Latest news with #ForeignAffairs
Spectator
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Britain shouldn't put up with Donald Trump
History is the march of folly and far too many of my countrymen are hearkening to a drumbeat which would lead us to disaster. On Tuesday several of our newspapers led with variations of the same headline: 'Trump: cut tax to beat Farage.' This is idiotic counsel, given the state of Britain's public finances. I would have thought the way to beat populism was not by emulating its idiocies but by prudent, cautious, sensible management of a nation tired of liars. If Donald Trump teaches us anything, it is how to ruin a great nation. Far more useful than parroting the US President's delusions would be telling the British people more than they are currently permitted to read about his manic conduct of office. The bullying of the Fed chair Jerome Powell, who is trying to maintain the integrity of the currency; the campaign against federal judges seeking to defend the rule of law; the cancellation of Voice of America and public broadcast funding which protect genuinely free speech; the attacks on independent universities who uphold free inquiry; the brutal removal of immigrants to foreign prisons devoid of human rights which tramples over the memory of Ellis Island welcoming the poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free; the demolition of climate change research which weakens America's global leadership; the economic innumeracy of tariffs which shred the US's decades-long tradition of freer trade; the assault on science-based health policies which undermine the country's moral standing; and the indulgence of Israel's persecution of the Gazans which alienates old allies. It is not morning again in America, but the twilight of all that made it great. Faced with this folly, what do our leaders do? We are not Greeks to their Romans, we just offer tribute to the barbarians. It was cringe-making to see Keir Starmer received by Trump as a supplicant, ascending the steps of the President's Scottish palace at Turnberry to be harangued about the shortcomings of Britain from wind turbines to migrant boats. As John of Gaunt said in Richard II, our country 'hath made a shameful conquest of itself'. Back in the days when Boris Johnson was ascendant and Trump in his first term, Professor Sir Michael Howard OM, the wisest man I have ever known, said to me fiercely: 'We must never allow ourselves to suppose that all this is normal. Populism is a perversion of democracy, which will do incalculable harm.' Michael is now nearly six years dead, and Trump's America has become an uglier place than he ever anticipated. Another fine historian, Margaret MacMillan, last week published a lacerating article in Foreign Affairs, cataloguing Trump's insults heaped upon countries around the world. She observes that it is hard to think of a precedent for such wilful destruction of alliances. Here is a man who threatens to seize Greenland, has launched an economic assault on Canada and keeps Ukraine dangling by a thread because of his intermittent infatuation with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He is making America hated by its former friends, and he does not care. But we should. This week's announcement of an EU-US trade deal represents a surrender by Brussels to Trump's bullying, the acceptance of 15 per cent tariffs not because such an outcome represents fair dealing, but for fear of much worse. Trump has far outdone Richard Nixon's 'Madman' gambit against Hanoi. Nixon failed because the North Vietnamese believed him rational. Trump succeeds because many governments, including our own, think him capable of anything if thwarted. And so everywhere we look, those who should be safeguarding our independence make a virtue out of obeisance. The secretary–general of Nato in June sent a message to the US President such as the Emperor Caligula might have thought extravagant in its flattery. This grovel may have preserved the alliance and the precarious arms supply chain to Ukraine for now. But what was once an alliance built on shared values has become a protection racket, and one in which we collude. The King has been persuaded to invite Trump for a state visit that vanishingly few British people welcome. But, like a Sicilian family offering up its daughters, this is supposed to buy us the Don's goodwill. Starmer may feel that is his, reluctant, responsibility. The rest of us, however, have a different duty – to the truth. Trump is the most disreputable US president in history. His arbitrary rule, indifference to legality or morality and institutionalised deceits shame the country of Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan. The nation which was once the arsenal of democracy is in danger of becoming its graveyard. Turnberry should have been the occasion to hold Trump to account for all this, and so much more. But instead it was a festival of fawning. Why was almost nothing said about the financial corruption woven into this presidency? Here was Trump using his public office to advertise the expansion of his property empire. No previous incumbent has sought to enrich himself and his family while in office on the billion-dollar scale of Trump. Anne Applebaum in her book Auto-cracy Inc. observes that once upon a time dictators sought to explain or excuse their personal excesses. Now Trump makes them the purpose of his administration. Those of us who study US history and have met many great American public servants respect the quality and seriousness of purpose that have characterised most. Today such people have been replaced by bunglers whose only virtue is loyalty to their employer. Trump rules by menace and foul-mouthed abuse, reflected in deranged posts on his website Truth Social. It is frightening to behold the number of powerful interests, from media tycoons to banks and law firms, who roll over in his path and write their cheques, in fear of his wrath should they defy him. There may appear to be nothing that we or any other nation can do to control this extraordinary man who is bereft of compassion, decency and dignity. But we can at least keep our own dignity and defend our own democracy by rehearsing to each other what Trump is and does. When others fall into line as Trump marches through the ruins, we can, and should, conscientiously object.
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
FM Abdelatty reaffirms Egypt support for Sudan's sovereignty and unity - Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty reiterated on Wednesday Egypt's continued support for Sudan's sovereignty, national institutions, unity, and territorial integrity, as well as its rejection of any measures that threaten Sudan's unity. During a phone call with his Sudanese counterpart Omar Siddiq, Abdelatty reviewed Egypt's ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in Sudan, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Abdelatty also highlighted Cairo's efforts to preserve the Sudanese people's resources and Egypt's active role in the discussions within the framework of the International Quartet on Sudan. For his part, the Sudanese FM expressed his appreciation for Egypt's continued support of Sudan's sovereignty and security. He also aspired to enhance relations between the two nations. On Monday, the Egyptian National Railways Authority announced that it will operate a designated train to facilitate the return of Sudanese nationals and their families to their homeland. Egypt, a haven for refugees from neighbouring countries fleeing conflicts in recent years, currently accommodates the largest Sudanese refugee population, who have fled their country since the outbreak of intense conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The destructive war has plunged the nation into what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt FM, US envoy discuss Gaza ceasefire push - Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty and US President Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff discussed on Wednesday efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza. During a phone call, both sides also discussed efforts to ensure the unconditioned entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of captives and detainees. They reviewed the joint efforts by the three guarantor parties ( Egypt, the US, and Qatar) to secure a ceasefire in Gaza by intensifying pressure to reach a deal as soon as possible. During the call, Abdelatty shed light on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza caused by the flagrant Israeli violations and starvation policies against the Palestinians in the strip. He also highlighted Egypt's efforts to facilitate the swift resumption of Iranian talks on its nuclear programme, both with the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Egyptian FM's call came during his visit to Washington, DC, following participation in the UN international conference on the two-state solution in New York. The call also comes amid an expected visit by the US envoy to Israel. Since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Egypt has been actively mediating ceasefire efforts to halt the deadly war and end the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in the besieged strip. On Friday, Cairo and Doha said in a joint statement that they are continuing to mediate efforts to halt the war in Gaza, end humanitarian suffering, and facilitate a captive-prisoner exchange. The Egyptian-Qatari confirmation came less than 24 hours after the US and Israel withdrew from indirect Gaza ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
China and America — competitive coexistence
The writer is a retired major general and has an interest in International Relations and Political Sociology. He can be reached at tayyarinam@ and tweets @20_Inam Listen to article Last week while discussing Sino-US rivalry, we concluded the improbability of a war over Taiwan. And although the US leads in many critical sectors, China is rapidly closing the capability gap, as capacity or scale has never been a problem for Beijing. This piece will discuss additional facets of Sino-US competition. The comparison of both countries' national power potential (NPP) becomes confusing, as there are strong arguments on both sides which gravitate to declare either side a winner. In the May-June 2025 issue of Foreign Affairs, Kurt M Campbell and Rush Doshi argue that China has the advantage of 'scale and mass' compared to a 'strategically distracted and politically paralysed US'. They define 'scale' as the ability to use 'size' for generating efficiency and productivity to outcompete rivals. They dispel the notion that 'an aging, slowing, and increasingly nimble China would not overtake an ascendant US in due course of time.' They make the case that on many critical metrics, PRC has already outmatched the US. And even if China falters and slows down, as many pundits believe, it remains formidable technologically, militarily and economically. For China, scale or 'quantity has a quality all its own' as the Soviet leaders used to say about the USSR. To undo the Chinese advantage of scale — the cited writers recommend - Washington should revamp its alliances, shunning the legacy approach of treating allies as 'dependent recipients of protection'; and instead consider its alliance architecture as a collection of 'managed relationships' for pooled and integrated capacity across military, economic and technological domains. They posit that the US must play for 'cohesion and collective leverage' against Beijing, playing for 'time and mass'. The combined economies of America, together with its main anti-China allies including Canada, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and EU are $60 trillion, compared to China's $18 trillion. In the absence of cited alliance, China is destined to win the race for power and hegemony all over the world, except Europe, where the US power is likely to be confined, in the mid to long-term. Despite China's challenges such as demography, dependency ratio (adult workers to children and retirees), labour shortfalls (compensated by AI and robotics in future) and debt, China will continue to play the long game. Using the World Bank methodology, China economically 'surpassed' the US about a decade ago and is 25% larger today. PRC's productive capacity is three times larger than the US; its share of global manufacturing is 30% compared to America's 15% (projected to come down to 11% by 2030); China's cement production is 20 times, steel 13 times, cars 3 times, power generation 2 times larger than the US. China produces almost half of the world's chemicals, three quarters of electric batteries, more than two-thirds of electric vehicles, half of the world's ships, 80% of consumer drones, 90% of solar panels and almost monopolises rare earths' supply chain. China has helped install half of the world's industrial robots (seven times larger than the US) and is way ahead of the US in fourth-generation nuclear technology. So, rise of the Middle Kingdom to Global prominence is only a matter of time. Realising the above inevitability, another analyst, Rana Mitter in the cited magazine, emphasises co-existence with China urging the West Plus to avoid policies that make conflict inescapable. To him, China ardently follows the Qing Dynasty (ruled 1644-1912) slogans of "Rich Country and Strong Army" and "Chinese for Essence and Western for Usage". Under President Xi Jinping, China has continued to pursue a 'harmonious world'; democracy with Chinese characteristics; and material progress without becoming Western. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has made PRC militarily strong and economically secure. It has pursued the 'Confucian Canon Project', stressing the importance of harmony in public life. China's upward trajectory is likely to continue unless it involves itself or is drawn into military conflict. Although, Chinese nationalists would want Beijing to have a more muscular, aggressive and assertive international and regional posturing, shunning the image of a 'hesitant power'. A conflict would scare away China's neighbours especially in Southeast Asia, with whom China has territorial disputes, driving them to anti-China camp more staunchly. Conflict also erodes China's soft power. CCP understands this, hence, believing in peaceful rise, it would avoid conflict over Tiawan, as argued last week. The Party in all pragmatism, would de-prioritise its quest for unification of Taiwan with mainland and continue with military 'posturing' only. China's present and future leadership see value in 'cooperative existence' within an inter-connected and inextricably linked world. Beijing has recently moved to that position by becoming peacemaker in the Middle East like other cooperative actors Türkiye, Qatar, the UAE, etc, even though their internal policies are not reflective of democracy and other trappings of Western-styled governance. China would need to overcome global scepticism about its intentions, as some analysts argue. And sell itself abroad like America does, despite internal discord within the US over various issues. As the world sees more strongmen in positions of power and democracy eroding, China's humanistic values steeped in Confucianism can lead to greater peace and amity under some sort of 'authoritarian welfarism'. Beijing can champion clean and green energy, for example, humanise AI, emerge as a technology hub and a centre of hybrid cultures fusing elements from China and the West, creating a more peaceful Global Order than the one that brought wars, destruction, pain and suffering. A Wess Mitchel partially emphasises the above sentiment by stressing "The Return of Great-Power Diplomacy" as a way forward. Since the US is increasingly becoming militarily incapable to fight forever wars, especially in the future against China and Russia simultaneously, it must return to 'strategic diplomacy' by containing the weaker (Russia) partner through détente and focusing against the stronger (China) and nudge Europe along. He also emphasises building the largest possible coalition against China, starting in Aisa. From the above discussion, one thing is clear. Chinese power is unsettling to the West with strong contenders for containing it or coexisting with it competitively. Drawing Beijing into war may be necessary for Western hawks, and CCP needs to reckon with it.
See - Sada Elbalad
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
FM affirms Egypt's support for Sudan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national institutions
Basant Ahmed Dr. Badr Abdel Aaty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, spoke over phone with Omer Siddiq, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sudan, on Wednesday. The Foreign Minister emphasized the close and historic ties between the two brotherly countries and peoples. In this context, he reviewed Egypt's tireless efforts to achieve peace and stability in Sudan and preserve the resources of the brotherly Sudanese people, including discussions within the framework of the International Quartet on Sudan, in which Egypt is a participant. The Foreign Minister also reiterated Egypt's continued support for Sudan's sovereignty, national institutions, and territorial integrity, and its rejection of any steps that threaten the unity of brotherly Sudan. For his part, the Sudanese Foreign Minister expressed his appreciation for Egypt's continued support for Sudan, its sovereignty, and security, expressing his aspiration to continue advancing bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
