive amounts of Russian oil and selling it for big profits."India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine. Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!"Following two days of high-stakes trade talks in Stockholm, China made its position unambiguous. On X, the Foreign Ministry wrote: 'China will always ensure its energy supply in ways that serve our national interests... Coercion and pressuring will not achieve anything.'The message wasn't just for Washington, it was for the Global South, where many governments share China's resentment of what they see as unilateral American sanctions and demands. By framing its energy choices as a matter of sovereignty, China positioned itself not as Russia's backer but as a nation defending its right to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, reflecting after the talks, acknowledged China's posture with a mix of frustration and resignation.'The Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously… We don't want to impede on their sovereignty, so they would like to pay a 100% tariff,' Bessent told reporters after wrapping up two days of US-China trade talks in Stockholm, as per last part, analysts believe, is pure brinkmanship. Talking to Reuters, Gabriel Wildau of Teneo called the tariff threat 'a move that would derail all the recent progress.'As Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted, Beijing is playing a long game, waiting out Washington's bluster, leaning on ambiguity, and sticking to its strategic relationship with imports from Russia reflect that approach. In April 2025 alone, oil shipments from Russia to China surged 20%, crossing 1.3 million barrels per day. China is also Iran's largest oil customer, purchasing up to 90% of Tehran's exports, according to US Energy Information Administration the Himalayas, India's tone is different, but the message is the Minister Narendra Modi has framed India's refusal to halt Russian oil imports as an assertion of economic a rally in Uttar Pradesh, he said, 'Now, whatever we buy, there should be only one scale: we will buy those things which have been made by the sweat of an Indian.'The line plays directly into his government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) campaign, but it also doubles as a message to Washington - don't has been under pressure since Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian exports and hinted at further penalties if oil purchases from Russia state and private refiners are still sourcing Russian crude, and there's been no official instruction to change per Reuters, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reinforced this stance. 'Our bilateral relationships with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country,' he the world's third-largest oil importer, has become the biggest buyer of Russian crude since 2022, snapping up as much as 2 million barrels per day, roughly 2% of global supply. Other major buyers include China and shift began in 2022, when India started ramping up its purchases of Russian oil, stepping into a void left by Europe, which had previously been Russia's top customer before banning most of its oil in response to the Ukraine the world's second-largest oil exporter, redirected volumes to Asia, and India quickly became a key destination. Its energy ties with Moscow have deepened, with Rosneft holding a major stake in one of India's largest to official data, India now depends on Russian oil for 35% of its total crude needs, worth $50.2 billion in FY2024–25. Imports from Russia have surged from negligible levels in early 2022 to nearly a third of India's overall oil imports in 2025, making it the largest buyer of Russian seaborne purchases a wide range of Russian crude grades, including Urals from Western ports, ESPO and Sokol from the Pacific, and even Arctic grades, as per LSEG India cuts back, urals crude would bear the brunt. India currently accounts for up to 70% of Russia's exports of that grade. While India's oil minister has said the country can secure alternative supply if needed, analysts warn of short-term disruptions.'Indian refiners will still struggle to replace the heavy quality of Russian crude, so they may end up paring runs,' Neil Crosby of Sparta Commodities told India, this isn't about siding with Moscow; it's about securing affordable fuel and shielding its economy from inflation sweeping Western sanctions, Russia has kept its oil flowing since 2022, albeit at discounted rates compared to global benchmarks.A sharp drop in global crude prices is already hitting Moscow's wallet. According to its finance ministry, oil and gas revenues in June fell 33.7% year-on-year to their lowest since January 2023. Reuters estimates show a deeper 37% plunge in July, driven by softer prices and a stronger say if Russia loses 2 million barrels per day in exports, it may eventually be forced to cut production from the current 9 million bpd, volumes that are still governed by OPEC+ quotas, as reported by Morgan believes Russia could reroute around 800,000 bpd to markets like Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, Brunei, South Africa, and Indonesia. But that's not enough to offset the impact of major buyers like India walking also has a more disruptive card to play - the CPC pipeline. It moves up to one million bpd and is critical for Western oil majors such as Exxon, Chevron, Shell, ENI, and TotalEnergies. With a total capacity of 1.7 million bpd, any interruption would be felt globally."If we get a visible and substantial difficulty in clearing Russian crude and Putin shuts off CPC, oil prices might get well over $80 per barrel, possibly a lot more," said CPC line, which runs through Russian territory, has already seen clashes between the consortium and Moscow. In both 2022 and 2025, operations were temporarily suspended over claims of environmental and tanker CPC flows are cut and India halts purchases, the global oil market would lose about 3.5 million bpd, roughly 3.5% of total supply."The Trump administration, like its predecessors, will likely find sanctioning the world's second-largest oil exporter unfeasible without spiking oil prices," JP Morgan Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimates Russian fossil fuel revenues fell 18% year-on-year in Q2 2025, marking the weakest quarter since the Ukraine invasion. This drop came despite an 8% rise in export volumes compared to Russian fossil gas exports to Europe continued their steady decline. Following the end of gas transit through Ukraine in Q1, exports fell further in Q2, dropping 9.4% from April (3.32 bcm) to June (3.01 bcm).A significant share of Russia's oil is still moving aboard G7+ tankers. In June, over 56% of seaborne oil exports used vessels from G7 or allied nations, up from 36% in of the oil price cap remains patchy, but it's showing potential. CREA estimates that rigorous implementation since the sanctions began could have cut Russian export revenues by 11%, or EUR 39.51 billion. In June alone, full enforcement would have trimmed revenues by around EUR 550 European Commission is now proposing to lower the price cap to $45 per barrel. CREA's modelling suggests that at that level, Russian revenues for June would have dropped by 28%, a loss of EUR 3.1 billion. Donald Trump 's approach to diplomacy, loud, transactional, and often antagonistic, is a key reason this convergence administration's rhetoric has been unforgiving. Stephen Miller, Trump's senior adviser, put it bluntly on Fox News: 'People will be shocked to learn that India is basically tied with China in purchasing Russian oil.'He went on to call India's actions 'unacceptable,' accused New Delhi of imposing 'massive' tariffs on American goods, and even dragged immigration into the this time, the pressure is not one-sided. China is under the same threat, tariffs, isolation, diplomatic friction. And that's where the real shift is happening. Neither India nor China is adjusting course. Both are pushing back, not in coordination, but in BRICS bloc, now expanded to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the UAE, is steadily positioning itself as a platform for collective pushback against Western dominance. Official statements from recent BRICS finance meetings have repeatedly criticised 'unilateral' trade measures and championed financial cooperation that bypasses Western systems.'You know, they have BRICS, which is basically a group of countries that are anti-US, and India is a member of that... It's an attack on the dollar, and we're not going to let anybody attack the dollar,' Trump said at the White House last from recent gatherings, including the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025, back this view. These communiqués openly challenge the use of tariffs and non-tariff barriers they see as incompatible with WTO rules. The bloc continues to frame itself as a defender of multilateralism and a rules-based trade order, one not dictated by Washington or its is also making concrete moves to reduce dependence on the US dollar and SWIFT. Initiatives like BRICS Pay and the New Development Bank (NDB), which lends in local currencies, are central to this shift. The July summit also launched a new 'New Investment Platform' (NIP) to deepen financial ties among member and China, despite their bilateral tensions, remain pivotal within the bloc. What they do agree on is resisting Western economic pressure, and Trump may be accelerating that remark that India and Russia can 'take their dead economies down together' wasn't just inflammatory; it underlined how seriously Washington now views the potential for coordinated economic isn't a formal alliance. It's not even a soft partnership. India and China remain rivals, their border remains tense, and their visions for Asia are fundamentally right now, their interests overlap in a meaningful way: both want autonomy. Both want access to cheap oil. Both reject being told what to do, especially by world's two most populous nations are making energy decisions based on national need, not diplomatic pressure.
