World

Thursday

Ian Williams Ian Williams

Xi speech warrior: Elon Musk’s love affair with China

Elon Musk revels in the role of ‘free speech absolutist’. Last week, for instance, he jumped to the defence of Pavel Durov, the head of the messaging and social media app Telegram, after he was arrested by the French police. But while Musk claims he is a defender of free speech, he frequently kowtows to the Chinese Communist party, for whom the concept is alien. Musk is now the CCP’s favourite western capitalist. So although he is eager to tell his 196 million Twitter followers that ‘Britain is turning into the Soviet Union’, he has avoided antagonising China. He has echoed CCP talking points on contentious issues, such as Taiwan

Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

Kamala Harris and the audacity of desperation

Barack Obama wrote The Audacity of Hope. The Kamala Harris story of 2024 could be called The Audacity of Desperation. Her brief candidacy has been an awesome display of chutzpah. With just weeks to go before the election, a panicked Democratic party pushed aside their failing Commander-in-Chief and replaced him with Harris, the distinctly unpopular vice-president. She was then shamelessly presented to America and the world as an agent of change, even though she has no clear vision or agenda of her own. Twelve days have passed since Kamala Harris accepted the nomination and still her campaign website offers no clues as to what she might do as president. She has made

Wednesday

Sam Meadows

Why is Javier Milei spending more on Argentina’s army?

Bitter austerity is biting in Argentina as the new president enacts the brutal cuts he promised in a bid to reign in one of the world’s worst inflation rates. Entire government departments – including the Culture Ministry – have been canned and consumer spending has slumped across the board as Argentines find their stacks of pesos aren’t going as far as they once did. In a stark sign of the times, consumption of beef – reared by the country’s rural gauchos – slumped in the first quarter of 2024 by the biggest margin seen in 30 years. Milei is still attempting to hold things together in Congress However, one area

Jonathan Miller Jonathan Miller

Macron’s search for a prime minster is a complete farce

Who will be the next prime minister of France? Almost two months after the centre lost its majority in the National Assembly, the potential candidates range from the improbable to the ludicrous.   The latest semi-crazed idea is that Emmanuel Macron should call on Ségolene Royal, the former wife of François Hollande, a socialist party machine politician hated in equal measure by both the extreme left and populist right and who generates no enthusiasm from either the moderate Republicans or the residue of the president’s centre.  Admittedly, this idea is floated by Royal herself and has been met with general derision. Or perhaps Bernard Cazeneuve, a moderate socialist who was Hollande’s

Catherine Ellis

The US is turning the screws on Nicolas Maduro

Actions often speak louder than words. In the case of the United States seizing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro’s multi-million dollar luxury aircraft this week, that perhaps rings true. The international tip-toeing around how best to respond to Venezuela’s election result – considered fraudulent by many – and the turbulent repression that has ensued, has had global leaders scratching their heads for over a month. But the seizure of the airplane could hit Maduro where it hurts. Strongly-worded statements condemning the lack of transparency around the election and the antiquated measure of throwing dissenters in jail have fallen on deaf ears. So the taking of the Dassault Falcon 900EX from the Dominican Republic,

Jonathan Spyer

Netanyahu faces an unenviable dilemma on Gaza

The murder of six Israeli hostages by Hamas in Gaza earlier this week led to an outpouring of grief and fury in Israel. For a considerable and vocal section of the public, the anger was directed – in a way perhaps surprising to outsiders – not against the Islamist group responsible for the murders, but against the Israeli government. Large and stormy demonstrations took place in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The Histadrut, Israel’s trade union federation, organised a (partially observed) one-day general strike. The demonstrators’ demand was a simple one: a deal to release the 97 remaining hostages now. At least 33, by the way, and possibly more of the

Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

How long can Macron ignore French voters?

It was way back in the first week of July that the French went to the polls to elect a new government. Fifty-nine days later and there is no new government and it’s anyone’s guess who will become the fifth prime minister to serve under Emmanuel Macron. As one left-wing politician, Mathilde Panot, quipped on Monday: ‘If Macron could nominate himself, he would.’ Macron and Scholz, Europe’s two most important leaders, seem determined to turn a blind eye to voters In the parliamentary election, Macron’s Renaissance party finished third, receiving 6.3 million votes. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won the biggest slice of the popular vote with 10.1 million votes,

Jawad Iqbal

When will the Channel migrant horror end?

Twelve migrants, including six children and a pregnant woman, have died after their overcrowded dinghy capsized while they were trying to cross the Channel. Two people remain in a critical condition. Some 53 people were rescued, with several requiring emergency medical attention. Local French media reported that rescue workers are still searching for other migrants feared lost at sea. The disaster is the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year. The boat, believed to be carrying 70 people, got into difficulties off Cape Gris-Nez, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, on the northern French coast. The Channel is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and currents are strong. Crossings on small boats

Tuesday

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Is the UK still a ‘staunch ally’ of Israel?

16 min listen

The fallout continues from the UK’s decision to suspend some arms sale licenses to Israel. Defence Secretary John Healey insists the UK remains a ‘staunch ally’ of Israel, yet the decision has been criticised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as ‘shameful’. What has the domestic reaction been to the government’s decision, and who is it designed to please?  Patrick Gibbons speaks to Katy Balls and Michael Stephens, associate fellow at RUSI.  Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

Katy Balls Katy Balls

Britain’s arms crackdown on Israel could end up pleasing no one

Is the UK still a ‘staunch ally’ of Israel? Defence Secretary John Healey insisted so on the broadcast round this morning. But his claim is coming under scrutiny following the government’s decision to suspend 30 out of 350 arms export licences to Israel, thereby affecting equipment which includes parts for fighter jets, drones and helicopters. Foreign Secretary David Lammy revealed the news on Monday, telling the Commons that it was ‘with regret’ that he had concluded for certain arms exports ‘there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law’. It comes as part of a review by

Matthew Lynn Matthew Lynn

Von der Leyen’s quest for gender parity is a pointless distraction

The EU’s three largest economies are stuck in a deep structural slump. The budget is a mess, with money running out. And the bloc is rapidly losing competitiveness. Meanwhile, populist parties committed to overthrowing the organisation are coming closer to power all the time. You might think that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had enough serious problems to deal with it. Yet somehow she is finding time for something else: aiming for gender parity. There’s just one problem: jobs for the girls won’t rescue the EU. It is hard to see how carving out lucrative jobs for a handful of women is going to fix

Jake Wallis Simons Jake Wallis Simons

Britain’s arms crackdown on Israel has come at a dreadful time

The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is a moderate man and chooses his words carefully. So his statement about David Lammy’s suspension of 30 export licences to Israel was striking in its tone, if not surprising in its content. The Foreign Secretary’s timing did feel a bit rum ‘It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licences, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven fronts forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by

Alexander Horne

What is the point of David Lammy’s partial arms embargo on Israel?

The government has suspended 30 (out of around 350) arms export licences to Israel. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, acknowledged that the ban will affect the sale of ‘important components that go into military aircraft, including fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as items that facilitate ground targeting.’  The UK restrictions do not seem a productive way of convincing Netanyahu and his more hawkish allies to end the war Lammy’s decision to suspend these arms exports licences under the Export Control Act 2002 did not come out of the blue and is not a huge surprise. During parliament’s summer recess, there were reports that Lammy might stop the sale of ‘offensive’ arms to Israel.

Monday

Cindy Yu Cindy Yu

Investigating China’s ‘historic’ claims in the South China Sea

43 min listen

The South China Sea has been an area of regular clashes and heightened tensions under the leadership of Xi Jinping. It seems that, every few months, Chinese naval or coastguard ships clash or almost clash with vessels from South East Asian nations like Vietnam and the Philippines. Only last week, a Chinese ship clashed with the Filipino coast guard in the Spratly Islands, with both sides levelling angry accusations at each other. The region is full of disputed claims, making it fertile waters for accidental escalation. China says its claims to the region – encompassed by the ‘nine-dash line’ – are historic; that island sets such as the Spratlys and

Lisa Haseldine Lisa Haseldine

The AfD is winning over Germany’s youth

‘We are the party of the youth!’ When the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party launched its state election campaign over the summer in the former east Germany, its lead candidate for Brandenburg Christoph Berndt confidently declared that the party would do well thanks to the legions of young voters it had seduced. Today, as the dust settles on the results of Thuringia and Saxony’s state elections, it appears that Berndt’s predictions have come to pass. According to data published by the pollsters Infratest Dimap, 38 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24 voted for the AfD in Thuringia on Sunday. In neighbouring Saxony, 31 per cent did the

Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

Angela Merkel played a key role in the rise of the AfD

To no one’s great surprise, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) romped to victory in Sunday’s election in the eastern state of Thuringia. The party, classified as right-wing extremist by Germany’s security authorities, also came a close second to the centre-right CDU in Saxony’s election. The result is being described as the first for a far-right party in a German state parliament election since the Second World War. Angela Merkel must share the blame In response to the AfD’s triumph, German chancellor Olaf Scholz urged other German parties to exclude ‘right-wing extremists’ from power, saying: ‘The AfD is damaging Germany.’ If so, Angela Merkel must share the blame. It is the former

Nigel Jones

How long will Germany’s anti-AfD ‘firewall’ last?

Berlin awoke this morning in a state of shock. Although opinion polls had predicted that the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) would do well in yesterday’s eastern state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, the cold reality that the anti-immigration, anti-Islamist party has topped the polls in Thuringia and come a close second in Saxony, takes some getting used to, even for cynical Berliners. Mainstream centre and leftist parties in Germany have vowed to form a ‘brandmauer’ (firewall) against the AfD The German capital is a left-wing island surrounded by the sea of states of former East Germany, which are rapidly moving to the far right. The AfD scored more than 30

Constantin Eckner

What the AfD’s ‘historic victory’ means for Germany

Alternative für Deutschland’s success in east German state elections marks a major blow to the government in Berlin. The AfD is set to win almost a third of the vote in Thuringia – putting it nine points ahead of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU). The AfD’s top candidate in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, hailed a ‘historic victory’. Despite the best efforts of the centrist parties, the AfD is not going away. Scholz’s remarks ignore a simple reality: that the AfD has transcended its status as a mere party of protest. This result, if confirmed once all votes are counted, would mark the first victory for a far-right party in a state

James Tidmarsh

The strange case of Pavel Durov and Emmanuel Macron

The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder of the messaging app Telegram, has not only raised questions about the charges against him, but also about the peculiar relationship between the tech entrepreneur and the French government. In 2018, President Emmanuel Macron extended an olive branch, inviting Durov to lunch and offering him French citizenship in the hope of bringing Telegram under greater French regulatory oversight. Fast forward to today, and Durov finds himself under arrest, facing serious charges. This series of events – from lunch invitations and citizenship to sudden detainment – suggests both cooperation and coercion have characterised France’s approach to Telegram. Macron’s actions since Durov’s arrest suggest he

Sunday

Lisa Haseldine Lisa Haseldine

The AfD is set to win its first ever state election

The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party is set to make history and take control of at least one of Germany’s state parliaments for the first time. According to exit polls released on Sunday, the AfD is on course to become the largest party in the state of Thuringia. While the final results of the election are unlikely to be confirmed before tomorrow, the AfD is predicted to win at least 30 per cent of the vote in the state. One projection by the pollster Infratest Dimap places the party’s vote share at 30.5 per cent, while a poll conducted on behalf of the state broadcaster ZDF puts the party on