The US president’s aggressive regional shuttle diplomacy will not yield dividends without firmer defence measures. Biden’s reluctance to act forcefully in the region is sending the wrong message to rogue actors globally.
Whatever the motivating factors behind Hamas’ surprise attack, Israel is now under pressure to respond with full force. As hostilities escalate and casualties rise, supporters on both sides will be drawn in, willingly or not.
Positive sentiment in the US stock market fails to account for continuing unrest in the run-up to the presidential election, a second wave of Covid-19 infections and tensions with the European Union and China.
Greater danger and fragmentation are likely in the coming years as Russia keeps its place at the great powers table while Turkey and other regional powers vie for influence.
On this day, the market’s longest bull run ended, leaving recession looming. The US bans travel from continental Europe, reawakening EU ideas of self-reliance. And a pandemic is declared, exposing the failure of containment and Chinese leadership, particularly for Xi Jinping. March 2020 will mark the start of a new era, with tectonic changes in the economic, political, diplomatic, social and security spheres