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☆ Documents Reflect Persistent, if Unfounded, Speculation on Putin’s Health
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now, a document among the trove of leaked classified materials offers the latest example of the fascination with Mr. Putin’s health. It describes a conversation between two Ukrainian officials about what one claimed was a conspiracy among Mr. Putin’s internal opponents to challenge his rule at a moment when he was said to be undergoing chemotherapy. No evidence has emerged to substantiate the claim, or many earlier ones, and the leaked document gives no indication that the United States finds it credible. dismissed speculation about Mr. Putin’s health, and many Russia experts find no reason to doubt him. Analysts called the public discussion of Mr. Putin’s well-being unsurprising.

☆ Trump accuses France's Macron of pandering to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump accused Emmanuel Macron of pandering to China leader Xi Jinping during the French president's recent closely watched visit to Beijing. "You got this crazy world is blowing up and the United States has absolutely no say. And Macron, who's a friend of mine, is over with China kissing his ass," Trump said in an interview with Fox News late on Tuesday. As president, Trump upended some tenets of America’s post-World War Two foreign policy by questioning the NATO alliance, alienating European partners and indulging autocrats. Trump himself was accused of pandering to world leaders, autocrats in particular, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong-Un.

☆ Factbox: In Middle East, once improbable ententes set new tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some U.S. allies had concluded their interests are not best served by a highly polarised Middle East, he added. The agreement between leading Sunni Arab power Saudi Arabia and the Shi'ite Islamist government in Tehran could defuse tensions and conflicts such as the Yemen war. Saudi Arabia has turned to China at a time of strain in its historic alliance with the United States. Saudi Arabia took the lead in rebuilding ties in 2021, declaring an end to the boycott of Qatar. Sources say Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen embassies.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington called self-ruled Taiwan "an inalienable part of China" and said the one-China principle was an "overwhelming trend" internationally. When Taiwan temporarily averted a split with Honduras after President Xiomara Castro took office in January 2022, U.S. State Department officials remained wary. The Biden administration is also keeping a close eye on tiny Belize for any cracks in its Taiwan relationship. Two U.S. officials said Washington was putting less stock in Taiwan maintaining its diplomatic allies in favor of efforts to increase its participation in international organizations. While denied a seat in the United Nations, Taiwan is a member of the WTO and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

WARSAW, Feb 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will meet leaders of NATO's eastern flank on Wednesday to show support for their security after Moscow suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty. Hours earlier, Putin delivered lengthy remarks laden with criticism of the Western powers, blaming them for the war in Ukraine. At the meeting, Biden plans to reaffirm commitments over their security and discuss support for Ukraine before he returns to Washington. "Lithuania and other like-minded countries have several requests, which concern air defence, forward defence presence, air defence systems, and greater investments in the defence industry," Asta Skaisgiryte said. The former Soviet republic on Russia's doorstep joined NATO in 2004 and plans to host Biden in July for the security alliance's leaders' summit.

Biden said the West was never plotting to attack Russia and the invasion was Putin's choice. "It is a big mistake," Biden said of Putin's decision before his session with eastern European allies known as the Bucharest Nine. We will defend literally every inch of NATO, every inch of NATO," he said. The Kremlin says it regards NATO, which could soon expand to include Sweden and Finland, as an existential threat to Russia. It said the leaders looked forward to further strengthening unity and collective defense at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

☆ Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, is in hospice care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Former President Jimmy Carter speaks to the congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church before teaching Sunday school in his hometown of Plains, Georgia on April 28, 2019. Former President Jimmy Carter, who at 98 years old is the longest-lived American president, has entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, a statement from The Carter Center confirmed Saturday. Jason Carter, the couple's grandson who now chairs The Carter Center governing board, said Saturday in a tweet that he "saw both of my grandparents yesterday. That's a staggering drop from when The Carter Center began leading the global eradication effort in 1986, when the parasitic disease infected 3.5 million people. I would not deserve to be your president," Carter said often as he campaigned.

☆ Opinion | Can Nikki Haley Surprise the G.O.P. Field? Our Columnists Weigh In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( New York Times Opinion | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Gray Not so long ago, the Republican National Committee was predicting continued electoral doom unless the party expanded beyond its mostly white base. Did Trump stamp out the ambitions of her generation for good, putting an end to the dream of a friendlier, more moderate Republican Party? Madrid Over 70 percent of Republican primary voters are white, so her candidacy will test the viability of a nonwhite candidate. Haley is too representative of the party elite’s desires to be seen as a plausible tribune of the working class. She is selling the idea that she is somehow both distinct enough to separate herself from the former president she continues to support and similar enough to win the nomination with this Republican Party.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Biden’s Ukraine speech was digitally altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An edited video of U.S. President Joe Biden making a speech alongside Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy is being shared online. An example with more than 181,000 likes at the time of publishing can be seen (here). They’ve stood alone, you know, and you’ve have but you haven’t stood alone.”The video, however, has been edited. The original video shared by the White House on its YouTube channel can be seen (here) and an official White House transcript can be seen (here). The video has been altered to compile instances where U.S. President Joe Biden stuttered or stumbled during a speech.

☆ Inflation fears fade as geopolitical risks rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Inflation fears roiled the markets in 2022. Now, investors may have scarier things to worry about in 2023, according to a report from global research and consulting firm Eurasia Group. “Inflation shockwaves” still feature as one of Eurasia’s top political risks for 2023 in a new report. But FTX and Alameda were each forced to file for bankruptcy in December after investors rushed to pull deposits. Just a year ago, Apple was the first company in the world to reach a $3 trillion market valuation.

☆ Polycrisis may lead to polycentric world order
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Another scenario is possible: a “polycentric order” with multiple centres of authority, where the United States is the leading power but not the hegemonic one. Indeed, the outlines of such an order may already be emerging out of the conflagration of economic, political and other shocks often labelled the polycrisis. A polycentric order would be different from what is often called a “multipolar” system - a dog-eats-dog world where big powers have a licence to dominate their neighbours. The United States is not nearly as powerful as it was. President Joe Biden realises the United States needs allies, says Peter Engelke of the Atlantic Council think tank.

☆ Morocco vs. France World Cup 2022 game highlights globalization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tony Karon | Tony Karon Is The Editorial Lead Of Al Jazeera'S Aj | Channel. Also An Associate Professor At The New School In New York | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The iconic image of the 2022 World Cup may well be Morocco’s Sofiane Boufal dancing with his mum after his team’s brilliant upset victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals. Boufal and his mother — like the majority of Morocco’s players and coaches — live in European cities, part of that continent’s vast marginalized and embattled migrant underclass. Morocco’s prowess as the first African team to make the semifinals of the World Cup brings us ever closer to fulfilling soccer icon Pelé’s prophecy. Indeed, this was the first World Cup in which all five African teams were coached by African coaches, rather than by European journeymen. The team's strategy suggests its coach has rewritten the playbook that long recommended African teams play pessimistic defensive football, hoping for a lucky break.

☆ It's no great surprise that the European Parliament has a corruption problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Belgian police said late last week that they had carried out raids and arrested four people in connection with an ongoing corruption probe into alleged payments and gifts from Qatar to members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and their staff. Kaili did not appear at a scheduled hearing on Wednesday, and was remanded in custody until she appears before a court on December 22, Belgium’s federal prosecutor’s office said Wednesday. Federal prosecutors confirmed a “large-scale investigation” was conducted into the alleged criminal activity, corruption, and money laundering activities within the European Parliament on Wednesday. Kaili, who has spoken in defense of Qatar in the European Parliament, traveled to Qatar shortly before the start of the soccer World Cup. While this scandal has rocked Brussels, the allegations have come as no great surprise to those who know the European institutions, especially the Parliament.

☆ Democracy remains vulnerable despite a good year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Aristotle said there are three good forms of government – monarchy, aristocracy and constitutional democracy – in which the rulers act for the common benefit. Rich democracies face two main threats: an external one from autocracies, such as China; and an internal one from demagogues. Both autocrats such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and demagogues such as former U.S. President Donald Trump have had a bad year. The world economy faces a tough decade. Until democrats provide some answer to this, they will be vulnerable to new waves of autocracy and demagogy.

☆ Op-ed: Authoritarian rulers suffered new setbacks in 2022. Here's what the democratic world needs to do to seize the momentum
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Frederick Kempe | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

This year has been a tough one for the world's worst authoritarians: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Presidents Putin and Xi in early February 2022, just ahead of the Beijing Olympics, entered a "no limits" strategic partnership. Beyond that, President Putin has set back the Russian economy by more than a decade, and sanctions are only beginning to bite. Namely, the Chinese people accept restricted freedoms and fealty to the party so long as the party provides economic rewards and social security. A series of policy mistakes have slowed Chinese growth to just 3% in 2022, yet President Xi continues to prioritize party control over economic freedoms.

☆ Trolls, propaganda & fear stoke Bukele's media machine in El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

In examining Bukele’s media operation, Reuters interviewed more than 70 people, including former media operatives and social media researchers. It showed Bukele with an 86% approval rating in El Salvador, making him the most popular leader in the region. “The threat in El Salvador used to be from the gangs, now it's from the state,” said Angelica Carcamo, the organization's president. “I found a lot more manipulation in El Salvador than in Mexico,” Escorcia said. A native of Guatemala, Torres has been critical of the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for creating conditions that spur migration.

☆ China-Canada clash between Xi and Trudeau reminds autocrats what the free world is like
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Brett Bruen | Brett Bruen Was The Director Of Global Engagement In The Obama White House | A Career American Diplomat. He Currently Runs Crisis Communications Agency The Global Situation Room | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Then there were the reported leaks about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau taking China’s President Xi Jinping to task for alleged malicious meddling in his country’s elections. What these leaders most detest, as evidenced by Xi’s videotaped temper tantrum with Trudeau, is transparency. Leaders like Xi and Putin are starting to realize their limits, along with the liabilities that come with surrounding themselves with sycophants. What these leaders most detest, as evidenced by Xi’s videotaped temper tantrum with Trudeau, is transparency. Obama held three times as many joint press conferences with world leaders at this point in his presidency.

☆ U.S. says Russia's war in Ukraine offers preview to potential global tyranny
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said failure to help Ukraine secure its own future could lead to a "world of tyranny and turmoil," in a speech on Saturday that sought to lay out the stakes in the war for the international community. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a news briefing after participating a virtual Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Tom BrennerAustin's remarks, delivered at a security forum in Canada, were some of his most powerful to date on Russia's nearly nine-month-old invasion. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own. And that could drive a dangerous spiral of nuclear proliferation," Austin said.

☆ U.S. says Russia's Ukraine invasion offered preview to potential global tyranny
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Phil Stewart | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 19 (Reuters) - Russia's invasion of Ukraine has offered a preview of "a possible world of tyranny and turmoil," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday in a speech to a security forum in Canada. Moscow hopes to exhaust Ukraine's missile defenses, and buy time to reset its forces, Pentagon officials say. The United States and its allies have helped provide arms, intelligence and training to Ukrainian forces, while stopping short of directly intervening in a war against nuclear-armed Russia. And they could well conclude that getting nuclear weapons would give them a hunting license of their own," Austin said. Austin said the United States was drawing on the lessons of Ukraine to "bolster the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners."

Christopher Gregory/Getty ImagesDonald McGahn, Trump campaign counsel: I was at the top. Trump's 2016 campaign aides said they paid about 50 people, including part-time actors, to appear as supporters for his 2016 campaign announcement. Corey Lewandowski, Trump campaign managerCorey Lewandowski: I called my wife just as we were getting onto the plane. Stuff that would be from Mars on any other campaign was perfectly normal for the Trump campaign. Mark J. Terrill/AP photo Show less Trump at the Republican National Convention while Cruz speaks on July 20, 2016.

☆ The shafts of light in a dark, dark world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Ukraine conflict has made inflation and debt even worse. The conflict in Ukraine and the early stages of a cold war with China mean it’s hard to get global consensus on anything. The G20, whose members include China, India and Russia, played a big role tackling the 2008 global financial crisis. Meanwhile, the war has strengthened the alliance between America, Europe and like-minded countries across the world. But there is increasing pressure on the World Bank and other multilateral development banks to perform part of this task.

☆ Russia's attack on Ukraine shows that the US and Europe have to relearn how to fight an industrial war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Alexander Clarkson | World Politics Review | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The military effort to support Ukraine shows how US and European defense priorities have been distorted. The war is a reminder that the US and Europe must fundamentally reassess how they prepare for war. The military responses Western states formulated toward these perceived threats were shaped by wider neoliberal policy approaches shaped by the impact of globalization. This greater reliance on private-sector actors to develop and administer key military functions also reflected a period of tightening defense budgets. An airman secures a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition on an aircraft at Barksdale Air Force Base in August 2014.

☆ Germany and the US aren't going to deter Putin with a few sanctions and frozen bank accounts. It's going to take a strong, democratic alliance to stop the war in Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-25 | by ( Mathias Döpfner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Germany must abandon its pacifist foreign policy and stand up against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Germany needs to form tighter ties with the US, stop using Russian gas, and confront Vladimir Putin. Stirred by the nuclear-power-plant disaster in Fukushima, Germany made an epochal blunder and created an unnecessary dependence on Russian energy and Russian policy. Time for a new German foreign policyNow Putin has started the long-feared war with Ukraine. The people of Ukraine need our solidarity, and words will not be enough.

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