The Taliban and Western diplomats are holding a meeting in Oslo. A member of the Taliban has claimed the meeting is a "step to legitimise" the Taliban's government. Will the West recognise and legitimise the Taliban? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Taliban begins talks with Western Officials in Oslo

The Taliban delegation is presently in Norway for a three-day visit. The delegation is all set to hold talks with the west and also members of the Afghan civil society.

Taliban to meet with western officials in Norway amid calls for humanitarian aid

The West would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships, Britain warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The dictatorships were emboldened more than any time since the Cold War, it said. &nbsp;

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who will be speaking in Australia, will say the West must respond together to global threats. It should also deepen ties with democracies in the Indo-Pacific and "face down global aggressors". &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-clarifies-over-russia-remark-ukraine-says-there-are-no-minor-incursions-and-small-nations-446313" hreflang="en">Biden clarifies Russia remark; Ukraine says there are no 'minor incursions'</a>

In a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Truss will say that global aggressors "are emboldened in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War." &nbsp;&nbsp;

"They seek to export dictatorship as a service around the world. That is why regimes like Belarus, North Korea and Myanmar find their closest allies in Moscow and Beijing," Truss will further say. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-china-block-us-bid-to-impose-un-sanctions-on-north-koreans-446312">Russia, China block US bid to impose UN sanctions on North Koreans</a>

According to Truss, the West, should work with allies, such as India, Japan, Israel, Australia and Indonesia to "face down global aggressors", especially in the Pacific. &nbsp;

"It is time for the free world to stand its ground," Truss will add. &nbsp;

Truss will also warn Putin to "desist and step back from Ukraine before he makes a massive strategic mistake." &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The West would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships, Britain warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.

The West would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships, Britain warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. The dictatorships were emboldened more than any time since the Cold War, it said. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who will be speaking in Australia, will say the West must respond together to global threats. It should also deepen ties with democracies in the Indo-Pacific and "face down global aggressors". Also Read: Biden clarifies Russia remark; Ukraine says there are no 'minor incursions' In a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Truss will say that global aggressors "are emboldened in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War." "They seek to export dictatorship as a service around the world. That is why regimes like Belarus, North Korea and Myanmar find their closest allies in Moscow and Beijing," Truss will further say. Also Read: Russia, China block US bid to impose UN sanctions on North Koreans According to Truss, the West, should work with allies, such as India, Japan, Israel, Australia and Indonesia to "face down global aggressors", especially in the Pacific. "It is time for the free world to stand its ground," Truss will add. Truss will also warn Putin to "desist and step back from Ukraine before he makes a massive strategic mistake." (With inputs from agencies)

West to stand together in fight against dictatorships, Britain warns Putin, Xi

Western nations are shortening isolation & stepping up boosters to keep their economy open amid the Omicron wave. Can poorer nations afford this ‘living with Covid’ plan? Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: Europe looks to ‘live with Covid’

In a fresh attack against China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has now said that China is playing western states against one another and that democracies should present a united front to counter its growing aggression.

Justin Trudeau urges the west to unite against China & blames Beijing of 'playing' western states

China's playing western states against one another, says Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

In a joint statement, 15 Western nations have condemned the deployment of Russian Wagner Mercenaries in Mali. West expressed concerns about the Human Rights situation in the Malian territory.

15 Western nations condemn the deployment of Russian Wagner Mercenaries in Mali

The United States says it continues to monitor developments since mid-November. The US has been warning allies that Russia could be planning a large scale attack on Ukraine.

Tensions run high between Russia and West over Ukraine; no in-person meet between Biden, Putin

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. &nbsp;

The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-submarines-transfer-to-australia-threatens-non-proliferation-regime-russia-417390" hreflang="en">US submarines transfer to Australia threatens non-proliferation regime: Russia</a>

"If we need to, Belarus will turn into one military base for Russia and Belarus in order to withstand your aggression, if you decide, or if any one country decides to attack. And you should be clear on this, I have never made any secret of it," the president said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

While responding to a query as to whether there are any military objects on Belarusian territory as of now, he said that "there are no bases of any country, including Russia, except for two, one can say, with a civilian designation". &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/georgia-holds-vote-after-ex-president-saakashvilis-arrest-417633" hreflang="en">Georgia holds vote after ex-president Saakashvili's arrest</a>

The Belarusian president is also ready to step down when the West stops putting pressure on his country and its sovereignty is guaranteed completely. &nbsp;

"I swear, I am not going to be president even until the day I die. I swear. Everything will depend on the situation in Belarus," the president said. &nbsp;

"If you, your handlers in the West, don’t meddle from wherever in our situation and if we feel confident and calm as a sovereign independent state, as people who deserved to be sovereign and independent, believe me, everything will happen earlier than you think. Yet if you only dare once again, like last year, to interfere in our events, it won’t end well," the leader added. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;&nbsp;

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN.

To withstand the Western aggression, the Belarusian republic may turn into a joint military base with Russia, said President Alexander Lukashenko. The BelTA news agency has quoted the president as saying in an interview with CNN. Also Read | US submarines transfer to Australia threatens non-proliferation regime: Russia "If we need to, Belarus will turn into one military base for Russia and Belarus in order to withstand your aggression, if you decide, or if any one country decides to attack. And you should be clear on this, I have never made any secret of it," the president said. While responding to a query as to whether there are any military objects on Belarusian territory as of now, he said that "there are no bases of any country, including Russia, except for two, one can say, with a civilian designation". Also Read: Georgia holds vote after ex-president Saakashvili's arrest The Belarusian president is also ready to step down when the West stops putting pressure on his country and its sovereignty is guaranteed completely. "I swear, I am not going to be president even until the day I die. I swear. Everything will depend on the situation in Belarus," the president said. "If you, your handlers in the West, don’t meddle from wherever in our situation and if we feel confident and calm as a sovereign independent state, as people who deserved to be sovereign and independent, believe me, everything will happen earlier than you think. Yet if you only dare once again, like last year, to interfere in our events, it won’t end well," the leader added. (With inputs from agencies)

To fight West aggression, Belarus may turn into joint military base with Russia, says President Alexander Lukashenko

UN nuclear watchdog&nbsp;chief&nbsp;Rafael Grossi will fly to Tehran this weekend for&nbsp;talks&nbsp;that may ease a standoff between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and the&nbsp;West&nbsp;just as it threatens to escalate and scupper negotiations on reviving the&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;nuclear deal.

Three diplomats who follow the International Atomic Energy Agency closely told Reuters that Grossi's trip&nbsp;before&nbsp;next week's meeting of the&nbsp;IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors was confirmed. Two said he would meet the new head of the Atomic Energy Organization of&nbsp;Iran, Mohammad Eslami, on Sunday.

The&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;and&nbsp;Iran's envoy to the agency later confirmed the trip and the meeting.

"Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet with Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and Head of the AEOI, Mohammad Eslami, in Tehran on Sunday," the&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;said, adding that Grossi was expected to hold a news conference at Vienna airport around 8:30 pm on Sunday.

The&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;informed member states this week that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so the agency can continue to keep track of parts of&nbsp;Iran's nuclear programme as provided for by the 2015 deal.

Separate, indirect&nbsp;talks&nbsp;between the United States and&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;on both returning to compliance with the deal have been halted since June. Washington and its European allies have been urging hardline President Ebrahim Raisi's administration, which took office in August, to return to the&nbsp;talks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/even-as-houthi-attacks-continue-us-removes-missile-defences-in-saudi-arabia-412347">Also read |&nbsp;Even as Houthi attacks continue, US removes missile defences in Saudi Arabia</a>

Under the 2015 deal between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and major powers, Tehran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

Sanctions

President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018, re-introducing painful economic sanctions.&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;responded as of 2019 by breaching many of the deal's core restrictions, like enriching uranium to a higher purity, closer to that suitable for use in nuclear weapons.

Western powers must decide whether to push for a resolution criticising&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and raising pressure on it for stonewalling the&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;at next week's meeting of the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors. A resolution could jeopardise the resumption of&nbsp;talks&nbsp;on the deal as Tehran bristles at such moves.

Iran's Foreign Ministry warned against any such resolution.

"I hope the Board of Governors, under the influence of certain pressures, will not take any action that would destroy the process of customary cooperation between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and the agency," said spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Fars news agency reported.

The European parties to the 2015 deal&nbsp;Britain, France and Germany held a meeting with the United States in Paris on Friday to discuss how to react at the&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;board and to review options if&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;continues to stall on returning to negotiations. But diplomats said no decisions had been taken as of yet.

Countries on the&nbsp;IAEA&nbsp;Board of Governors will be watching Grossi's visit to see whether&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;yields either on granting access to the monitoring equipment to service it or offers the prospect of answers on the uranium particles found at the undeclared former sites.

Moves on those issues would make it less likely that a resolution is brought against&nbsp;Iran, diplomats say.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will fly to Tehran this weekend for talks that may ease a standoff between Iran and the West just as it threatens to escalate and scupper negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi will fly to Tehran this weekend for talks that may ease a standoff between Iran and the West just as it threatens to escalate and scupper negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal. Three diplomats who follow the International Atomic Energy Agency closely told Reuters that Grossi's trip before next week's meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors was confirmed. Two said he would meet the new head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, on Sunday. The IAEA and Iran's envoy to the agency later confirmed the trip and the meeting. "Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will meet with Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Head of the AEOI, Mohammad Eslami, in Tehran on Sunday," the IAEA said, adding that Grossi was expected to hold a news conference at Vienna airport around 8:30 pm on Sunday. The IAEA informed member states this week that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium traces found at several old, undeclared sites and getting urgent access to some monitoring equipment so the agency can continue to keep track of parts of Iran's nuclear programme as provided for by the 2015 deal. Separate, indirect talks between the United States and Iran on both returning to compliance with the deal have been halted since June. Washington and its European allies have been urging hardline President Ebrahim Raisi's administration, which took office in August, to return to the talks. Also read | Even as Houthi attacks continue, US removes missile defences in Saudi Arabia Under the 2015 deal between Iran and major powers, Tehran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Sanctions President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in 2018, re-introducing painful economic sanctions. Iran responded as of 2019 by breaching many of the deal's core restrictions, like enriching uranium to a higher purity, closer to that suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Western powers must decide whether to push for a resolution criticising Iran and raising pressure on it for stonewalling the IAEA at next week's meeting of the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors. A resolution could jeopardise the resumption of talks on the deal as Tehran bristles at such moves. Iran's Foreign Ministry warned against any such resolution. "I hope the Board of Governors, under the influence of certain pressures, will not take any action that would destroy the process of customary cooperation between Iran and the agency," said spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Fars news agency reported. The European parties to the 2015 deal Britain, France and Germany held a meeting with the United States in Paris on Friday to discuss how to react at the IAEA board and to review options if Iran continues to stall on returning to negotiations. But diplomats said no decisions had been taken as of yet. Countries on the IAEA Board of Governors will be watching Grossi's visit to see whether Iran yields either on granting access to the monitoring equipment to service it or offers the prospect of answers on the uranium particles found at the undeclared former sites. Moves on those issues would make it less likely that a resolution is brought against Iran, diplomats say.

Iran invites IAEA chief for talks before showdown with West

With Joe Biden at the US' helm, how is the transatlantic relationship expected to evolve with China emerging as a threat? Dimitris Avramopoulos, former European commissioner (migration and home affairs), speaks to WION on how the West can counter China.

WION Exclusive: China's aggressive policies needs to be countered says Former European Commissioner

Reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear accord will have to await the formation of a new Iranian government, the head of the UN&nbsp;nuclear watchdog said in remarks published on Wednesday, adding a deal needed political will from all parties. 
 
"Everyone knows that, at this point, it will be necessary to wait for the new Iranian government," Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, in reply to a question about what stage negotiations on the deal were at. 
 
Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), appeared to be referring to Iran's presidential elections, due on Friday. 
 
Iran's new president is expected to name his cabinet by mid-August. The term of current President Hassan Rouhani ends on August&nbsp;3, a government spokesman said. 
 
The sixth round of talks to revive the deal resumed in Vienna on Saturday between Iran and world powers. 
 
The IAEA does not take any direct part in the negotiations but has been called on to verify them and continue inspections in the country. 
 
"The discussions that have been going on for weeks have dealt with very complex and delicate technical questions, but what is needed is the political will of the parties," Grossi said.

Reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear accord will have to await the formation of a new Iranian government, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said in remarks published on Wednesday, adding a deal needed political will from all parties.

Reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear accord will have to await the formation of a new Iranian government, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said in remarks published on Wednesday, adding a deal needed political will from all parties. "Everyone knows that, at this point, it will be necessary to wait for the new Iranian government," Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, in reply to a question about what stage negotiations on the deal were at. Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), appeared to be referring to Iran's presidential elections, due on Friday. Iran's new president is expected to name his cabinet by mid-August. The term of current President Hassan Rouhani ends on August 3, a government spokesman said. The sixth round of talks to revive the deal resumed in Vienna on Saturday between Iran and world powers. The IAEA does not take any direct part in the negotiations but has been called on to verify them and continue inspections in the country. "The discussions that have been going on for weeks have dealt with very complex and delicate technical questions, but what is needed is the political will of the parties," Grossi said.

Nuclear deal must await new Iran govt: IAEA executive tells paper

Iran’s intelligence minister said persistent Western pressure could push Tehran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons, which the Islamic Republic has for years insisted it has no intention of ever developing.

The remarks made in a television interview are a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which Western nations have accused Iran of pursuing.

Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed this charge, citing a fatwa or religious decree issued in the early 2000s by the Islamic Republic`s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that bans the development or use of nuclear arms.

The United States and the other Western powers which originally signed up to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran appear to be at an impasse over which side should return to the accord first, making it unlikely U.S. sanctions that have crippled its economy can be quickly removed.

"The Supreme Leader has explicitly said in his fatwa that nuclear weapons are against sharia law and the Islamic Republic sees them as religiously forbidden and does not pursue them," the minister, Mahmoud Alavi, told state TV.

"But a cornered cat may behave differently from when the cat is free. And if they (Western states) push Iran in that direction, then it`s no longer Iran`s fault," Alavi said in the interview broadcast late on Monday. 
Details from the interview were published by Iranian news websites on Tuesday.

Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is to generate power and for other peaceful purposes. But US intelligence agencies and the United Nations nuclear watchdog believe Iran once had a nuclear weapons programme that it halted.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is exploring ways to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with major world powers but that was abandoned in 2018 by former President Donald Trump, who restored sanctions. Iran retaliated by breaching the terms of the accord in a step-by-step response.

Biden has said that, if Tehran returned to strict compliance with the pact, Washington would follow suit, using that as a springboard to a broader agreement that might restrict Iran`s missile development and its regional activities.

Tehran has insisted that Washington must first ease sanctions before it resumes compliance. It has ruled out any negotiations on wider security issues.

Iran’s intelligence minister said persistent Western pressure could push Tehran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons, which the Islamic Republic has for years insisted it has no intention of ever developing.

Iran’s intelligence minister said persistent Western pressure could push Tehran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons, which the Islamic Republic has for years insisted it has no intention of ever developing. The remarks made in a television interview are a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which Western nations have accused Iran of pursuing. Iranian officials have repeatedly dismissed this charge, citing a fatwa or religious decree issued in the early 2000s by the Islamic Republic`s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that bans the development or use of nuclear arms. The United States and the other Western powers which originally signed up to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran appear to be at an impasse over which side should return to the accord first, making it unlikely U.S. sanctions that have crippled its economy can be quickly removed. "The Supreme Leader has explicitly said in his fatwa that nuclear weapons are against sharia law and the Islamic Republic sees them as religiously forbidden and does not pursue them," the minister, Mahmoud Alavi, told state TV. "But a cornered cat may behave differently from when the cat is free. And if they (Western states) push Iran in that direction, then it`s no longer Iran`s fault," Alavi said in the interview broadcast late on Monday. Details from the interview were published by Iranian news websites on Tuesday. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is to generate power and for other peaceful purposes. But US intelligence agencies and the United Nations nuclear watchdog believe Iran once had a nuclear weapons programme that it halted. US President Joe Biden’s administration is exploring ways to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with major world powers but that was abandoned in 2018 by former President Donald Trump, who restored sanctions. Iran retaliated by breaching the terms of the accord in a step-by-step response. Biden has said that, if Tehran returned to strict compliance with the pact, Washington would follow suit, using that as a springboard to a broader agreement that might restrict Iran`s missile development and its regional activities. Tehran has insisted that Washington must first ease sanctions before it resumes compliance. It has ruled out any negotiations on wider security issues.

Iran's spy chief says Tehran could seek nuclear arms if 'cornered' by West

Bringing the biggest export haul in the country’s history, China’s trade surplus soared to a record $75.4 billion in November as exports surged 21.1% over a year earlier, propelled by American consumer demand. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-sinovac-secures-515-million-to-boost-covid-vaccine-production-347999">Also read: China's Sinovac secures $515 million to boost covid vaccine production&nbsp;</a> 
 
This was the sixth consecutive month of export growth, with China’s factories continuing to capitalise on coronavirus lockdowns in the West.

Exports to the United States rose 46% despite lingering tariff hikes in a trade war with Washington, customs data showed Monday. 
&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/world-business-watch-chip-shortages-could-slow-automotive-production-in-china-348023/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Total exports rose to $268 billion, accelerating from October’s 11.4% growth. Imports gained 5% to $192.6 billion, up from the previous month’s 4.7%.

China’s global trade surplus for the first 11 months of 2020 is $460 billion, up 21.4% from this time last year, already one of the highest ever recorded.

Exports to the United States rose to $51.9 billion while imports of American goods gained 33% to $14.6 billion. The trade surplus with the United States swelled 52% over a year earlier to $37.3 billion.

China's exports are beating expectations as the world's biggest manufacturing nation's overseas markets reopened from Covid-19.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-no-punishment-for-china-chinese-exports-rise-by-21-348224/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The figures show China recovering steadily from the severe economic shutdown imposed by the government to combat Covid-19 and subsequent widespread lockdowns in its major markets.&nbsp;

Uncertainty lies ahead, though, as coronavirus cases rise in many large economies and trade tensions between China and the US remain severe.

(With inputs from agencies)

Bringing the biggest export haul in the country’s history, China’s trade surplus soared to a record $75.4 billion in November as exports surged 21.1% over a year earlier, propelled by American consumer demand.

Bringing the biggest export haul in the country’s history, China’s trade surplus soared to a record $75.4 billion in November as exports surged 21.1% over a year earlier, propelled by American consumer demand. Also read: China's Sinovac secures $515 million to boost covid vaccine production This was the sixth consecutive month of export growth, with China’s factories continuing to capitalise on coronavirus lockdowns in the West. Exports to the United States rose 46% despite lingering tariff hikes in a trade war with Washington, customs data showed Monday. Total exports rose to $268 billion, accelerating from October’s 11.4% growth. Imports gained 5% to $192.6 billion, up from the previous month’s 4.7%. China’s global trade surplus for the first 11 months of 2020 is $460 billion, up 21.4% from this time last year, already one of the highest ever recorded. Exports to the United States rose to $51.9 billion while imports of American goods gained 33% to $14.6 billion. The trade surplus with the United States swelled 52% over a year earlier to $37.3 billion. China's exports are beating expectations as the world's biggest manufacturing nation's overseas markets reopened from Covid-19. × The figures show China recovering steadily from the severe economic shutdown imposed by the government to combat Covid-19 and subsequent widespread lockdowns in its major markets. Uncertainty lies ahead, though, as coronavirus cases rise in many large economies and trade tensions between China and the US remain severe. (With inputs from agencies)

China exports generate record trade surplus as coronavirus lockdowns return to the West

A few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, David Letterman sat behind his desk at CBS’s “Late Show” and shared the story of a rally in Choteau, Montana, to raise money for New York. Getting choked up, he told his viewers, “If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the spirit of the United States, then I can’t help you.”

Nineteen years later, with the country in the midst of a monthslong pandemic, Letterman found it difficult to conjure up any similarly inspiring anecdotes. One morning last week, this veteran late-night host, broadcaster and comedian, now 73, was sitting in a park here, contemplating the Hudson River and cracking wise about the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

“It looks kind of unfinished,” he said through a fabric mask that barely held back his unruly beard. “Doesn’t it look like the new kid got to design it?”

But truth be told, Letterman was in a more melancholy than mirthful frame of mind. Though he, his wife, Regina, and their son, Harry, have remained safe, he knows several people who were stricken by the coronavirus, some of whom died from it. And he is deeply frustrated by what he feels have been inconsistent, nationwide efforts to inform people about the pandemic and mitigate its spread.

While hardly its most devastating casualty, Letterman’s Netflix interview show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” returns Wednesday but nearly came to a halt. He had recorded two episodes, with Kim Kardashian West and with Robert Downey Jr., before the pandemic, and believed the season — if not the series — was finished.

Instead, he was able to produce two more episodes over the summer, under substantially different circumstances: one with Dave Chappelle, which was recorded at an outdoor pavilion in Yellow Springs, Ohio; and one with Lizzo, at her home studio in Los Angeles, which had no audience at all.

For Letterman, each of these episodes offered him a further education in the evolution of entertainment and deeper insights as an interviewer and observer of human nature. Even so, he found himself yearning for what he called “the carefree days of nonsense” when he could “bring people into a theater and talk to them for an hour, and when we were done I would go out into the crowd and shake hands, and everybody would want to tongue-kiss me.”

“We don’t do that anymore,” he added.

Letterman spoke further about his pandemic experience, the making of his Netflix series and what he hopes the future might hold for him. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Q: How has the pandemic been for you? What is it like for you now?

A: Like everybody else, you forget about it. Six, eight months into it, you go on talking as though things are normal, and then it’s, oh, no, we can’t do that because of the pandemic. In the beginning, it was more than ghastly. The husband of a woman that worked at (“Late Show”), he died. A teacher at Harry’s school died. Paul Shaffer and his wife both had it. Cathy, his wife, was hospitalized. Barbara Gaines, who was a producer on the show, she and her wife both had it. And on and on and on.

Q: How do you feel when you come into contact with people elsewhere in the country who don’t seem to be taking the pandemic as seriously?

A: That makes me very sad. Because we learned a lesson that these other people are dismissing. I was talking to a friend of mine, and he was furious at the mayor of his city for keeping it closed, and he said, “Well, that guy will never be reelected.” And I just thought, do I tell him what this really can be? We’re looking at a quarter of a million people dead soon. But I just didn’t want to have that fight. 
 
Q: After the 9/11 attacks, you gave several “Late Show” monologues where you tried to rally your viewers’ spirits and bring them together. Do you ever feel like saying anything similar now?

A: Something applicable to these times? I wish I had the wherewithal to say something meaningful. But all of these people who are resisting the idea of prevention, I just keep thinking: What about the families of the 220,000 people who are dead? I wonder how they’re feeling. I don’t get it. I have no solution other than to do what is told: Take care of yourself and your family.

Q: How did the pandemic affect your work on your Netflix series?

A: I thought we were done for good. Really. In the beginning, it really seemed like, holy God, they’re coming over the wall, we’re all going to die. People keep reminding me that, at my age, I’m particularly vulnerable. Which I don’t appreciate at all. “Dad, you know you’re close to 100, you’d better not go out.”

Q: How did you decide to continue with your season?

A: We had two more episodes (with Lizzo and Dave Chappelle) in preproduction, and we were eager to do something. We did them within a very short period of time, and then we came home. By that point, there were protocols in place from the production company and from Netflix that we had to observe, gladly, and we got through it OK.

Q: Kim Kardashian West, who is now a prized guest on your Netflix series, was a frequent target of mockery in your “Late Show” days.

A: Oh, I was at the head of that list. I can remember when she would be booked on the show, it was like, I don’t know anything about her, and I’ve never seen her show. And then when we went to talk to Kanye, I thought, oh, I’ve misjudged this woman.

Q: What changed your mind about her?

A: After we met with Kanye West (for the previous season of the Netflix series), I had a long talk with her at their home, and I started to think about how I had used her as a joke and regarded her as someone not to be taken seriously. I found that that impression was not the end of the story. She had a family. She has her prison reform program. I won’t comment on the ease of being married to Kanye West. And if she can keep a show like that on the air for all those years, that’s an accomplishment. If you can stay in business on television that long, good for you.

Q: You went to Yellow Springs, Ohio, to interview Dave Chappelle. Did you perform at his outdoor comedy show there?

A: Yes. I think I did it. (To his publicist) Did I do it? (Publicist answers: “You did it.”) I’m being told I did it (laughs). It was grand. The setting is unique. It’s outdoors. Everybody’s tested, everybody social distanced. He had three or four comics on and each comic made my heart sink deeper. Because when I was doing comedy, a lot of it was (weakly) “Hey, where you from?” But these men and women, whoa — the level of it, the intellect of it, the presentation of it is so much more than it was when me and my little buddies were, “Hey, how ya doin’, I just got in from Indiana.” Really? No one cares. Get outta here.

Q: Do you ever have moments in these interviews where you feel as if you don’t have a shared frame of reference to talk to some of these guests?

A: Yes. Because the experience is barely parallel. We’re all in show business, but that’s as close a comparison as you can make, culturally. I did feel like, is this going to look stupid? An old guy here, trying to talk to people who are thriving and alive and dominating the world through social media? I felt like it was a wreck. That’s the inner dialogue.

Q: How do you get past this?

A: Like anybody else that you talk to, every human being, there are situations that helped develop into what they are. So you’re going to get a story out of anybody. It may not happen in the first five minutes, but in every one of these experiences, there’s always a conduit for mutual experience. “Oh yeah? You think that’s something? Well, one time I choked on a peanut-butter sandwich and nearly died.” You have to make everybody a good interview.

Q: Do you think that late-night television, a genre that you helped to pioneer, has been diminished in recent years — that so much of it has become political comedy that doesn’t really move the needle and crowds out everything else?

A: I know that people have been hugely successful with it. Stephen (Colbert) has done a great job with my old show — his show now. In my day, the goal was just anything to make the audience laugh. That may be part of the dynamic now. People have this hunger to see the current administration being assailed and embarrassing itself. So I think that’s what (late-night shows) worked toward. I don’t fault them for that. After a while, it wears thin, but the appetite for it has not worn thin. I think they still do enough business to keep people happy.

Q: Do you ever find yourself fearing for the future of this country?

A: I really did, until recently. And now I am confident — or more confident than I’ve been in the last four years — that we’re changing presidents in a couple of weeks. And it will be a huge victory. Not just for our culture and our government, but the simple act of voting will have been the reason that the rest of our country is put back together and, in many ways, saved from what appears to be tyranny, certainly jeopardy. I think it will be a huge victory on many fronts, not the least of which is calling attention to the valuable freedom of voting.

Q: Please don’t mistake this for a suggestion, but do you ever think about packing it in as a broadcaster entirely?

A: First of all, you can’t hurt my feelings because I’m dead inside. But the Netflix people put me back in business in a way that has been, for me, really, really fun. On the other hand, I recognize my own shelf life. I’m way overdue. When it happens, I still will enjoy little things here and there, and that’ll be enough. But there’s other people more capable. I got no problem with that. If there is any kind of schedule, it would be when my son is finished with high school. But if it’s tomorrow, that’s fine.

Q: Your son, Harry, is 16 now. Are you worried about how the pandemic is going to affect his life?

A: I think it’s every parent’s concern, regardless of the age of their kids. But for Harry and his buddies, the junior year of high school is a crucial experience. Now they’re starting to look beyond high school, and it’s not good. For guys Harry’s age and older, it might be a setback. Time takes care of everything, and one hopes that that’s the case here.

Q: How do you talk about these feelings with him?

A: I had a conversation with my son the other night that went this way. Because of the pandemic and the fact that he’s getting older, I said, Harry, your mother and I have two responsibilities. One is to keep you safe. And other than the time that your mother let you roll off the bed and land on your head, we have kept you safe. The other responsibility is your happiness. And he said, “Have you been drinking?” So that’s how that works at my house.

&nbsp;

A few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, David Letterman sat behind his desk at CBS’s “Late Show” and shared the story of a rally in Choteau, Montana, to raise money for New York.

A few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, David Letterman sat behind his desk at CBS’s “Late Show” and shared the story of a rally in Choteau, Montana, to raise money for New York. Getting choked up, he told his viewers, “If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about the spirit of the United States, then I can’t help you.” Nineteen years later, with the country in the midst of a monthslong pandemic, Letterman found it difficult to conjure up any similarly inspiring anecdotes. One morning last week, this veteran late-night host, broadcaster and comedian, now 73, was sitting in a park here, contemplating the Hudson River and cracking wise about the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. “It looks kind of unfinished,” he said through a fabric mask that barely held back his unruly beard. “Doesn’t it look like the new kid got to design it?” But truth be told, Letterman was in a more melancholy than mirthful frame of mind. Though he, his wife, Regina, and their son, Harry, have remained safe, he knows several people who were stricken by the coronavirus, some of whom died from it. And he is deeply frustrated by what he feels have been inconsistent, nationwide efforts to inform people about the pandemic and mitigate its spread. While hardly its most devastating casualty, Letterman’s Netflix interview show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” returns Wednesday but nearly came to a halt. He had recorded two episodes, with Kim Kardashian West and with Robert Downey Jr., before the pandemic, and believed the season — if not the series — was finished. Instead, he was able to produce two more episodes over the summer, under substantially different circumstances: one with Dave Chappelle, which was recorded at an outdoor pavilion in Yellow Springs, Ohio; and one with Lizzo, at her home studio in Los Angeles, which had no audience at all. For Letterman, each of these episodes offered him a further education in the evolution of entertainment and deeper insights as an interviewer and observer of human nature. Even so, he found himself yearning for what he called “the carefree days of nonsense” when he could “bring people into a theater and talk to them for an hour, and when we were done I would go out into the crowd and shake hands, and everybody would want to tongue-kiss me.” “We don’t do that anymore,” he added. Letterman spoke further about his pandemic experience, the making of his Netflix series and what he hopes the future might hold for him. These are edited excerpts from that conversation. Q: How has the pandemic been for you? What is it like for you now? A: Like everybody else, you forget about it. Six, eight months into it, you go on talking as though things are normal, and then it’s, oh, no, we can’t do that because of the pandemic. In the beginning, it was more than ghastly. The husband of a woman that worked at (“Late Show”), he died. A teacher at Harry’s school died. Paul Shaffer and his wife both had it. Cathy, his wife, was hospitalized. Barbara Gaines, who was a producer on the show, she and her wife both had it. And on and on and on. Q: How do you feel when you come into contact with people elsewhere in the country who don’t seem to be taking the pandemic as seriously? A: That makes me very sad. Because we learned a lesson that these other people are dismissing. I was talking to a friend of mine, and he was furious at the mayor of his city for keeping it closed, and he said, “Well, that guy will never be reelected.” And I just thought, do I tell him what this really can be? We’re looking at a quarter of a million people dead soon. But I just didn’t want to have that fight. Q: After the 9/11 attacks, you gave several “Late Show” monologues where you tried to rally your viewers’ spirits and bring them together. Do you ever feel like saying anything similar now? A: Something applicable to these times? I wish I had the wherewithal to say something meaningful. But all of these people who are resisting the idea of prevention, I just keep thinking: What about the families of the 220,000 people who are dead? I wonder how they’re feeling. I don’t get it. I have no solution other than to do what is told: Take care of yourself and your family. Q: How did the pandemic affect your work on your Netflix series? A: I thought we were done for good. Really. In the beginning, it really seemed like, holy God, they’re coming over the wall, we’re all going to die. People keep reminding me that, at my age, I’m particularly vulnerable. Which I don’t appreciate at all. “Dad, you know you’re close to 100, you’d better not go out.” Q: How did you decide to continue with your season? A: We had two more episodes (with Lizzo and Dave Chappelle) in preproduction, and we were eager to do something. We did them within a very short period of time, and then we came home. By that point, there were protocols in place from the production company and from Netflix that we had to observe, gladly, and we got through it OK. Q: Kim Kardashian West, who is now a prized guest on your Netflix series, was a frequent target of mockery in your “Late Show” days. A: Oh, I was at the head of that list. I can remember when she would be booked on the show, it was like, I don’t know anything about her, and I’ve never seen her show. And then when we went to talk to Kanye, I thought, oh, I’ve misjudged this woman. Q: What changed your mind about her? A: After we met with Kanye West (for the previous season of the Netflix series), I had a long talk with her at their home, and I started to think about how I had used her as a joke and regarded her as someone not to be taken seriously. I found that that impression was not the end of the story. She had a family. She has her prison reform program. I won’t comment on the ease of being married to Kanye West. And if she can keep a show like that on the air for all those years, that’s an accomplishment. If you can stay in business on television that long, good for you. Q: You went to Yellow Springs, Ohio, to interview Dave Chappelle. Did you perform at his outdoor comedy show there? A: Yes. I think I did it. (To his publicist) Did I do it? (Publicist answers: “You did it.”) I’m being told I did it (laughs). It was grand. The setting is unique. It’s outdoors. Everybody’s tested, everybody social distanced. He had three or four comics on and each comic made my heart sink deeper. Because when I was doing comedy, a lot of it was (weakly) “Hey, where you from?” But these men and women, whoa — the level of it, the intellect of it, the presentation of it is so much more than it was when me and my little buddies were, “Hey, how ya doin’, I just got in from Indiana.” Really? No one cares. Get outta here. Q: Do you ever have moments in these interviews where you feel as if you don’t have a shared frame of reference to talk to some of these guests? A: Yes. Because the experience is barely parallel. We’re all in show business, but that’s as close a comparison as you can make, culturally. I did feel like, is this going to look stupid? An old guy here, trying to talk to people who are thriving and alive and dominating the world through social media? I felt like it was a wreck. That’s the inner dialogue. Q: How do you get past this? A: Like anybody else that you talk to, every human being, there are situations that helped develop into what they are. So you’re going to get a story out of anybody. It may not happen in the first five minutes, but in every one of these experiences, there’s always a conduit for mutual experience. “Oh yeah? You think that’s something? Well, one time I choked on a peanut-butter sandwich and nearly died.” You have to make everybody a good interview. Q: Do you think that late-night television, a genre that you helped to pioneer, has been diminished in recent years — that so much of it has become political comedy that doesn’t really move the needle and crowds out everything else? A: I know that people have been hugely successful with it. Stephen (Colbert) has done a great job with my old show — his show now. In my day, the goal was just anything to make the audience laugh. That may be part of the dynamic now. People have this hunger to see the current administration being assailed and embarrassing itself. So I think that’s what (late-night shows) worked toward. I don’t fault them for that. After a while, it wears thin, but the appetite for it has not worn thin. I think they still do enough business to keep people happy. Q: Do you ever find yourself fearing for the future of this country? A: I really did, until recently. And now I am confident — or more confident than I’ve been in the last four years — that we’re changing presidents in a couple of weeks. And it will be a huge victory. Not just for our culture and our government, but the simple act of voting will have been the reason that the rest of our country is put back together and, in many ways, saved from what appears to be tyranny, certainly jeopardy. I think it will be a huge victory on many fronts, not the least of which is calling attention to the valuable freedom of voting. Q: Please don’t mistake this for a suggestion, but do you ever think about packing it in as a broadcaster entirely? A: First of all, you can’t hurt my feelings because I’m dead inside. But the Netflix people put me back in business in a way that has been, for me, really, really fun. On the other hand, I recognize my own shelf life. I’m way overdue. When it happens, I still will enjoy little things here and there, and that’ll be enough. But there’s other people more capable. I got no problem with that. If there is any kind of schedule, it would be when my son is finished with high school. But if it’s tomorrow, that’s fine. Q: Your son, Harry, is 16 now. Are you worried about how the pandemic is going to affect his life? A: I think it’s every parent’s concern, regardless of the age of their kids. But for Harry and his buddies, the junior year of high school is a crucial experience. Now they’re starting to look beyond high school, and it’s not good. For guys Harry’s age and older, it might be a setback. Time takes care of everything, and one hopes that that’s the case here. Q: How do you talk about these feelings with him? A: I had a conversation with my son the other night that went this way. Because of the pandemic and the fact that he’s getting older, I said, Harry, your mother and I have two responsibilities. One is to keep you safe. And other than the time that your mother let you roll off the bed and land on your head, we have kept you safe. The other responsibility is your happiness. And he said, “Have you been drinking?” So that’s how that works at my house.

David Letterman isn’t here to cheer you up this time

China's latest move comes days after Washington announced new restrictions on staff working for Beijing's foreign missions

Beijing to impose restrictions on all US diplomats in China

Soaring temperatures sent Israelis to beaches across the country on Sunday (May 17) with many violating the coronavirus restrictions. Some areas in the country and Israeli-occupied West Bank exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in the country's first seasonal heatwave.

People flock to beaches as Israel, West Bank bake in heatwave

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the entity known as the West, essentially in the nature of a loose grouping of political, social and philosophical ideas reified coincidentally by a certain people inhabiting a certain part of the world, has reigned supreme. Be it forms of political organisation, scientific discovery, industrial organisation, technological innovation and so, the West has been the pioneer and led the way. What, the question is, explains the West’s success?

A one rather conventional and clichéd explanation is that it is individualism that is the reason for both the West’s ascendance and, well, even superiority. Individualism roughly posits that the individual precedes and is superior to the group which might be social, political, family or even tribal. And, that an individual has moral worth that is intrinsic and an individual’s life must be free from external interferences. On the face of it, this ‘pure’ theory of individualism is powerful (I call the theory pure because, in my opinion, no society even in the West corresponds exactly to it. There are approximations and variations to the ideal type of individualism). It is powerful because it is intuitive and rests on powerful philosophical foundations.

And, speaking in empirical terms, a corpus of evidence can be marshalled to support the theory of individualism. But, the first quibble with the pure theory of individualism is that it, to repeat, is an ideal type. Consider an example. While there is no argument with the assertion that the individual has moral worth and is an autonomous agent or being, but in the real world, even in the West, individuals are subject influences external to them. The mass media, (or ‘social media contemporarily), mass advertising, the pressures to conform, say in or among subcultures or social groupings corroborate and point out to these external influences and pressures. Politically, as has been evident over the past few years, to employ Noam Chomsky’s phrase, consent can be manufactured. All this suggests that there is no such thing as pure individualism.

Moreover, in the region that is held to be the West in geographical terms, there are various and varying permutations and combinations with respect to the individuals’ relation to the basic social unit, the family and the state and market relations. But, this does not mean that individualism in various avatars does not exist in the West. It does. However, attribution of the West’s success and progress cannot and must not be isolated to individualism. It may that institutions and their evolution plus responsiveness to both people and change might be a more powerful variable that accounts for the success of the West. The correlation between individualism and material progress then does not entirely hold.

But this does not mean that an individual is worthless. To the contrary, it is perhaps only in an individual, the lone, eccentric genius, the fundamental spark of creativity can find expression in. The Newtons, the Edisons, the Wordsworth, Keats, &nbsp;Dickens, Dostoyevsky, or contemporarily, Bill Gates, Elon Musks of the world might be classic examples of lone geniuses transforming the world with their inventions, discoveries or literature. These doyens through their transformative works have, in one way or the other, transformed the world and the one feature that stands common to them is that they are Western. How then has been made possible?

Besides institutionalist explanations, what might offer an explanation here is the context in which these eminence grises operate(d) and the acceptance of their ideas, grudging or otherwise. But, perhaps more importantly, especially in the instances of inventors and innovators, the commercialisation of their ideas is an important variable. The reference here is not to free-market capitalism, but an allusion to what some or even many might find shocking: monopoly capitalism. It was the sheer scale of monopoly capitalism that allowed Microsoft, for example, to be Microsoft, for GE to become GE and, to use a colourful phrase electrify the world. But, on the face of it, monopoly capitalism might be incompatible with pure individualism. &nbsp;However, that is what it appears to be.

There, then, is a paradox at the heart of the West’s progress and success where individualism, seems to be more in the nature of a foundational myth for nations in its pure form. This is not to decry individualism or deny it. The point is for other societies to take lessons, the right ones, in their quest for development or progress. The lesson is: while individualism may be one aspect of the West’s success but for progress and development, there’s more that goes into the constituent mix. One such component of success is the quality of institutions and the acceptance of ideas and inventions in the development sphere, howsoever crazy these might sound or even be. The rest is mere corollary.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the entity known as the West, essentially in the nature of a loose grouping of political, social and philosophical ideas reified coincidentally by a certain people inhabiting a certain part of the world, has reigned supreme.

Ever since the Industrial Revolution, the entity known as the West, essentially in the nature of a loose grouping of political, social and philosophical ideas reified coincidentally by a certain people inhabiting a certain part of the world, has reigned supreme. Be it forms of political organisation, scientific discovery, industrial organisation, technological innovation and so, the West has been the pioneer and led the way. What, the question is, explains the West’s success? A one rather conventional and clichéd explanation is that it is individualism that is the reason for both the West’s ascendance and, well, even superiority. Individualism roughly posits that the individual precedes and is superior to the group which might be social, political, family or even tribal. And, that an individual has moral worth that is intrinsic and an individual’s life must be free from external interferences. On the face of it, this ‘pure’ theory of individualism is powerful (I call the theory pure because, in my opinion, no society even in the West corresponds exactly to it. There are approximations and variations to the ideal type of individualism). It is powerful because it is intuitive and rests on powerful philosophical foundations. And, speaking in empirical terms, a corpus of evidence can be marshalled to support the theory of individualism. But, the first quibble with the pure theory of individualism is that it, to repeat, is an ideal type. Consider an example. While there is no argument with the assertion that the individual has moral worth and is an autonomous agent or being, but in the real world, even in the West, individuals are subject influences external to them. The mass media, (or ‘social media contemporarily), mass advertising, the pressures to conform, say in or among subcultures or social groupings corroborate and point out to these external influences and pressures. Politically, as has been evident over the past few years, to employ Noam Chomsky’s phrase, consent can be manufactured. All this suggests that there is no such thing as pure individualism. Moreover, in the region that is held to be the West in geographical terms, there are various and varying permutations and combinations with respect to the individuals’ relation to the basic social unit, the family and the state and market relations. But, this does not mean that individualism in various avatars does not exist in the West. It does. However, attribution of the West’s success and progress cannot and must not be isolated to individualism. It may that institutions and their evolution plus responsiveness to both people and change might be a more powerful variable that accounts for the success of the West. The correlation between individualism and material progress then does not entirely hold. But this does not mean that an individual is worthless. To the contrary, it is perhaps only in an individual, the lone, eccentric genius, the fundamental spark of creativity can find expression in. The Newtons, the Edisons, the Wordsworth, Keats, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, or contemporarily, Bill Gates, Elon Musks of the world might be classic examples of lone geniuses transforming the world with their inventions, discoveries or literature. These doyens through their transformative works have, in one way or the other, transformed the world and the one feature that stands common to them is that they are Western. How then has been made possible? Besides institutionalist explanations, what might offer an explanation here is the context in which these eminence grises operate(d) and the acceptance of their ideas, grudging or otherwise. But, perhaps more importantly, especially in the instances of inventors and innovators, the commercialisation of their ideas is an important variable. The reference here is not to free-market capitalism, but an allusion to what some or even many might find shocking: monopoly capitalism. It was the sheer scale of monopoly capitalism that allowed Microsoft, for example, to be Microsoft, for GE to become GE and, to use a colourful phrase electrify the world. But, on the face of it, monopoly capitalism might be incompatible with pure individualism. However, that is what it appears to be. There, then, is a paradox at the heart of the West’s progress and success where individualism, seems to be more in the nature of a foundational myth for nations in its pure form. This is not to decry individualism or deny it. The point is for other societies to take lessons, the right ones, in their quest for development or progress. The lesson is: while individualism may be one aspect of the West’s success but for progress and development, there’s more that goes into the constituent mix. One such component of success is the quality of institutions and the acceptance of ideas and inventions in the development sphere, howsoever crazy these might sound or even be. The rest is mere corollary. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Is individualism the secret of the West’s success?

Heavy rains battered several parts of India. 20 people have been killed in Kozhikode & 9 in Wayanad in Kerala. Watch this video to know more.

Weather disturbance continues in India, Heavy rainfall batter west, south India

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army's Russian hardware on Sunday, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new elections.

Maduro, 56, is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, citing a fraudulent election. Guaido has won wide international support and offers amnesty to soldiers who join him.

On Sunday, Israel and Australia joined the countries backing the 35-year-old leader, and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/uss-bolton-warns-venezuela-of-significant-response-if-juan-guaido-is-threatened-193282">President Donald Trump's administration</a> said it had accepted Venezuelan opposition figure Carlos Alfredo Vecchio as the country's diplomatic representative in the United States.

Early on Sunday, alongside Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, Maduro watched a platoon of soldiers release volleys of rocket-propelled grenades, machine-gun anti-aircraft fire and tank rounds at hillside targets, the Russian ordnance kicking up clouds of dust at the Fort of Paramacay, an armored vehicle base.

Maduro said the display showed the world he had the backing of the military and that Venezuela's armed forces were ready to defend the country. Maduro says Guaido is taking part in a coup directed by Trump's hardline policy advisers, who include Cold War veterans John Bolton and Elliott Abrams.

"Nobody respects the weak, cowards, traitors. In this world, what's respected is the brave, the courageous, power," Maduro said.

"Nobody should even think of stepping on this sacred soil. Venezuela wants peace," he said. "To guarantee peace, we have to be prepared."

From Feb. 10 to 15, the military is planning larger exercises that Maduro described as the "most important in the history of Venezuela."

The show of force was accompanied by a government publicity campaign online based on the slogan "Always Loyal, Never a Traitor," and followed a high-profile defection by the country's top military diplomat in the United States on Saturday.

The Fort of Paramacay, about two hours west of the capital, Caracas, was itself the site of an uprising in 2017, when about 20 soldiers and armed civilians attacked the base. The leader of the attack, which was quickly subdued, said he was calling for a transitional government.

Maduro on Sunday denounced an alleged conspiracy aimed at spreading rebellion in the army, saying thousands of messages were being sent to soldiers every day over WhatsApp and other social media platforms from neighboring Colombia. He later jogged with soldiers and boarded an amphibious vehicle at a navy base.

Guaido also sent a message to the military on Sunday, asking for support and ordering it not to repress civilians during an event in which supporters handed out copies of a proposed amnesty for people accused of crimes in the Maduro government.

"I order you not to shoot," he said. "I order you not to repress the people."

At a U.N. Security Council debate on Saturday, Russia and China strongly backed Maduro and rejected calls by the United States, Canada, Latin American nations and European powers for early elections.

Both Russia and China are major creditors of Venezuela. Since the government of Maduro's late mentor, Hugo Chavez, the OPEC nation has invested heavily in Russian weaponry, including Sukhoi fighter jets and heavy armor.

The strategic alliance was in evidence last year, when two Russian nuclear-capable bombers landed in Venezuela. Reuters reported on Friday that private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela to beef up security for Maduro.

NO ELECTIONS

In an interview that aired on Sunday, Maduro rejected a European ultimatum to call elections within eight days and said Guaido violated the constitution by declaring himself interim leader. He said European nations should leave Venezuela, if they so wanted.

"Fortunately, we don’t depend on Europe. And those arrogant, overbearing attitudes, looking down on us, because we are ‘sudacas,’ inferior to them," he told CNN Turk.

"The leaders of Europe are sycophants, kneeling behind the policies of Donald Trump," he said, adding he was open to dialog and that meeting Trump was improbable but not impossible.

Washington urged the world on Saturday to "pick a side" on Venezuela and financially disconnect from Maduro's government.

Bolton, the White House national security adviser, warned on Sunday against violence or the intimidation of American diplomats in Venezuela or Guaido, saying such action would trigger a response from the United States.

Venezuela has sunk into turmoil under Maduro, with food shortages and protests amid an economic and political crisis that has led millions to leave the country and with inflation seen rising to 10 million percent this year.

Britain, Germany, France and Spain all said they would recognize Guaido if Maduro failed to call new elections within eight days, an ultimatum Russia said was "absurd" and the Venezuelan foreign minister called "childlike."

The United States, Canada, most Latin American nations and many European states say Maduro stole his second-term election win last May. The former union leader cruised to victory after blocking the main opposition candidates from running. Turnout was low.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan voiced his support for Maduro in a phone call on Thursday.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army's Russian hardware on Sunday, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new elections.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army's Russian hardware on Sunday, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new elections. Maduro, 56, is confronting an unprecedented challenge to his authority after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, citing a fraudulent election. Guaido has won wide international support and offers amnesty to soldiers who join him. On Sunday, Israel and Australia joined the countries backing the 35-year-old leader, and President Donald Trump's administration said it had accepted Venezuelan opposition figure Carlos Alfredo Vecchio as the country's diplomatic representative in the United States. Early on Sunday, alongside Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, Maduro watched a platoon of soldiers release volleys of rocket-propelled grenades, machine-gun anti-aircraft fire and tank rounds at hillside targets, the Russian ordnance kicking up clouds of dust at the Fort of Paramacay, an armored vehicle base. Maduro said the display showed the world he had the backing of the military and that Venezuela's armed forces were ready to defend the country. Maduro says Guaido is taking part in a coup directed by Trump's hardline policy advisers, who include Cold War veterans John Bolton and Elliott Abrams. "Nobody respects the weak, cowards, traitors. In this world, what's respected is the brave, the courageous, power," Maduro said. "Nobody should even think of stepping on this sacred soil. Venezuela wants peace," he said. "To guarantee peace, we have to be prepared." From Feb. 10 to 15, the military is planning larger exercises that Maduro described as the "most important in the history of Venezuela." The show of force was accompanied by a government publicity campaign online based on the slogan "Always Loyal, Never a Traitor," and followed a high-profile defection by the country's top military diplomat in the United States on Saturday. The Fort of Paramacay, about two hours west of the capital, Caracas, was itself the site of an uprising in 2017, when about 20 soldiers and armed civilians attacked the base. The leader of the attack, which was quickly subdued, said he was calling for a transitional government. Maduro on Sunday denounced an alleged conspiracy aimed at spreading rebellion in the army, saying thousands of messages were being sent to soldiers every day over WhatsApp and other social media platforms from neighboring Colombia. He later jogged with soldiers and boarded an amphibious vehicle at a navy base. Guaido also sent a message to the military on Sunday, asking for support and ordering it not to repress civilians during an event in which supporters handed out copies of a proposed amnesty for people accused of crimes in the Maduro government. "I order you not to shoot," he said. "I order you not to repress the people." At a U.N. Security Council debate on Saturday, Russia and China strongly backed Maduro and rejected calls by the United States, Canada, Latin American nations and European powers for early elections. Both Russia and China are major creditors of Venezuela. Since the government of Maduro's late mentor, Hugo Chavez, the OPEC nation has invested heavily in Russian weaponry, including Sukhoi fighter jets and heavy armor. The strategic alliance was in evidence last year, when two Russian nuclear-capable bombers landed in Venezuela. Reuters reported on Friday that private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela to beef up security for Maduro. NO ELECTIONS In an interview that aired on Sunday, Maduro rejected a European ultimatum to call elections within eight days and said Guaido violated the constitution by declaring himself interim leader. He said European nations should leave Venezuela, if they so wanted. "Fortunately, we don’t depend on Europe. And those arrogant, overbearing attitudes, looking down on us, because we are ‘sudacas,’ inferior to them," he told CNN Turk. "The leaders of Europe are sycophants, kneeling behind the policies of Donald Trump," he said, adding he was open to dialog and that meeting Trump was improbable but not impossible. Washington urged the world on Saturday to "pick a side" on Venezuela and financially disconnect from Maduro's government. Bolton, the White House national security adviser, warned on Sunday against violence or the intimidation of American diplomats in Venezuela or Guaido, saying such action would trigger a response from the United States. Venezuela has sunk into turmoil under Maduro, with food shortages and protests amid an economic and political crisis that has led millions to leave the country and with inflation seen rising to 10 million percent this year. Britain, Germany, France and Spain all said they would recognize Guaido if Maduro failed to call new elections within eight days, an ultimatum Russia said was "absurd" and the Venezuelan foreign minister called "childlike." The United States, Canada, most Latin American nations and many European states say Maduro stole his second-term election win last May. The former union leader cruised to victory after blocking the main opposition candidates from running. Turnout was low. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan voiced his support for Maduro in a phone call on Thursday.

As West calls for new elections, Venezuela's Maduro shows off military might

Traditionally focussed on ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Islam, Saudi funding in the era of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been streamlined and finetuned to ensure that it serves his geopolitical ambitions, primarily stymying the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East and North Africa and enhancing the kingdom’s global impact.

The effort, however, has so far produced a mixed bag. Spending is down but more targeted. Saudi Arabia has handed over control of the Grand Mosque in Brussels in a move designed to demonstrate its newly found moderation and reduce the reputational damage of Saudi ultra-conservative management that had become contentious in Belgium.

Yet, monies still flowed to militant, ultra-conservative Madrassas or religious seminaries that dot the Pakistani-Iranian border. The kingdom’s focus, moreover, has shifted in selected countries to the promotion of a strand of Salafi ultra-conservatism that preaches absolute obedience to the ruler, a corollary to Prince Mohammed’s crackdown on critics and activists at home.

Saudi governmental, non-governmental organisations that once distributed the kingdom’s largesse to advance ultra-conservatism as well as officials have adopted the language of tolerance and respect and principles of inter-faith but have little tangible change at home to back it up.

To be sure, Prince Mohammed has lifted the ban on women’s driving, enhanced women’s work and leisure opportunities and kickstarted the creation of a modern entertainment industry but none of these measures amount to his promise to foster an unidentified but truly moderate form of Islam.

The prince’s moves, moreover, have been accompanied by an embrace of the European right and far-right, as well as, Western ultra-conservative groups that by and large are hardly beacons of tolerance and mutual respect.

“Saudi Arabia with MBS as Crown Prince has not been advocating Islamic religious reform,” said Middle East scholar HA Hellyer, referring to the Saudi leader by his initials.

“The existing Saudi religious establishment has not been encouraged to engage in a genuine rethinking of its ideas that draws it closer to the normative Sunni mainstream, nor listen to existing Saudi religious scholars who advocate more normative and mainstream approaches. Rather, the establishment has been muzzled. MBS’s ‘reforms’ in this arena are about centralising power—they are not about restoring the Saudi religious establishment to a normative Sunnism,” Hellyer added.

Prince Mohammed’s interest in non-Muslim, ultra-conservative groups in the West fits a global pattern, highlighted by political scientists Yascha Mounk and Roberto Stefan Foa, in which technological advances and the increased importance of soft power that lie at the root of Russian intervention in elections in the United States and Europe, have revealed the information and public relations policies of multiple autocratic states.

Technology and soft power, according to Messrs. Mounk and Foa, are likely to spark greater efforts by authoritarians and autocrats in general to influence Western nations and undermine confidence in democracy.

“Indeed, China is already stepping up ideological pressure on its overseas residents and establishing influential Confucius Institutes in major centres of learning. And over the past two years, Saudi Arabia has dramatically upped its payments to registered US lobbyists, increasing the number of registered foreign agents working on its behalf from 25 to 145… The rise of authoritarian soft power is already apparent across a variety of domains, including academia, popular culture, foreign investment, and development aid,” Messrs. Mounk and Foa said.

Saudi Arabia alongside other Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, as well as China, have furthermore been major donors to Western universities and think tanks and developed media outlets of their own such as Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Turkey’s TRT World China’s CCTV, and Russia’s RT that reach global audiences. They compete with the likes of the BBC and CNN.

The need for Saudi Arabia to acquire soft power was driven home by mounting Western criticism of its war in Yemen and condemnation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the premises of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The Saudi effort to do so by garnering conservative, right-wing and far-right support was evident in Northern Ireland.

Investigating a remarkable campaign by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a key support pillar of British prime minister Teresa May’s government, in favour of Britain’s exit from the European Union, Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole suggested that a senior member of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family and former head of the country’s intelligence service, Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, as well as its just replaced ambassador to Britain, had funded the anti-Brexit effort through a commercial tie-up with a relatively obscure Scottish conservative activist of modest means, Richard Cook.

The ambassador, Prince Nawaf’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud, was Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain until last month’s Saudi cabinet reshuffle.

“It may be entirely coincidental that the man who channelled £425,622 to the DUP had such extremely high-level Saudi connections. We simply don’t know. We also don’t know whether the… Saudi ambassador had any knowledge of his father’s connection to Richard Cook,” O’Toole said.

Similarly, Saudi Arabia has invited dozens of British members of parliament on all-expenses paid visits to the kingdom and showered at least 50 members of the government, including May, with enormous hampers of food weighing up to 18 pounds.

One package destined for a member of the House of Lords included seaweed and garlic mayonnaise; smoked salmon, trout and mussels; and a kilogram of Stilton cheese. Others contained bottles of claret, white wine, champagne, and Talisker whisky despite the kingdom’s ban of alcohol.

In a move similar to Russian efforts to influence European politics, Saudi Arabia has also forged close ties to conservative and far-right groups in Europe that include the Danish People’s Party and the Sweden Democrats as well as other Islamophobes, according to the member of the European parliament Eldar Mamedov.

Writing on LobeLog, Mamedov said the kingdom frequently worked through the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) bloc, the third largest grouping in the European parliament. Saudi Arabia also enjoyed the support of European Parliament member Mario Borghezio of Italy’s Lega, who is a member of Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), a bloc of far-right parties in the parliament.

The kingdom’s strategy, in a twist of irony, although in pursuit of different goals, resembles to a degree that of one of its nemeses, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim non-governmental organisation that has opposition to Saudi Arabia’s puritan strand of Islam carved into its DNA and has forged close ties to the European right and far-right in its bid to reform the faith.

The Saudi strategy could prove tricky, particularly in the United States, dependent on the evolution of US special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into foreign interference in the 2016 election that brought President Donald J Trump to the office.

Mueller reportedly is set in court filings to unveil efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the kingdom’s closest ally, to influence American politics. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Traditionally focussed on ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Islam, Saudi funding in the era of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been streamlined and finetuned to ensure that it serves his geopolitical ambitions, primarily stymying the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East and North Africa and enhancing the kingdom’s global impact.

Traditionally focussed on ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Islam, Saudi funding in the era of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been streamlined and finetuned to ensure that it serves his geopolitical ambitions, primarily stymying the expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East and North Africa and enhancing the kingdom’s global impact. The effort, however, has so far produced a mixed bag. Spending is down but more targeted. Saudi Arabia has handed over control of the Grand Mosque in Brussels in a move designed to demonstrate its newly found moderation and reduce the reputational damage of Saudi ultra-conservative management that had become contentious in Belgium. Yet, monies still flowed to militant, ultra-conservative Madrassas or religious seminaries that dot the Pakistani-Iranian border. The kingdom’s focus, moreover, has shifted in selected countries to the promotion of a strand of Salafi ultra-conservatism that preaches absolute obedience to the ruler, a corollary to Prince Mohammed’s crackdown on critics and activists at home. Saudi governmental, non-governmental organisations that once distributed the kingdom’s largesse to advance ultra-conservatism as well as officials have adopted the language of tolerance and respect and principles of inter-faith but have little tangible change at home to back it up. To be sure, Prince Mohammed has lifted the ban on women’s driving, enhanced women’s work and leisure opportunities and kickstarted the creation of a modern entertainment industry but none of these measures amount to his promise to foster an unidentified but truly moderate form of Islam. The prince’s moves, moreover, have been accompanied by an embrace of the European right and far-right, as well as, Western ultra-conservative groups that by and large are hardly beacons of tolerance and mutual respect. “Saudi Arabia with MBS as Crown Prince has not been advocating Islamic religious reform,” said Middle East scholar HA Hellyer, referring to the Saudi leader by his initials. “The existing Saudi religious establishment has not been encouraged to engage in a genuine rethinking of its ideas that draws it closer to the normative Sunni mainstream, nor listen to existing Saudi religious scholars who advocate more normative and mainstream approaches. Rather, the establishment has been muzzled. MBS’s ‘reforms’ in this arena are about centralising power—they are not about restoring the Saudi religious establishment to a normative Sunnism,” Hellyer added. Prince Mohammed’s interest in non-Muslim, ultra-conservative groups in the West fits a global pattern, highlighted by political scientists Yascha Mounk and Roberto Stefan Foa, in which technological advances and the increased importance of soft power that lie at the root of Russian intervention in elections in the United States and Europe, have revealed the information and public relations policies of multiple autocratic states. Technology and soft power, according to Messrs. Mounk and Foa, are likely to spark greater efforts by authoritarians and autocrats in general to influence Western nations and undermine confidence in democracy. “Indeed, China is already stepping up ideological pressure on its overseas residents and establishing influential Confucius Institutes in major centres of learning. And over the past two years, Saudi Arabia has dramatically upped its payments to registered US lobbyists, increasing the number of registered foreign agents working on its behalf from 25 to 145… The rise of authoritarian soft power is already apparent across a variety of domains, including academia, popular culture, foreign investment, and development aid,” Messrs. Mounk and Foa said. Saudi Arabia alongside other Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, as well as China, have furthermore been major donors to Western universities and think tanks and developed media outlets of their own such as Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Turkey’s TRT World China’s CCTV, and Russia’s RT that reach global audiences. They compete with the likes of the BBC and CNN. The need for Saudi Arabia to acquire soft power was driven home by mounting Western criticism of its war in Yemen and condemnation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the premises of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Saudi effort to do so by garnering conservative, right-wing and far-right support was evident in Northern Ireland. Investigating a remarkable campaign by Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a key support pillar of British prime minister Teresa May’s government, in favour of Britain’s exit from the European Union, Irish Times columnist Fintan O'Toole suggested that a senior member of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family and former head of the country’s intelligence service, Prince Nawwaf bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, as well as its just replaced ambassador to Britain, had funded the anti-Brexit effort through a commercial tie-up with a relatively obscure Scottish conservative activist of modest means, Richard Cook. The ambassador, Prince Nawaf’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf al Saud, was Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Britain until last month’s Saudi cabinet reshuffle. “It may be entirely coincidental that the man who channelled £425,622 to the DUP had such extremely high-level Saudi connections. We simply don’t know. We also don’t know whether the… Saudi ambassador had any knowledge of his father’s connection to Richard Cook,” O’Toole said. Similarly, Saudi Arabia has invited dozens of British members of parliament on all-expenses paid visits to the kingdom and showered at least 50 members of the government, including May, with enormous hampers of food weighing up to 18 pounds. One package destined for a member of the House of Lords included seaweed and garlic mayonnaise; smoked salmon, trout and mussels; and a kilogram of Stilton cheese. Others contained bottles of claret, white wine, champagne, and Talisker whisky despite the kingdom’s ban of alcohol. In a move similar to Russian efforts to influence European politics, Saudi Arabia has also forged close ties to conservative and far-right groups in Europe that include the Danish People’s Party and the Sweden Democrats as well as other Islamophobes, according to the member of the European parliament Eldar Mamedov. Writing on LobeLog, Mamedov said the kingdom frequently worked through the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) bloc, the third largest grouping in the European parliament. Saudi Arabia also enjoyed the support of European Parliament member Mario Borghezio of Italy’s Lega, who is a member of Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), a bloc of far-right parties in the parliament. The kingdom’s strategy, in a twist of irony, although in pursuit of different goals, resembles to a degree that of one of its nemeses, Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim non-governmental organisation that has opposition to Saudi Arabia’s puritan strand of Islam carved into its DNA and has forged close ties to the European right and far-right in its bid to reform the faith. The Saudi strategy could prove tricky, particularly in the United States, dependent on the evolution of US special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into foreign interference in the 2016 election that brought President Donald J Trump to the office. Mueller reportedly is set in court filings to unveil efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the kingdom’s closest ally, to influence American politics. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Saudi Arabia and the West’s right-wing: A dubious alliance

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-is-right-to-pull-us-troops-out-of-syria-says-putin-185511">the West was trying to hold back an increasingly powerful Russia</a>, during an end-of-year press conference that took aim at sanctions and "made-up" spy scandals.

At the marathon annual event he also trumpeted ambitious efforts to boost Russia's economy and warned that US plans to leave a key nuclear weapons treaty raised the risk of a new arms race.

Asked about Western sanctions against Moscow, Putin said these were "connected to the growth of Russia's power".

"A powerful player appears who needs to be reckoned with. Until recently it was thought there was no longer such a country," he said from behind a large wooden desk to an audience of hundreds of journalists.

The Russian leader also dismissed spy scandals -- such as the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England -- as invented to damage Russia's standing.

"If there hadn't been the Skripals, they would have made up something else. There is only one aim: to hold back Russia's development," he said, later lamenting that relations with Britain were at a "dead end".

Putin began the press conference, as usual, by reeling off economic growth figures.

"The main thing is that we need to get into a new economic league. We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we'll do that," he said.

Russia's economy is currently ranked 12th in the world by the International Monetary Fund, which lists the United States first, followed by China, Japan, Germany and Britain.

'Collapse' of arms control 
Putin said the economy grew 1.7 percent over the first 10 months of the year, roughly in line with predictions, while unemployment was down. Full-year growth is estimated at 1.8 percent.

Putin was re-elected to a fourth term in March with nearly 77 percent of the vote, but recent polls have seen his support drop below 50 percent.

His previous term in the Kremlin was defined by a decline in living standards for many Russians, despite what were perceived as foreign policy wins.

Raising the retirement age this year provoked anger and rare street protests but Putin said the hike was "unavoidable" when questioned on the subject.

Against a backdrop of strained ties with the United States, Putin praised President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria, but at the same time condemned his threat to withdraw from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.&nbsp;

"We are currently looking at a collapse of the international system of arms control," Putin said, warning that there was a growing tendency to "underestimate" the threat of nuclear war.

Putin also weighed in on key elections in the West, insisting Trump was legitimately elected president and that any attempt to cast doubt on this -- or the result of the Brexit referendum -- showed "disrespect" to voters.

In the wide-ranging session, Putin dismissed a recent crackdown on Russian rappers as pointless and condemned the creation of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church.&nbsp;

And he repeated Kremlin claims that Ukraine's actions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea were a "provocation", following a naval confrontation and Russia's arrest of several Ukrainian sailors.

Costumes, tambourines 
The Kremlin demands questions for Putin be sent in advance, but reporters every year go to great lengths to encourage the president to call on them.

On Thursday one journalist was dressed as a Russian fairytale character, the snow maiden, while another came holding a tambourine.&nbsp;

Organisers, however, put a size limit on the placards media representatives traditionally hold up to attract Putin's attention.

Putin's 14th end-of-year press conference ran to three hours, 43 minutes -- roughly an hour shy of the personal record he set in 2008.&nbsp;

The president began the annual press event in 2001. Since 2004, all December press conferences have surpassed three hours.

The appearance was shown live on several TV stations, with some channels trailing the event with a day-long countdown clock.&nbsp;

As Russia has become increasingly centralised under Putin, questions at the conference have begun to resemble lobbying attempts to resolve specific problems.&nbsp;

This year he promised to help open a new football pitch for children in Saint Petersburg, and coyly answered questions on his health and love life. 
&nbsp;

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the West was trying to hold back an increasingly powerful Russia, during an end-of-year press conference that took aim at sanctions and "made-up" spy scandals.

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the West was trying to hold back an increasingly powerful Russia, during an end-of-year press conference that took aim at sanctions and "made-up" spy scandals. At the marathon annual event he also trumpeted ambitious efforts to boost Russia's economy and warned that US plans to leave a key nuclear weapons treaty raised the risk of a new arms race. Asked about Western sanctions against Moscow, Putin said these were "connected to the growth of Russia's power". "A powerful player appears who needs to be reckoned with. Until recently it was thought there was no longer such a country," he said from behind a large wooden desk to an audience of hundreds of journalists. The Russian leader also dismissed spy scandals -- such as the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England -- as invented to damage Russia's standing. "If there hadn't been the Skripals, they would have made up something else. There is only one aim: to hold back Russia's development," he said, later lamenting that relations with Britain were at a "dead end". Putin began the press conference, as usual, by reeling off economic growth figures. "The main thing is that we need to get into a new economic league. We could very well take the fifth place in terms of size of economy. And I think we'll do that," he said. Russia's economy is currently ranked 12th in the world by the International Monetary Fund, which lists the United States first, followed by China, Japan, Germany and Britain. 'Collapse' of arms control Putin said the economy grew 1.7 percent over the first 10 months of the year, roughly in line with predictions, while unemployment was down. Full-year growth is estimated at 1.8 percent. Putin was re-elected to a fourth term in March with nearly 77 percent of the vote, but recent polls have seen his support drop below 50 percent. His previous term in the Kremlin was defined by a decline in living standards for many Russians, despite what were perceived as foreign policy wins. Raising the retirement age this year provoked anger and rare street protests but Putin said the hike was "unavoidable" when questioned on the subject. Against a backdrop of strained ties with the United States, Putin praised President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops out of Syria, but at the same time condemned his threat to withdraw from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. "We are currently looking at a collapse of the international system of arms control," Putin said, warning that there was a growing tendency to "underestimate" the threat of nuclear war. Putin also weighed in on key elections in the West, insisting Trump was legitimately elected president and that any attempt to cast doubt on this -- or the result of the Brexit referendum -- showed "disrespect" to voters. In the wide-ranging session, Putin dismissed a recent crackdown on Russian rappers as pointless and condemned the creation of an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. And he repeated Kremlin claims that Ukraine's actions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea were a "provocation", following a naval confrontation and Russia's arrest of several Ukrainian sailors. Costumes, tambourines The Kremlin demands questions for Putin be sent in advance, but reporters every year go to great lengths to encourage the president to call on them. On Thursday one journalist was dressed as a Russian fairytale character, the snow maiden, while another came holding a tambourine. Organisers, however, put a size limit on the placards media representatives traditionally hold up to attract Putin's attention. Putin's 14th end-of-year press conference ran to three hours, 43 minutes -- roughly an hour shy of the personal record he set in 2008. The president began the annual press event in 2001. Since 2004, all December press conferences have surpassed three hours. The appearance was shown live on several TV stations, with some channels trailing the event with a day-long countdown clock. As Russia has become increasingly centralised under Putin, questions at the conference have begun to resemble lobbying attempts to resolve specific problems. This year he promised to help open a new football pitch for children in Saint Petersburg, and coyly answered questions on his health and love life.

Putin says West trying to 'hold back' powerful Russia

Vladimir Putin on Monday said he would address disputes with the West after an election that saw him <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-elections-putin-wins-fourth-term-with-7667-of-vote-36284" target="_blank">return to the Kremlin</a> with a record vote share, as Moscow faces increasing isolation.

International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud.&nbsp;

The poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain along with fresh sanctions from Washington over allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election have isolated Moscow to an extent not seen since the Cold War.

The president, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, on Monday denied he was driving a new arms race with Washington after he unveiled a range of &quot;invincible&quot; nuclear weapons this month.

&quot;From our side, we will do all we can so that the disputes with our (international) partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means,&quot; he said during a meeting with the seven other candidates he resoundingly defeated on Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;It goes without saying that not everything depends on us -- as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all,&quot; he said.

Putin said he would focus on &quot;increasing the well-being of the residents of this country&quot; through investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure during his next term.

- Carrot and stick - 
With Putin&#39;s most vocal opponent Alexei Navalny barred from running for legal reasons, the outcome of the weekend election was never in doubt, and most of the suspense lay in how many people would turn out to vote.&nbsp;

The Kremlin pushed for high participation to give greater legitimacy to a fourth term for Putin, who is already Russia&#39;s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.&nbsp;

But Navalny called on supporters to boycott the vote and sent out more than 30,000 monitors to voting stations.

Navalny&#39;s movement and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse.

Fewer irregularities were reported than in previous years, however. An OSCE observer mission said that although the election was marred by a lack of &quot;genuine competition&quot;, it was generally well conducted.

Authorities used both the carrot and the stick to boost engagement in the polls.

Selfie competitions, giveaways, food festivals and children&#39;s entertainers were laid on at polling stations to entice voters.

But employees at state and private companies, as well as students, said they had come under other pressure to vote.

&#39;Modernising Russia&#39; 
Analysts said Putin used tensions with the West to rally support and suggested that armed with a strong new mandate, he could push through further punitive measures against dissenters.

Putin&#39;s campaign spokesman Andrei Kondrashov said that turnout, which was above 67 percent, was eight to 10 percentage points higher than expected. He claimed that was &quot;thanks to Britain.&quot;

London this month implicated Putin in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in England with a Soviet-designed nerve agent.

Most of the voters AFP spoke to said they had backed Putin despite Russia&#39;s problems of poverty and poor healthcare, praising his foreign policies.

Muted Western reactions 
Western leaders were slow to publicly acknowledge Putin&#39;s landslide win.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel &quot;warmly congratulated&quot; Putin while stressing in a message she wrote the need to continue dialogue &quot;to address important bilateral and international challenges and find viable solutions.&quot;

French President Emmanuel Macron wished Vladimir Putin success in &quot;modernising Russia&quot; after his re-election, but urged Moscow to shed light on the &quot;unacceptable&quot; attempted assassination of an ex-spy in Britain.

Macron also expressed concern over the war in Syria, in which Moscow plays a key role as the regime&#39;s closest ally, in a carefully-worded statement that steered clear of congratulating Putin directly.

Citing a report by independent observers, Britain&#39;s Foreign Office on Tuesday noted &quot;restrictions on fundamental freedoms... resulted in a lack of genuine competition in the election&quot;.

And 24 hours after the election, there has been no public comment from US President Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo called Putin to congratulate him on his victory as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has just gained a path to indefinite rule.

Grim mood 
Among liberal Russians the mood was grim.&nbsp;

&quot;Have you been thinking about emigrating for a long time? This really is the ideal moment,&quot; remarked Stanislav Kucher, a journalist for Kommersant FM radio.&nbsp;

Putin polled well ahead of his nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, who described the elections as &quot;dishonest&quot;.

With 99.84 percent of ballots counted, Grudinin had secured 11.8 percent.

Ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.66 percent, former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.67 percent, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over one percent of the vote.

International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud

Vladimir Putin on Monday said he would address disputes with the West after an election that saw him return to the Kremlin with a record vote share, as Moscow faces increasing isolation. International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud. The poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain along with fresh sanctions from Washington over allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election have isolated Moscow to an extent not seen since the Cold War. The president, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, on Monday denied he was driving a new arms race with Washington after he unveiled a range of "invincible" nuclear weapons this month. "From our side, we will do all we can so that the disputes with our (international) partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means," he said during a meeting with the seven other candidates he resoundingly defeated on Sunday. "It goes without saying that not everything depends on us -- as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all," he said. Putin said he would focus on "increasing the well-being of the residents of this country" through investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure during his next term. - Carrot and stick - With Putin's most vocal opponent Alexei Navalny barred from running for legal reasons, the outcome of the weekend election was never in doubt, and most of the suspense lay in how many people would turn out to vote. The Kremlin pushed for high participation to give greater legitimacy to a fourth term for Putin, who is already Russia's longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin. But Navalny called on supporters to boycott the vote and sent out more than 30,000 monitors to voting stations. Navalny's movement and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse. Fewer irregularities were reported than in previous years, however. An OSCE observer mission said that although the election was marred by a lack of "genuine competition", it was generally well conducted. Authorities used both the carrot and the stick to boost engagement in the polls. Selfie competitions, giveaways, food festivals and children's entertainers were laid on at polling stations to entice voters. But employees at state and private companies, as well as students, said they had come under other pressure to vote. 'Modernising Russia' Analysts said Putin used tensions with the West to rally support and suggested that armed with a strong new mandate, he could push through further punitive measures against dissenters. Putin's campaign spokesman Andrei Kondrashov said that turnout, which was above 67 percent, was eight to 10 percentage points higher than expected. He claimed that was "thanks to Britain." London this month implicated Putin in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in England with a Soviet-designed nerve agent. Most of the voters AFP spoke to said they had backed Putin despite Russia's problems of poverty and poor healthcare, praising his foreign policies. Muted Western reactions Western leaders were slow to publicly acknowledge Putin's landslide win. German Chancellor Angela Merkel "warmly congratulated" Putin while stressing in a message she wrote the need to continue dialogue "to address important bilateral and international challenges and find viable solutions." French President Emmanuel Macron wished Vladimir Putin success in "modernising Russia" after his re-election, but urged Moscow to shed light on the "unacceptable" attempted assassination of an ex-spy in Britain. Macron also expressed concern over the war in Syria, in which Moscow plays a key role as the regime's closest ally, in a carefully-worded statement that steered clear of congratulating Putin directly. Citing a report by independent observers, Britain's Foreign Office on Tuesday noted "restrictions on fundamental freedoms... resulted in a lack of genuine competition in the election". And 24 hours after the election, there has been no public comment from US President Donald Trump. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo called Putin to congratulate him on his victory as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has just gained a path to indefinite rule. Grim mood Among liberal Russians the mood was grim. "Have you been thinking about emigrating for a long time? This really is the ideal moment," remarked Stanislav Kucher, a journalist for Kommersant FM radio. Putin polled well ahead of his nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, who described the elections as "dishonest". With 99.84 percent of ballots counted, Grudinin had secured 11.8 percent. Ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.66 percent, former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.67 percent, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over one percent of the vote.

Putin says will engage with West after record vote win

The end of the Cold War saw an era of systemic redefinition, undermining the friend-enemy dichotomy that shaped the international system for half a century. The path of the American century has since been put in jeopardy by an initial &mdash; and troubled &mdash; period of US-led unipolarity and then by the growth of new powers in the East. Yet the expected emergence of an &ldquo;Asian century&rdquo; is more present than ever. As Michael Beckley, a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School notes, &ldquo;The &lsquo;rise of China&rsquo; has been the most read-about story&rdquo; of the 21st century. This shows the magnitude of a debate that has rapidly become mainstream among academics and the general public. Are we facing a progressive West-to-East power shift within the international community?

The decline of the west

The assumption behind the emergence of an Asian century is the ongoing decline of the West. Unsurprisingly, research about the decay of the Western system is remarkably rich. The essay that is often dubbed the modern progenitor of this scholarship is British historian Paul Kennedy&rsquo;s The Rise and Fall of Great Power. Kennedy&rsquo;s work is a complex historical analysis that finds the balance between economic wealth and military power the equilibrium that ensures the resilience of great powers. As Professor Patrick Porter of the University of Exeter notes, Kennedy&rsquo;s book became popular because of one short section in which he was directly engaged with the American decline, simultaneously stating the rise of Japan as next leading world power.

Many scholars have stressed the economic dimension of the decline. In 2011, Professor Danny Quah of the National University of Singapore proposed a quantitative model showing the shift of the global economic center of gravity toward the East. The Asian economic momentum has been highlighted by many researchers, while the French economist Guy Sorman notes that &ldquo;China has replaced Germany as the world&rsquo;s leading exporter.&rdquo; Furthermore, declinists produced their own vocabulary, introducing concepts such as the &ldquo;post-American world&rdquo; and &ldquo;Easternisation.&rdquo;

Despite its momentum of popularity, research on the decline of the West faces a constant and articulated critique. James Luko and Professor Michael Cox of the London School of Economics are among the many voices who argue for a nuanced interpretation of the Eastern ascent. Even the concept of the West-to-East power shift seems problematic. Asian countries, in fact, are not following a common path of economic development, nor do they constitute a cohesive political body. China is the rising power in the international community, albeit stretching and consolidating its regional leadership is still a crucial step for Beijing.

The constructed resilience of the western system

Most theories and critiques focus on the relative distribution of power and economic wealth as the essential indicators of a power shift. Although significant, these arguments fail to consider the relationship between the system and its components. This relationship is neither static nor purely geographic.

The international system is shaped by the dialogue and interaction of supra-national, national and sub-national subjects, and the values and norms they represent. This dialogue takes place in an environment in which a structure is already established: the West. In international relations, constructivist theories make a qualitative leap in considering material power and structural advantages as meaningful only through &ldquo;the structure of shared knowledge in which they are embedded,&rdquo; as per Professor Alexander Wendt of The Ohio State University. Consequently, the essence of this system is socially constructed, which is understood as mutual construction and interaction.

The West is more than a geographical or economic sum of state and material forces. It is a structure of shared norms and practices. The West is a socially constructed system that embraces every subject that accepts its structure. Here is the reason of its resilience: systemic subjects interact among themselves and with the framework in which they are embedded, and in this way, they constantly produce reinterpretations of what constitutes as &ldquo;Western.&rdquo;

As American historian Thomas Kuhn brilliantly states in his work, systems are organised in the form of paradigms. Once a paradigm is no longer efficient, a revolution occurs. A revolution completely redefines the existing language and premises and, in this way, it generates a new paradigm. At the present time, the West resembles a paradigm that is still developing.

The western paradigm still matters

The 2008 financial crisis, which was generated by the high default rate of the US mortgage sector and then resulted in the Great Recession, seemed to be a potential game changer. As the traumatic pivot from a long-lasting system of speculation and financial deregulation, the Great Recession showed a huge vacuum in the structure of Western political and economic governance. The financial crisis amounted to a domino effect that questioned the efficiency of democracy and capitalism. Nevertheless, the structure of the West could respond to the post-crisis recession by simply operating minimum changes within its paradigm. In a nutshell, even after the most tragic non-military crisis of its history, the West remains a valuable framework for Western actors.

A paradigm shift of the West did not occur and is unlikely to occur in the short or medium term. Non-Western actors are still attracted by the Western system. Unsurprisingly, figures show that US universities consistently see an increase in the number of Chinese students enrolled in their courses, which suggests the appreciation of the Western educational model among Chinese elites.

Moreover, Beijing is occupying the geopolitical space left free by the Trump administration. In his address to the 2017 Davos World Economic Forum, President Xi Jinping pictured China as &ldquo;the linchpin of global economic stability.&rdquo; While he was not promoting an alternative Chinese language, his speech was deeply embedded into the discursive framework established in the West. At Davos, Xi appeared more Western than any other leader.

Another indicator of resilience in the structure of the West can be seen in a speech delivered by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May. &ldquo;Mr Trump visited the region at the time millions of our people went to the polls,&rdquo; Rouhani said. &ldquo;He went to a country whose people haven&rsquo;t even seen ballot boxes and elections don&rsquo;t have any meaning for them. I hope one day Saudi Arabia also drives its national strength through elections. Power should not pass on through inheritance but through elections.&rdquo;

Since 1979, Iranian confrontation with the US has always been reciprocally fierce and harsh, with both actors keeping their distance and underlying the idea of their belonging to two different and competitive systems. In his speech, Rouhani directly accused the United States, which is still the major promoter of liberal democracy and holds its importance in Western identity, of being a strong ally of a non-democratic regime, Saudi Arabia. Rouhani implicitly pitched Iran as the new standard bearer of democracy in the Middle East. Again, however, the Iranian president&rsquo;s speech did not set an alternative paradigm, yet it re-elaborated the Iranian space of agency within the already established Western structure.

Eastern actors seek more agency to maneuverer

On the one hand, the West as a system of norms and discursive practices is still attractive and resilient, and it shows a general tendency to re-evaluate meaning and actions within that paradigm, rather than promoting an alternative one. However, it can be argued that China and other emerging Asian powers are efficient and capable of eventually filling the political spaces left by Western actors.

On the other hand, the relative power of China is undoubtedly growing, suggesting a partial erosion of US primacy. Nevertheless, the US and Europe still have some crucial structural advantages, as the Western system is based on norms and languages that are eminently American and European. If the power shift continues to happen within this environment, what can be expected in the short/medium term is an increase in the agency of Asian and Eastern countries, not a hegemonic substitution. This power shift is accelerated by the disengagement of the US from its global leadership role.

The construction of an alternative and attractive model is costly. Thus, rather than expecting the Easternisation of the Western system, the increased Westernisation of Eastern subjects is far more likely to happen.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/asia_pacific/western-world-news-china-america-latest-news-today-43045/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a>&nbsp;has been originally published in Fair Observer.

Eastern actors are likely to become more Western rather than building an alternative system.

The end of the Cold War saw an era of systemic redefinition, undermining the friend-enemy dichotomy that shaped the international system for half a century. The path of the American century has since been put in jeopardy by an initial — and troubled — period of US-led unipolarity and then by the growth of new powers in the East. Yet the expected emergence of an “Asian century” is more present than ever. As Michael Beckley, a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School notes, “The ‘rise of China’ has been the most read-about story” of the 21st century. This shows the magnitude of a debate that has rapidly become mainstream among academics and the general public. Are we facing a progressive West-to-East power shift within the international community? The decline of the west The assumption behind the emergence of an Asian century is the ongoing decline of the West. Unsurprisingly, research about the decay of the Western system is remarkably rich. The essay that is often dubbed the modern progenitor of this scholarship is British historian Paul Kennedy’s The Rise and Fall of Great Power. Kennedy’s work is a complex historical analysis that finds the balance between economic wealth and military power the equilibrium that ensures the resilience of great powers. As Professor Patrick Porter of the University of Exeter notes, Kennedy’s book became popular because of one short section in which he was directly engaged with the American decline, simultaneously stating the rise of Japan as next leading world power. Many scholars have stressed the economic dimension of the decline. In 2011, Professor Danny Quah of the National University of Singapore proposed a quantitative model showing the shift of the global economic center of gravity toward the East. The Asian economic momentum has been highlighted by many researchers, while the French economist Guy Sorman notes that “China has replaced Germany as the world’s leading exporter.” Furthermore, declinists produced their own vocabulary, introducing concepts such as the “post-American world” and “Easternisation.” Despite its momentum of popularity, research on the decline of the West faces a constant and articulated critique. James Luko and Professor Michael Cox of the London School of Economics are among the many voices who argue for a nuanced interpretation of the Eastern ascent. Even the concept of the West-to-East power shift seems problematic. Asian countries, in fact, are not following a common path of economic development, nor do they constitute a cohesive political body. China is the rising power in the international community, albeit stretching and consolidating its regional leadership is still a crucial step for Beijing. The constructed resilience of the western system Most theories and critiques focus on the relative distribution of power and economic wealth as the essential indicators of a power shift. Although significant, these arguments fail to consider the relationship between the system and its components. This relationship is neither static nor purely geographic. The international system is shaped by the dialogue and interaction of supra-national, national and sub-national subjects, and the values and norms they represent. This dialogue takes place in an environment in which a structure is already established: the West. In international relations, constructivist theories make a qualitative leap in considering material power and structural advantages as meaningful only through “the structure of shared knowledge in which they are embedded,” as per Professor Alexander Wendt of The Ohio State University. Consequently, the essence of this system is socially constructed, which is understood as mutual construction and interaction. The West is more than a geographical or economic sum of state and material forces. It is a structure of shared norms and practices. The West is a socially constructed system that embraces every subject that accepts its structure. Here is the reason of its resilience: systemic subjects interact among themselves and with the framework in which they are embedded, and in this way, they constantly produce reinterpretations of what constitutes as “Western.” As American historian Thomas Kuhn brilliantly states in his work, systems are organised in the form of paradigms. Once a paradigm is no longer efficient, a revolution occurs. A revolution completely redefines the existing language and premises and, in this way, it generates a new paradigm. At the present time, the West resembles a paradigm that is still developing. The western paradigm still matters The 2008 financial crisis, which was generated by the high default rate of the US mortgage sector and then resulted in the Great Recession, seemed to be a potential game changer. As the traumatic pivot from a long-lasting system of speculation and financial deregulation, the Great Recession showed a huge vacuum in the structure of Western political and economic governance. The financial crisis amounted to a domino effect that questioned the efficiency of democracy and capitalism. Nevertheless, the structure of the West could respond to the post-crisis recession by simply operating minimum changes within its paradigm. In a nutshell, even after the most tragic non-military crisis of its history, the West remains a valuable framework for Western actors. A paradigm shift of the West did not occur and is unlikely to occur in the short or medium term. Non-Western actors are still attracted by the Western system. Unsurprisingly, figures show that US universities consistently see an increase in the number of Chinese students enrolled in their courses, which suggests the appreciation of the Western educational model among Chinese elites. Moreover, Beijing is occupying the geopolitical space left free by the Trump administration. In his address to the 2017 Davos World Economic Forum, President Xi Jinping pictured China as “the linchpin of global economic stability.” While he was not promoting an alternative Chinese language, his speech was deeply embedded into the discursive framework established in the West. At Davos, Xi appeared more Western than any other leader. Another indicator of resilience in the structure of the West can be seen in a speech delivered by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May. “Mr Trump visited the region at the time millions of our people went to the polls,” Rouhani said. “He went to a country whose people haven’t even seen ballot boxes and elections don’t have any meaning for them. I hope one day Saudi Arabia also drives its national strength through elections. Power should not pass on through inheritance but through elections.” Since 1979, Iranian confrontation with the US has always been reciprocally fierce and harsh, with both actors keeping their distance and underlying the idea of their belonging to two different and competitive systems. In his speech, Rouhani directly accused the United States, which is still the major promoter of liberal democracy and holds its importance in Western identity, of being a strong ally of a non-democratic regime, Saudi Arabia. Rouhani implicitly pitched Iran as the new standard bearer of democracy in the Middle East. Again, however, the Iranian president’s speech did not set an alternative paradigm, yet it re-elaborated the Iranian space of agency within the already established Western structure. Eastern actors seek more agency to maneuverer On the one hand, the West as a system of norms and discursive practices is still attractive and resilient, and it shows a general tendency to re-evaluate meaning and actions within that paradigm, rather than promoting an alternative one. However, it can be argued that China and other emerging Asian powers are efficient and capable of eventually filling the political spaces left by Western actors. On the other hand, the relative power of China is undoubtedly growing, suggesting a partial erosion of US primacy. Nevertheless, the US and Europe still have some crucial structural advantages, as the Western system is based on norms and languages that are eminently American and European. If the power shift continues to happen within this environment, what can be expected in the short/medium term is an increase in the agency of Asian and Eastern countries, not a hegemonic substitution. This power shift is accelerated by the disengagement of the US from its global leadership role. The construction of an alternative and attractive model is costly. Thus, rather than expecting the Easternisation of the Western system, the increased Westernisation of Eastern subjects is far more likely to happen. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer.

The West still matters

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat.&nbsp; 
The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April.&nbsp; 
WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time.&nbsp; 
&quot;WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak,&quot; said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea.&nbsp; 
He called for vigilance to &quot;stop any new cases that may occur.&quot; 
In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over.&nbsp; 
The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.&nbsp;

An outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea, which was earlier confined to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, was the first ever outbreak in a west African country. Since March 2014, West Africa has had the largest outbreak in history, with countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea being the worst affected.

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat. The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April. WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time. "WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak," said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea. He called for vigilance to "stop any new cases that may occur." In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over. The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.

Latest Ebola outbreak in Guinea is over: WHO

west

West, News on West, stories on West, articles on West, West stories at Wion, West news, West latest news