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☆ John Kelly goes on the record to confirm several disturbing stories about Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jake Tapper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —John Kelly, the longest-serving White House chief of staff for Donald Trump, offered his harshest criticism yet of the former president in an exclusive statement to CNN. Kelly set the record straight with on-the-record confirmation of a number of damning stories about statements Trump made behind closed doors attacking US service members and veterans, listing a number of objectionable comments Kelly witnessed Trump make firsthand. “A person that has no idea what America stands for and has no idea what America is all about. Then-candidate Trump of course said in front of a crowd in 2015 that former Vietnam POW Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, was “not a war hero. Milley, in a call authorized by Trump administration officials, reassured his Chinese counterparts that such a strike was not going to happen.

Persons: John Kelly, Donald Trump, Kelly, Trump, ” Kelly, “, ’, autocrats, ”, Jeffrey Goldberg, Vietnam POW Sen, John McCain, weren’t, Goldberg, McCain, George H, Bush, Mark Milley, Belleau Wood, Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, ” Trump, Luis Avila, Bob Woodward, Robert Costa, Milley, Norah O’Donnell, Cassidy Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Griffin, there’s, Mattis, Mark Esper, Bill Barr Organizations: CNN, White House, Trump, Gold Star, Arlington National Cemetery, Vietnam POW, Arizona Republican, Navy, ” CNN, Chiefs, Marines, House, Joint Chiefs, Trump White House, CBS Locations: France, Afghanistan, Iraq, Arizona, Aisne, Paris, Arlington, The, Gen

☆ Opinion: It doesn’t take an Agatha Christie detective to work out something’s up in Xi’s China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. The latest to vanish from view is China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu. But anti-corruption campaigns are an ideal vehicle for political crackdowns, and in the opaque world of China’s regime, with no official explanation, there’s much that doesn’t meet the eye. (Rahm Emanuel, dripping with sarcasm, joked that the unemployment rate among Xi’s ministers might exceed that of China’s young people.) But China, of course, still promotes its system as a superior alternative to western-style democracy; tries to pretend that it’s not a dictatorship.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Li Shangfu, “ I’m, Nobody, Rahm Emanuel, ”, Xi’s, Agatha Christie’s, Li, China’s, Qin Gang, Qin, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Qi, Xi, Mao Zedong, didn’t, Joe Biden, “, Hu Jintao, Hu, chastened, Jack Ma, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, China’s Defense, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Twitter, Qin, Street Journal, PLA’s, Force, United Nations General Assembly, Communist Party Congress Locations: China, Japan, Denmark, Vietnam, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine, Germany

☆ Less ethical US foreign policy requires new logic
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with China are now driving U.S. foreign policy, and ethical considerations have taken a back seat. Even so, groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are concerned. But the United States considers all to have poor records when judged against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While it may make sense for the United States to choose the lesser evil, it is now unclear what role human rights play in American foreign policy. Although he didn’t connect this idea to human rights, that seems to be part of the thinking.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Evan Vucci, Biden, Antony Blinken, ”, Modi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Blinken, It’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Indian, U.S, Bharat, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Amnesty, Human Rights, U.S ., Saudi Crown, Universal, United, United States, Reuters Graphics, Seven, Washington, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, China, Asia, Beijing, Moscow, U.S, Hanoi, United States, Riyadh, Russia, United, East, Europe, Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ US scorns Putin’s possible turn toward North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Russia may be looking to Kim to replenish its ammunition and artillery supplies as the war in Ukraine grinds into another bloody winter. It’s also a big oil supplier, and North Korea and Russia are both living under punishing Western sanctions and restrictions on their access to the global market. As it often has during the Ukraine war, Washington is trumpeting information from its intelligence agencies to foreshadow and discredit Putin’s moves before they happen. While the US is dismissive of the possible Kim-Putin meeting, both leaders have the capacity to make trouble for Washington. Putin’s friendship with the Chinese leader has worried the US, although Beijing may not have offered quite the assistance that the Russian leader might have hoped for – one reason he may be turning to North Korea for military supplies.

Persons: CNN — Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong, Washington’s, Kim, Putin, It’s, Donald Trump’s, Putin’s, Rahm Emanuel, Emanuel, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, Russia’s, Joe Biden, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington, Ukraine grinds, North Korean, White Locations: Korean, Ukraine, China, Korea, Russia, Pyongyang, North Korea, Washington, Japan, Iran, Beijing, Russian, Pacific

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday on what is his third trip to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Blinken’s first stop on Wednesday was at a military cemetery, where he laid a wreath in honor of Ukraine’s fallen soldiers. Blinken said he was again “struck by the extraordinary bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian forces, Ukraine’s leadership.”“We’ve seen good progress in the counteroffensive, which is very heartening. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (left) greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right) in Kyiv on Wednesday. His second trip was in September last year as Ukraine’s first big counteroffensive was underway in the Kharkiv region.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken’s, Ukraine’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken, “, ” “ We’ve, ” Blinken, Brendan Smialowski, Joe Biden, Biden, Defense Lloyd Austin, Kuleba Organizations: CNN, US, Ukrainian Foreign, Ukrainian, Getty, United Nations General Assembly, Ukraine, Kyiv Wednesday, Defense, State Department Locations: Kyiv, Bakhmut, Ukrainian, Ukraine, United States, New York, Russia, Poland, Kharkiv

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv on September 6, 2023. WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday, his fourth trip to the war-weary country since Russia's full-scale invasion last year. During the two-day visit, Blinken met with key Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Blinken's trip comes amid a burst of battlefield gains recently by Ukrainian forces, who are carrying out a counteroffensive in the South and East of the country. In the 72 hours before Blinken arrived, Ukrainian soldiers made "notable progress" in southern Zaporizhzhia, the White House said.

Persons: Dmytro Kuleba, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Denys Shmyhal Organizations: Ukraine's, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WASHINGTON, State Department, Reuters Locations: Kyiv, WASHINGTON — U.S, Ukrainian, South, Zaporizhzhia

☆ Trump is in a league of his own as GOP primary hits fall sprint
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —There are two Republican primaries as an election season that defies conventional metrics and campaign trail traditions crashes into its fall stretch. Trump has already convinced millions of his supporters that he is the current legitimate president after his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election. Many of the candidates in the second tier appear to be running for the nomination of a Republican Party that may not even exist anymore. Given these numbers, why would Trump drop his boycott and attend the second GOP presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan library in California later this month? “We need to narrow it down to find a leader who can get the Republican Party back on the right track and that could get us back to winning elections again,” Hogan said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis –, Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump, Joe Biden, lionizes autocrats, ”, Peter Navarro, he’s, Michael Cohen, Biden, Hunter, Nikki Haley, Trump’s, Mike Pence, DeSantis, “, . South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Ramaswamy, Pence, Haley, Christie, Scott, Ronald Reagan, Chris Sununu, ” Sununu, Larry Hogan, ” Hogan Organizations: CNN, Republican, GOP, Florida Gov, Trump, Labor, Republicans, White, Former South Carolina Gov, Former New Jersey Gov, Arkansas Gov, Republican Party, Trump Republican Party, New, New Hampshire Gov, NBC, ” Former Maryland Gov, CBS Locations: Florida, Washington ,, Georgia, Washington, Fulton County , Georgia, Fulton County, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ukraine, China, . South Carolina, DeSantis, California, Wisconsin, Russia, ”

☆ Gabon coup: How France's neo-colonial empire in its former territories is disintegrating
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

A torn campaign billboard shows ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba in Libreville on August 31, 2023. AFP/Getty ImagesPropping up ‘democratic dictators’Whilst the international community has condemned the coup in Gabon, it has not attracted the same vehement criticism that last month’s coup in Niger did. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said France was watching the coup d’etat in Gabon “with the utmost attention.”It presents a challenge to France. Large crowds supporting the coup gathered Sunday near the French military base in Niamey, with demonstrators displaying signs demanding French troops withdraw. “The systems of government that former French colonies have, which were imposed by Paris are no longer fit for purpose.

Persons: Leon, Charles de Gaulle, Gaulle, Bongo, jubilation, General Brice Oligui Nguema –, Bongo’s, Nourredin Bongo Valentin, ”, Ali Bongo Ondimba, ’, Oluwole, Elisabeth Borne, Chris Ogunmodede, that’s, Paul Biya, Ogunmodede, ” Ogunmodede, …, ” Ojewale, “, Ndongo Samba Sylla, Emmanuel Macron, Macron Organizations: CNN, Military, Gabonese, Agence France, Presse, Gabon, Getty, Institute of Security Studies, autocrats, Central African, CFA, Banque de France, “, Macron Locations: Gabon, France, Gabon’s, Libreville, AFP, Niger, Gabonese, West, Central Africa, Mali, Senegal, Dakar, ”, Niamey, Paris, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Switzerland, Africa, Russia, Commonwealth, Togo, Macron France, Nigeria, “ Africa

Together, experts say, these efforts aim to enhance China’s military reach, which currently includes only one operational overseas naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. “It’s a question of when – not if – China will secure its next overseas military outpost,” he said. This photo taken on August 1, 2017, shows Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti. The Hambantota commercial port in Sri Lanka has long been considered a prime candidate for a Chinese naval base. However, China’s path to developing permanent overseas bases, if indeed that is its aim, is not straightforward.

Persons: FDD, Craig Singleton, “, –, ”, Tea Banh, FDD’s Singleton, Tang Chhin Sothy, Singleton, Xi Jinping, Stringer, ” AidData, Stephen J, Townsend, ” Townsend, Bata, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Ken Ishii, ’, ” Singleton, China’s, Aaron Favila, Isaac Kardon, Kardon, ” Kardon, BlackSky Singleton, Rob Wittman, Fu Tian, Seth Moulton, ” Moulton, Martin Meiners Organizations: South Korea CNN, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Ream, Base, CNN, China’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ream Naval Base, ” Cambodian Defense, Cambodian, Getty, Fleet, Communist Party, US, Liberation Army personnel, William & Mary University, Sri Lankan Navy, US Africa Command, Gabonese, of, Xinhua, Naval Research Academy, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, East China Seas, China, Control, Organization, Force, Strategic, International Studies, Defense Department, Chinese Communist Party, ”, Virginia Republican, The Defense Department, Qingdao Port, People's Liberation Army Navy, China News Service, America, Pentagon, US Defense Department Locations: Seoul, South Korea, China, Beijing, Washington, Cambodia, Argentina, Cuba, Djibouti, of Africa, Africa, West Asia, Gulf, Thailand, United States, Preah Sihanouk, AFP, Horn of Africa, “, South, Taiwan, Virginia, —, Sri Lanka, Bata , Equatorial Guinea, Gwadar, Pakistan, Kribi, Cameroon, Ream, Vanuatu, Nacala, Mozambique, Nouakchott, Mauritania, Colombo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, West Africa, South China, East Asia, East, Asia, Washington In Washington, Nanchang, Qingdao, Shandong province, Massachusetts

☆ Opinion: Putin, Trump, and a remarkable split-screen moment in world history
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sheena Mckenzie | Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She is a weekly opinion contributor to CNN, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post and a columnist for World Politics Review. First, that Prigozhin had openly challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin, and second, that countless others who had defied Putin have met untimely, violent deaths. In different ways, both Putin and Trump are key players in that phenomenon. Neither Trump nor Putin are novices at the art of conjuring major victories by going to war against the truth. Putin launched the full-scale war in Ukraine around the 8th anniversary of his 2014 invasion of Crimea.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Alexander Solzhenitzyn, Robert Mueller’s, indicting Prigozhin, ” Prigozhin, Anna Politkovskaya, Facebook Putin, Boris Nemtsov, Alexei Navalny Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Soviet Union, Kremlin, Internet Research Agency, Ukraine, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Atlanta, Soviet, United States, “, Crimea

☆ Explainer: What do we know about the Gabon military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The opposition had denounced the Aug. 26 vote as fraudulent, which Bongo's campaign denied. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsWHO IS ALI BONGO AND WHY WAS HE OUSTED? If successful, the Gabon coup would end the Bongo family's 56-year grip on power. It remains unclear how long the transition promised by the military would be or what exactly the officers are planning. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad, and most recently in Niger, erasing democratic gains since the 1990s.

Persons: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome, Ali Bongo's, Bongo, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, Ali Bongo, Omar Bongo, Brice Oligui Nguema, Anait, Alessandra Prentice, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Military, Central African, Gabonese, Reuters Graphics Reuters, WHO, ALI, Monde, Thomson Locations: Libreville, Gabon, GABON, autocrats, Morocco, West, Central Africa, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Gabonese

☆ Ali Bongo: who is Gabon leader ousted in military coup?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A still image from video shows Gabon President Ali Bongo being interviewed in Libreville, Gabon, September 24, 2016. Following a stroke, his fitness to rule was questioned, sparking a failed coup in 2019 as he convalesced in Morocco. Before sitting down for a televised interview with Reuters after his 2016 election win, Bongo removed a large silver watch and several gold rings. When Bongo won a 2016 election, accusations of vote meddling stoked public anger amid a period of low crude prices and belt-tightening. In 2019, a military coup was foiled, with the coup plotters citing a lack of information following Bongo's stroke in 2018.

Persons: Ali Bongo, Bongo, Michael Jackson, Omar, Junior, Alain Bernard Bongo, Ali, Keen, Britain's Prince Charles, Alessandra Prentice, Edward McAllister, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Omar's, WikiLeaks, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, autocrats, Morocco, French, Congo Republic, France, U.S

☆ Opinion | Elections Are Bad for Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Adam Grant | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a study of elections worldwide, candidates who were rated by experts as having high psychopathy scores actually did better at the ballot box. In the United States, presidents assessed as having psychopathic and narcissistic tendencies were more persuasive with the public than their peers. A common explanation is that they’re masters of fearless dominance and superficial charm, and we mistake their confidence for competence. Sadly, it starts early: Even kids who display narcissistic personality traits get more leadership nominations and claim to be better leaders. Eliminate voting, and candidates with dark triad traits would be less likely than they are now to rise to the top.

Persons: Putin, there’s, Lincoln, They’re Locations: United States

Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking. Russian President Vladimir Putin has always maintained that Moscow’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is an effort to liberate the country from a “Nazi regime” and Western influence. No critical thinking allowedMany countries introduce school children to patriotic ideas and civic values. According to independent human rights monitor OVD-Info, there have been almost 20,000 people detained for protesting against the war in Russia. This complete crackdown on freedom of speech means there isn’t a force in Russia that can counteract school propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergey Kravtsov, ” Kravtsov, Katerina Tertytchnaya, “ There’s, ”, Putin, Yuri Kadobnov, Sergey Lavrov, Kirill, ” Ian Garner, ” Tertytchnaya, ” Garner, Garner Organizations: CNN, country’s Ministry of Education, Nazi, Russian, Russian Federation, RIA Novosti, University College London, Ministry of Education, Schools, Getty, Kremlin, University of Chicago’s, Political, Students Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, AFP, Russian, France, Russians, China

☆ Rising Money Flows, Fueled by Record Migration, Prop Up Autocrats
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Ryan Dubé | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/record-amounts-of-money-sent-back-home-end-upaiding-autocratic-regimes-5bd9cdd9

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Dark and sinister rhetoric drenches right-wing media amid Trump indictments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Millions of Americans are immersed in a twisted world where language used to describe autocrats is being applied to America’s democratic institutions. The draconian rhetoric, once reserved for the likes of tyrants and dictators, has become commonplace in right-wing media when referring to President Joe Biden and the elected government he leads. It’s all part of a larger trend that has dramatically disfigured the conservative media since Trump ascended to power. Arguably, the rhetoric saturating mainstream right-wing media today is more extreme than the hyperbole used in the weeks leading up to the insurrection at the US Capitol. In those weeks, just like now, right-wing media forces set the stage and gathered the tinder for Trump — who was happy to light a match to the gasoline-soaked kindling gathered before him on January 6.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s, Biden, ”, —, Charlie Kirk, Trump, ” Charlie Sykes, “, aren’t, ” Sykes, leaners, America’s Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Biden, Gestapo, Department of Justice, Department of Injustice, Trump, Democratic, MAGA Media, gestapo, Republican, Trump — Locations: America, American

☆ Putin’s ruthless power play may not preclude a revival of Ukraine grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Guterres said that he’d sent Russia proposals to keep the grain deal alive but that he was “deeply disappointed” that his efforts went unheeded. The UN chief’s comments reinforced a view that, for now, Russia sees a point of leverage in refusing to renew the Black Sea grain deal. Erdogan won prestige and the gratitude of his fellow NATO leaders and developing nations for brokering the original grain deal. So it may risk damaging its own priorities by triggering widespread food shortages, especially since much of Ukraine’s grain is used in World Food Programs to alleviate famine in Africa. While the end of the grain deal would cause significant global hardship, its worst effects may be weeks away – so there could be time for diplomacy to work.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Antony Blinken, it’s, ”, There’s, Dmitry Peskov, General António Guterres, Guterres, he’d, “, autocrats — Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, cannily, He’d, Michael Kimmage, ” Kimmage, Kimmage, “ That’s, ” John Kirby, Nicolay Gorbachov, Isa Soares Organizations: CNN, United Nations, NATO, Kremlin, UN, Putin, State Department, Catholic University of America, National Security Council, Ukrainian Grain Association, CNN International Locations: Ukraine, Africa, United States, Crimean, Russian, Turkey, Russia, West, Eurasia, Moscow, Turkish, Europe, Washington

☆ What Makes Putin and the World’s Autocrats So Resilient?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( David Luhnow | Juan Forero | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-makes-putin-and-the-worlds-autocrats-so-resilient-b89c19de

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: putin

☆ Putin expected to meet Xi and Modi at SCO Summit following Wagner insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —All eyes will be on Vladimir Putin this week, with the Russian president expected to make his first appearance on the world stage since the Wagner insurrection threatened his steel grip on power. In the brief, chaotic insurrection, Wagner – a private mercenary group led by warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin – took control of key military facilities in two Russian cities. Participants of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders' summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16, 2022. By contrast, Putin managed to end the Wagner insurrection before it reached the capital, without bloodshed. Modi made headlines at last year’s in-person SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, when he told Putin that now is not the time for war, appearing to directly rebuff the invasion.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Wagner –, Yevgeny Prigozhin –, Prigozhin, Xi, India’s Narendra Modi –, –, they’re, ”, Derek Grossman, Grossman, ” Grossman, Murat Kula, “, Yasuhiro Matsuda, Matsuda, ” Matsuda, “ Xi Jinping, Alexander Korolev, That’s, won’t, Korolev, India’s Modi, Modi, Joe Biden, RAND’s Grossman, India’s Organizations: CNN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, Kremlin, RAND Corporation, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Russia, NATO, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Tokyo, “ Russia, China –, Kazakhstan, University of New Locations: Russian, Beijing, Moscow, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, US, Russia, China, Samarkand, Central Asia, Iran, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, University of New South Wales, Australia, India, Washington, Indian, Goa, Delhi

☆ Xi faces being humiliated by his 'no limits' friendship with Putin. But he can't back out of it now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's Xi Jinping has formed close ties with Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia. But the Wagner rebellion exposed that Putin's authority is shakier than Xi realised, an analyst told Insider. If Russia loses against Ukraine, Xi would face global humiliation. If there are further signs Putin's grip on power is weakening, and chaos could engulf Russia, Xi faces a tough choice. "It's unlikely that Xi will go out of his way to support Putin's regime if that entails significant risks to China itself.

Persons: China's, Jinping, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Wagner, Xi, —, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Graeme Thompson, Moscow —, Thompson, Jonathan Ward, Ward Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Ukraine, Eurasia Group, Reuters, Atlas Group, Russia, West, Beijing Locations: Russia, Ukraine, China, Moscow, Taiwan, Beijing

☆ Obama warns democratic institutions are ‘creaky’ but Trump’s indictment is proof rule of law still exists in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

He told CNN Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour that the federal indictment of his successor Donald Trump is evidence the rule of law still reigns – for now – in the United States. “Our existing democratic institutions are creaky, and we’re going to have to reform them.”The full interview with Obama airs at 10 p.m. In 2016, shortly after Trump had been elected his successor, Obama hailed the enduring power of American democracy from the ancient birthplace of the system. While in Greece, Obama also met with participants from the Obama Foundation Leaders program. Obama said in the interview that no democracy could thrive with high levels of social or economic inequality.

Persons: Barack Obama, “ Obama, Christiane Amanpour, Donald Trump, Obama, ” Obama, Amanpour, ”, Trump, Athena, “, Narendra Modi, Modi, Xi, Biden, He’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Republican Party, Trump, Capitol, Indian, White, Obama Locations: United States, Athens, Greece, American, California, India, Africa, Asia, Europe

☆ A luxury project in Oman, which includes a Trump hotel and golf course, is being built by migrants earning as little as $340 a month
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Migrant workers in Oman are constructing a new luxury "city" that includes a Trump-branded hotel. They are laboring in extreme heat for as little as $340 a month, The New York Times reported. Critics of the project note that Oman is not regarded as a safe and welcoming environment for foreign labor. "Migrant workers are often not paid their full wages, forced to work excessively long hours, and denied adequate food and living conditions," according to a 2021 report from Human Rights Watch. Over a thousand migrant workers, many hailing from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, work 10-hour shifts before retiring to trailers that line the under-construction city.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, of Oman —, Donald Trump, Trump's, Jared Kushner, Virginia Canter Organizations: Trump, New York Times, watchdogs, Service, Trump Organization, —, White, Getty, Human Rights Watch, Workers Locations: Oman, Saudi, of Oman, Washington, Muscat, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

☆ Strongmen are riskier the more they stay in power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The longer authoritarian leaders stay in power, the greater the risk they will make decisions that damage their economies. For example, the Turkish stock market rose nine-fold in dollar terms during Erdogan’s first decade in charge. Similarly, the Russian stock market rose five-fold in dollar terms during Putin's first 14 years in the Kremlin. Xi’s zero-Covid policy meant the Chinese economy had a bad year in 2022 when the rest of the world was rebounding. In the last nine years, the stock market has lost nearly 20% of its value in dollar terms.

☆ Analysis: Why Erdogan's fate matters to Biden and the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Erdogan’s fate will have major implications not just for his country’s democracy, which he has worked to weaken, but for US foreign policy too. “Our people should be confident that we will definitely win, and we will bring democracy to this country,” he said. Biden’s entire presidency has unfolded in the shadow of autocrats, assaults on democracy and aspiring strongman leaders – abroad, and most remarkably at home. Biden confronts a threat from democracy at homeBut none of those leaders pose an existential threat to US democracy. Ahead of the election, Kilicdaroglu was talking in very similar terms about the need to preserve democracy as Biden does in the US.

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was detained by Russian authorities in March on charges of espionage. He is one of hundreds of journalists currently in custody around the world. Since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the killings of 14 journalists and media workers have been confirmed there, the committee said. But “we cannot withdraw from reporting about the world,” Mr. Latour said. In total, the event was likely to present a story of “a worldwide assault on journalists, their work and the public’s right to know,” Mr. Sulzberger said.

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