As a further sign of the growing cooperation between China and countries in the Middle East, top stock-market operators in China and Saudi Arabia are reportedly negotiating about the possibility to offer a cross-listing of their respective Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). That would allow investors in Saudi Arabia and China to trade stocks or bonds on their countries’ stock exchanges.
Read the full story on Middle East Eye:
China has helped Iran and Saudi Arabia resume diplomatic ties after seven years. Andrew Parasiliti wrote about the significance of this deal on Al-Monitor (1):
“It’s hard to overstate the impact of resumed diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia — and that it was China that made it happen.
China has until now had a business- and energy-first approach to the Middle East, preferring to abstain from the diplomatic and security charge held, mostly unchallenged, by the United States.
Not anymore.
A Saudi-Iran rapprochement is one for the diplomatic A team. It’s a major step to de-escalate the most critical fault line between the Gulf’s largest and most powerful countries.”
Marwan Bishara wrote about the deal on Al Jazeera (2):
“…I believe it is in everybody’s best interest if the protagonists try a hands-off approach to regional affairs, especially as their regional overreach allowed foreign powers to exploit and aggravate their conflict.
Indeed, Riyadh and Tehran must now take a common, firm stand on foreign interference, especially Western support for Israel’s colonialism and apartheid – predictably the only country to openly oppose the new Gulf détente, which it is, no doubt, determined to sabotage.
They must also reject all attempts by global powers to intervene directly or through proxies in the Middle East. That includes China.
Beijing, which mediated between Riyadh and Tehran and hosted the final celebratory handshake, has emerged as the biggest winner of the new deal. It will gain greater credibility and prestige as a responsible global player, having helped resolve a complicated conflict in a tough region considered part of the US area of influence.”
Here are some other positive reactions to this deal (3):
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric:
“Good neighbourly relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are essential for the stability of the Gulf region.
The Secretary-General reiterates his readiness to use his good offices to further advance regional dialogue to ensure durable peace and security in the Gulf region.”
Badr Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of Oman:
“This is a win-win for everyone and will benefit regional and global security. We hope, in the longer term, there’s also potential for increasing economic benefits for all.”
Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to United Arab Emirates President:
“We welcome the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume diplomatic relations, and we hail the Chinese role in this regard.
The UAE believes in the importance of positive communication and dialogue among the countries of the region towards consolidating the concepts of good neighbourliness and starting from a common ground to build a more stable future for all.”
In the USA, the reactions have been mixed (3, 4, 5):
White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby:
“Generally speaking, we welcome any efforts to help end the war in Yemen and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East region. De-escalation and diplomacy together with deterrence are key pillars of the policy President Biden outlined during his visit to the region last year.
The Saudis did keep us informed about these talks that they were having, just as we keep them informed on our engagements, but we weren’t directly involved.”
Former national security adviser John Bolton:
“We’re sitting still, and the Chinese, the Russians, Iran, North Korea, and several others, are moving to shore up their relations and threaten us in a lot of different places.”
“It’s an indication that the Saudis and others are trying to hedge their bets with China and Russia, because they don’t think the United States has the resolve and the fortitude necessary to do what they need to do to protect the world against Iran and its intentions.“
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Political Scientist at Rice University’s Baker Institute in the United States:
“Further regional instability is not in Saudi or Iranian interest at the moment.”
“And for the Chinese to have addressed this at a time when the US stance toward Iran is becoming more hawkish sends a powerful signal in itself.”
Ahmed Aboudouh, a nonresident fellow with the Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council:
“For Saudi Arabia and Iran, China’s ostensible commitment to the ‘non-interference’ principle and its ‘non-alignment’ regional policy attached great credibility to its position as a broker. To be clear, both countries seem united in their grievances towards the Biden administration, albeit at different levels. Nonetheless, despite Iraq’s hosting the talks for the most part, China’s desire to take the lead has met Riyadh and Tehran’s willingness to hand it a diplomatic win – a stark indication of China’s growing influence over the two biggest powers in the Gulf.
It remains to be seen whether the Chinese mediation will hold in the future and, indeed, cover other regional conflicts. Nevertheless, China has just left the United States with a bleeding nose in the Gulf.”
In Israel, the blame game started quickly. A senior official who was part of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s entourage during his visit to Italy blamed the weakness of previous Israeli government and Biden administration for the situation. He said, “There was a feeling of American and Israeli weakness, so Saudi Arabia turned to other channels.” The official falsely claimed that the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran began during previous Israeli government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, even though the talks actually started already during Netanyahu’s previous government. Bennett and Lapid blamed Netanyahu for the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran. They argued that it was “the result of diplomatic neglect, general weakness and internal conflict in the country since the current government was established on December 29”. (6)
References:
1) “China leaps into Saudi-Iran diplomacy as nuclear talks move” Al-Monitor 10.3.2023
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/03/china-leaps-saudi-iran-diplomacy-nuclear-talks-move
2) “The Saudi-Iran détente and its regional implications” Al Jazeera 12.3.2023
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/3/12/the-saudi-iran-detente-and-its-regional
3) “Reaction to Iran and Saudi Arabia resuming ties – Quotes” Middle East Monitor 10.3.2023
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230310-reaction-to-iran-and-saudi-arabia-resuming-ties-quotes/
4) “Bolton warns US against ‘sitting still’ as China and Russia grow closer” The Hill 12.3.2023
5) “Experts react: Iran and Saudi Arabia just agreed to restore relations, with help from China. Here’s what that means for the Middle East and the world” Atlantic Council 10.3.2023
6) “Top official blames weakness of Biden, Bennett-Lapid government for Saudi-Iran deal” The Times of Israel 10.3.2023
The situation in USA and Israel, and now also in Britain, is quite extraordinary. USA and Britain have been seen as strong, some might say leading democracies, but the recent developments are worrying. As the right-wing parties in all these three countries have been veering more and more to the right, there are signs that the traditional parliamentary democracy and the rule of law are not respected, anymore. Trump has campaigned right from the beginning against the traditional American political system and “elite.” Nigel Farage, friend of Trump, regular guest on Fox News and leader of the far-right Brexit party, has repeatedly talked about the need for a “revolution.” (1, 2, 3) In the election manifesto of the British Conservative Party there is a mention:
“After Brexit we also need to look at the broader aspects of our constitution: the relationship between the Government, Parliament and the courts; the functioning of the Royal Prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice for ordinary people.” (4, page 48)
Many political decisions seem to favor industrialists and other super-rich, for example tax cuts introduced by President Trump, his climate change denial and changes to environmental legislation (5, 6, 7, 8). In Britain, the Conservative party is now dependent on ultra-rich pro-Brexit donors (9). Xenophobia, racism and all kinds of hate crimes have increased significantly (10, 11). Where is this all leading to? Is there a possibility that we will see emergence of a new political regime, or “empire”, that is some sort of combination of laissez-faire capitalism and fascism ? A far-right plutocracy?
The first casualty has probably been the truth. The right-wing populist leaders in these countries – and elsewhere – are a new breed, not only do they make false claims and promises but they also do it without shame. Alastair Campbell, who worked as director of communications for Tony Blair, said that President Trump, Prime Minister Johnson and others like them have shown that we have moved from post-truth to post-shame (12). Also, the current political leaders of all these three countries – President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Johnson – are facing possible trial because of their dubious activities (13, 14, 15).
Here are more of my novice observations of the situation in each of the three countries. First, USA. One of the key slogans Donald Trump used during his first presidential campaign was, “Drain the swamp!” Trump promised to clean Washington from old political elite and make the American government “honest once again” (1). However, President Trump has surrounded himself with far-right figures and politicians with connections to anti-Muslim and other hate groups (16, 17, 18, 19). He has also hired super-rich and corporate lobbyists, he even has rewarded some of his billionaire supporters by giving them role as ambassadors – in Gordon Sondland’s case, that didn’t turn out to be such a wise decision, as we have seen during the impeachment hearings. Trump claimed that the impeachment inquiry is “an attempted coup” (20, 21, 22, 23, 24). Another Trump’s slogan has been, “America first” (25). During Trump’s presidency, USA has decided to leave international organizations and agreements, for example UNESCO, Palestinian aid organization UNRWA and the Paris climate agreement (26, 27, 28). Furthermore, Trump has now attacked World Trade Organization WTO and forced it’s top court to shut down (29, 30, 31). Trump also criticized World Bank for loaning money to China (32). During his interview last summer, Trump said that the EU is a competitor and therefore “a foe” just like Russia and China (33). Trump is arguably the most pro-Israel president USA has ever had. During Israeli American Council national summit last week, Trump declared that he is Israel’s best friend in the White House (34). Trump has made several political decisions that were favorable to Israel, including the decision to leave UNICEF and UNRWA. Trump has also recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and he transferred US Embassy there. Trump also said that the occupied Golan Heights belong to Israel (35, 36). Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed that he talked about American-Israeli mutual defense pact and annexation of Jordan Valley with Secretary of State Pompeo during their recent meeting in Lisbon, Portugal – curiously enough, USA denied this (37).
Benjamin Netanyahu has become the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel. He has cooperated with right-wing populists and far right in Israel and elsewhere – in Europe, Brazil and with Trump. (38, 39, 40) Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Netanyahu used “Machiavellian” tactics in order to “play” Trump (41). Netanyahu’s political campaigns have also caused controversy. Facebook suspended Netanyahu’s campaign page briefly in September because of an inflammatory message regarding Arabs (42). Netanyahu has vowed to annex the Jordan Valley and rest of the West Bank, if he will be able to continue as prime minister. However, the recent elections in Israel have been a very tight race and Netanyahu hasn’t been able to form a government (37). After Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced criminal charges against him, last month, Netanyahu accused the judiciary, the police and others of attempted “coup.” During protests, Netanyahu’s supporters called him “the king of Israel.” (43, 44)
In a way, the dramatic and worrying developments in the American-Israeli alliance can be seen particularly well in Britain, where Boris Johnson’s carefully choreographed rise to power, his controversial decision to prorogue the parliament and his aggressive populistic rhetoric have started a new era in British politics. (45, 46, 47) Some of the key traits of Boris Johnson are his casual, populistic hatemongering and his complete untrustworthiness. Johnson has become infamous for his offensive and inflammatory comments about women, EU, EU citizens, ethnic minorities, Muslims and many others (48, 49, 50, 51). However, he has said in interviews that he is strongly pro-Israel and “passionate Zionist” (52). Lord Cooper, who worked for former PM David Cameron, described Johnson like this (53):
“The rottenness of Boris Johnson goes deeper even than his casual racism and his equally casual courting of fascism. He will advocate literally anything to play to the crowd of the moment. His career is a saga of moral emptiness and lies; pathetic, weak and needy; the opposite of strong.”
Peter Oborne and a group of other journalists have started a facts check website regarding Johnson’s lies. Oborne wrote yesterday that Johnson’s Conservatives are “a revolutionary sect” (54, 55). Alexandra Hall Hall, lead envoy for Brexit in the British Embassy in USA, resigned last week. In her letter of resignation she wrote (56):
“I have been increasingly dismayed by the way in which our political leaders have tried to deliver Brexit, with reluctance to address honestly, even with our own citizens, the challenges and trade-offs which Brexit involves; the use of misleading or disingenuous arguments about the implications of the various options before us; and some behaviour towards our institutions, which, were it happening in another country, we would almost certainly as diplomats have received instructions to register our concern”.
“It makes our job to promote democracy and the rule of law that much harder, if we are not seen to be upholding these core values at home.”
“I am also at a stage in life where I would prefer to do something more rewarding with my time, than peddle half-truths on behalf of a government I do not trust.”
Also Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland and key ally of the Conservative Party, said on Monday that Johnson had betrayed their trust (57).
President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Prime Minister Johnson will have to fight for their political survival in the coming days. Johnson will be the first one to face the test during the general election today. Just like during the Conservative leadership race in the summer, Johnson has tried to avoid too much scrunity by refusing to take part to some televised debates and interviews (58, 59). Johnson, Trump and Netanyahu also seem to have wanted to avoid each other. Johnson and Trump were not planning to have a formal meeting during recent NATO summit in London. However, they met at 10 Downing Street (60, 61). Prime Minister Netanyahu was planning to travel to the NATO summit, but that trip was cancelled due to “logistical problems.” Netanyahu met Secretary of State Pompeo in Lisbon, instead. (62, 63) When Trump spoke to the Israeli American Council, last weekend, he didn’t mention Netanyahu (64).
References:
1) “Here’s what Trump means when he says ‘drain the swamp’ – even though it’s not an accurate metaphor” Business Insider 12.11.2016
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-does-drain-the-swamp-mean-was-dc-built-on-a-swamp-2016-11
2) “Farage hired by Fox News as a political analyst” BBC 20.1.2017
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38695203
3) “General election Brexit Party policies: Farage launched ‘political revolution for ordinary people'” Sky News 22.11.2019
4) “Get Brexit Done – Unleash Britain’s Potential” Conservative party election manifesto 2019
5) “Here’s who is saving the most money from Trump’s tax cuts” CNBC 23.9.2019
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/23/who-is-saving-the-most-money-from-trumps-tax-cuts.html
6) “Trump’s tax cuts helped billionaires pay less than the working class for first time” The Guardian 9.10.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/oct/09/trump-tax-cuts-helped-billionaires-pay-less
7) “As Trump Administration Downplays Warming, Agencies Chronicle Climate Impacts” Scientific American 9.10.2019
8) “85 Environmental Rules Being Rolled Back Under Trump” The New York Times 12.9.2019
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks.html
9) “The Tory party is so dependent on big money it now represents only a tiny elite” The Guardian 9.12.2019
10) “Hate crime violence in US hit 16-year high in 2018: FBI” Al Jazeera 14.11.2019
11) “Hate crimes double in five years in England and Wales” The Guardian 15.10.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/15/hate-crimes-double-england-wales
12) “From Trump to Boris Johnson, we’re moving from post-truth to post-shame” The Guardian 15.7.2019
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/15/populism-boris-johnson-brexit-trump
13) “Trump impeachment: Democrats unveil formal charges” BBC 10.12.2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50731010
14) “Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu will be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust” CNN 22.11.2019
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-charges-israel-intl/index.html
15) “Anger as police decision on Boris Johnson’s Jennifer Arcuri scandal is ‘shelved’ until after election” i news 10.11.2019
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/police-probe-jennifer-arcuri-scandal-shelved-after-election-920617
16) “Anti-Muslim” (hate groups) Southern Poverty Law Center
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/anti-muslim
17) “The Alt-Right’s Love Affair With Trump Is Over. Here’s Why.” Vice 9.7.2019
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gy4ee7/the-alt-rights-love-affair-with-trump-is-over-heres-why
18) “Here are the extremist figures going to the White House social media summit” Media Matters 9.7.2019
19) “Stephen Miller: why is Trump’s white nationalist aide untouchable?” The Guardian 4.12.2019
20) “Trump and His Cabinet Net Worth” The Balance 13.3.2019
https://www.thebalance.com/the-net-worth-of-trump-and-his-cabinet-4570997
21) “Trump says he’s draining the swamp as he fills Cabinet with ex-lobbyists” CBS News 20.7.2019
22) “Trump’s Ambassadors Are Uniquely Unqualified. The Ukraine Scandal Proves It” Mother Jones 14.11.2019
23) “Republicans Turn Up Heat on Gordon Sondland in Impeachment Hearing” Time 10.12.2019
https://time.com/5746844/republicans-turn-up-heat-on-gordon-sondland-in-impeachment-hearing/
24) “Donald Trump has claimed multiple times that he’s the victim of an attempted coup” Newsweek 2.10.2019
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-tweets-coup-impeachment-civil-war-fox-news-1462555
25) “Trump hammers home ‘America First’ ideology at UN” Politico 24.9.2019
https://www.politico.eu/article/trump-hammers-home-america-first-ideology-at-un-gathering/
26) “US and Israel formally quit UNESCO” Al Jazeera 1.1.2019
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/israel-formally-quit-unesco-190101094104787.html
27) “In one move, Trump eliminated US funding for UNRWA and the US role as Mideast peacemaker” Brookings 7.9.2018
28) “Is the United States Really Leaving the Paris Climate Agreement?” Foreign Policy 5.11.2019
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/05/paris-climate-agreement-united-states-withdraw/
29) “Trump vs. the WTO” Axios 10.12.2019
https://www.axios.com/trump-vs-wto-blocked-appointments-d6eb10e6-f0a9-4c46-b801-71d9836c4c5a.html
30) “WTO chief: ‘Months’ needed to fix disputes body” BBC 10.12.2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50736344
31) “UK’s post-Brexit trade at risk as WTO’s top court shuts down” The Guardian 11.12.2019
32) “Trump calls for World Bank to stop loaning to China” Reuters 7.12.2019
33) “Trump: EU is one of United States’ biggest foes” Politico 19.4.2019
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-putin-russia-europe-one-of-united-states-biggest-foes/
34) “Trump dubs himself Israel’s ‘best pal’ in White House” Daily Sabah 8.12.2019
https://www.dailysabah.com/americas/2019/12/08/trump-dubs-himself-israels-best-pal-in-white-house
35) “The controversial US Jerusalem embassy opening, explained” Vox 16.5.2018
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17340798/jerusalem-embassy-israel-palestinians-us-trump
36) “Golan Heights: Trump signs order recognizing occupied area as Israeli” BBC 25.3.2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47697717
37) “Netanyahu rebuffs US State Department denial he discussed annexation with Pompeo” The Times of Israel 8.12.2019
38) “Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving leader” BBC 20.7.2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49043102
39) “At home and abroad, Netanyahu faces backlash for far-right alliance” Reuters 24.2.2019
40) “Benjamin Netanyahu, best friend of the far right” Le Monde Diplomatique 13.9.2019
https://mondediplo.com/2019/09/13netanyahu
41) “Tillerson says Netanyahu skillfully ‘played’ Trump using misinformation” The Times of Israel 19.9.2019
https://www.timesofisrael.com/tillerson-says-netanyahu-skillfully-played-trump-using-misinformation/
42) “Netanyahu’s Facebook page suspended over hate speech” Independent 12.9.2019
43) “Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel PM defiant in face of ‘coup'” BBC 22.11.2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50512102
44) “In Tel Aviv, Netanyahu die-hards stage an ominous display of fear and anger” The Times of Israel 27.11.2019
45) “ANALYSIS: If Boris Johnson is so popular, why are his handlers hiding him away?” PoliticsHome 31.7.2019
46) Margulies, Ben: “Understanding Boris Johnson’s appeal: performative rebelliousness, impishness, and indiscipline” LSE British Politics and Policy 1.8.2019
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-appeal-of-boris-johnson/
47) “Boris Johnson seeks to divide and conquer with his incendiary rhetoric” The Guardian 29.9.2019
48) “Boris Johnson branded ‘chauvinist’ and ‘racist’ after comments from old book resurface” Independent 24.9.2019
49) “Boris Johnson’s racist insults, dog whitles and slurs” New Statesman 12.6.2019
50) “15 of the worst things Boris Johnson has said about leaders or other countries” Independent 24.7.2019
51) “Campaigners attack Boris Johnson for EU nationals remarks” The Guardian 9.12.2019
52) “A ‘passionate Zionist'” Jerusalem Post 25.7.2019
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/A-passionate-Zionist-596689
53) “‘Morally empty’ Johnson is courting fascism, says peer as Tory crisis mounts” The Guardian 12.8.2018
54) The lies, falsehoods and misrepresentations of Boris Johnson and his government
https://boris-johnson-lies.com
55) “Boris Johnson wants to destroy the Britain I love. I cannot vote Conservative” The Guardian 11.12.2019
56) “Top British diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall quits with searing Brexit critique” CNN 7.12.2019
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/06/uk/top-british-diplomat-quits-brexit-intl/index.html
57) “Arlene Foster accuses PM of breaking his word over Brexit deal” The Guardian 9.12.2019
58) “Tories threaten Channel 4 after ice sculpture takes PM’s place in debate” The Guardian 28.11.2019
59) “Boris Johnson pulls out of another BBC interview on day before election” Independent 11.12.2019
60) “Boris Johnson avoids meeting with Trump during NATO gathering” NBC News 3.12.2019
61) “Donald Trump enjoyed meeting with Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street” Evening Standard 4.12.2019
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/donald-trump-enjoyed-meeting-boris-johnson-a4304036.html
62) “Netanyahu’s London trip to meet Pompeo said nixed after veto from UK officials” The Times of Israel 2.12.2019
63) “Netanyahu: US redeployment in Syria places Israel in better position” Israel Hayom 4.12.2019
https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/12/04/netanyahu-pompeo-to-discuss-iran-in-lisbon/
64) “Three’s a crowd: 6 things to know for December 8” The Times of Israel 8.12.2019
https://www.timesofisrael.com/threes-a-crowd-6-things-to-know-for-december-8/
I will introduce some interesting and positive environmental ideas, policies and actions around the world. These posts have label “Green ideas.”
One of the most interesting ideas, at the moment, is the idea of ecological civilization in China. That idea is now part of Chinese constitution.
Here are some articles regarding the ecological civilization:
1) Kuhn, Berthold: “Ecological civilisation in China” DOC Research Institute 26.8.2019
https://doc-research.org/2019/08/ecological-civilisation-china-berthold/
2) Korten, David: “Ecological Civilization: The Vision”
https://davidkorten.org/home/ecological-civilization/
3) Lent, Jeremy: “What Does China’s ‘Ecological Civilization’ Mean for Humanity’s Future?” EcoWatch 9.2.2018
https://www.ecowatch.com/china-ecological-civilization-2532760301.html
4) Fell, Hans-Josef: “Ecological Civilization, the Great Project in China” Pressenza 5.11.2019
https://www.pressenza.com/2019/11/ecological-civilization-the-great-project-in-china/
IDIS Observer 