Trumpism: A political phenomenon that defies all definition
Or perhaps, with his drive to dismantle government, privatize services and oppose federal authority, he is moving closer to the anarcho-capitalist branch of libertarianism? But then, what of tariffs and border controls – measures that directly contradict libertarian orthodoxy? All these terms have been used to describe Trumpism. And there are more.
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LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
UK, US hosting Western national security advisers on Ukraine
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Vice President JD Vance will host a meeting of national security advisers from Europe and the US on Saturday, August 9, to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said. The meeting will be "a vital forum to discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace," Downing Street said, in an account of a phone call Saturday between Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Both leaders welcomed President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end and agreed that we must keep up the pressure on Putin to end his illegal war," the readout added. "The Prime Minister ended the call by reiterating his unwavering support for Ukraine and its people." It follows confirmation that Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Alaska next Friday in a bid to end the war, which was triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. There has been no mention yet of Ukrainian participation in next Friday's summit, despite Kyiv and European capitals insisting that the war-torn country must be part of the negotiations. However, Ukraine's national security adviser will participate in Saturday's meeting, alongside other European and American counterparts, Downing Street noted. Vance is currently in the UK on holiday, kicking off his visit Friday by meeting Lammy at the British government's country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London. It is understood the United States requested Saturday's meeting to discuss the next steps in Trump's push for peace, and that it will be hosted from Chevening. Talks are expected to last the day in Kent, according to UK government sources.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Trump stakes a claim on Putin's former stronghold
Determined to pose as a peacemaker between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Donald Trump set out to reconcile two age-old enemies by opening new transport routes. On Friday, August 8, in Washington, the American president orchestrated the signing of a moratorium with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, a move that could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus. "They fought for 35 years and now, they are friends, and they will remain so for a long time," he said at the ceremony at the White House. Signed by all three leaders, the agreement outlines the creation of an ambitious transit corridor – rail, road, energy infrastructure with oil and gas pipelines, and digital fiber optic cables – designed to connect, over 32 kilometers, Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, neighboring Turkey, via the Armenian province of Syunik, which borders Iran. Named the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," the project aims to open up the entire region. The route offers Turkey a territorial link with its Azerbaijani ally and, beyond that, with oil- and gas-rich Central Asia. It also promises significant benefits for Armenia in terms of connectivity and financial gains. Additionally, it is expected to encourage Ankara and Baku to reopen their borders with Yerevan, closed for nearly four decades. "We are laying a foundation to write a better story than the one we inherited from the past," Nikol Pashinyan said after the signing, while President Aliyev praised Trump who, "in six months, did a miracle," by creating "connectivity opportunities for so many countries."
Euronews
5 hours ago
- Euronews
Nagasaki commemorates 80th anniversary of atomic bomb drop
A minute of silence was observed today in Nagasaki, precisely at the time of the atomic bomb explosion which was dropped by an American bomber on the Japanese city eighty years ago, while the restored bell tower of the city's church rang — for the first time since then. On 9 August 1945, at 11:02, just three days after Hiroshima, Nagasaki was struck by the horror of a nuclear attack. Some 74,000 people lost their lives in the city, a major port in the south-western part of the archipelago, adding to the 140,000 deaths of Hiroshima. 'Eighty years have passed, and who would have imagined the world would come to this? Stop armed conflicts immediately!' urged Shiro Suzuki, mayor of the martyred city, during the ceremony attended by representatives from over a hundred nations. 'Conflicts are escalating across various regions due to the vicious cycle of strife and division. A crisis capable of threatening the very survival of humanity itself — such as nuclear war — looms over all who inhabit this planet,' he added, shortly after the heavy rain which had fallen throughout the morning eased, just before the minute's silence was observed. International participation — a record turnout — was notably marked by the presence of Russia, which had not attended the anniversary since its military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Israel, whose ambassador was excluded last year in protest at the conflict in Gaza — prompting a boycott by other G7 ambassadors — was present this time. That explosion feels as though it happened 'in ancient times, but for those who lived through it, it is as fresh as yesterday. We must keep alive the memory of these real events,' said Atsuko Higuchi, a 50-year-old Nagasaki resident, at the Peace Park. A symbol of this memorial is the cathedral bell, destroyed by the atomic bomb: it was restored in the spring by American Christians and placed beside the existing bell before ringing once more on the anniversary, for the first time in eighty years. The striking red-brick Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception stands atop a hill. Rebuilt in 1959, the building was almost obliterated when the bomb exploded just a few hundred metres away. Only one of the two bells was recovered from the ruins. For the church's priest, Kenichi Yamamura, the restoration 'demonstrates the grandeur of the human spirit' and is 'proof that those belonging to one side of a conflict that struck another may one day seek to make amends.' The aim is not 'to forget the wounds of the past, but to acknowledge them and work to heal, to rebuild, and thereby labour together for peace,' Mr Yamamura told the French Press Agency. The priest wished to send a message to a world shaken by multiple armed conflicts and caught up in a frantic arms race. 'We must not respond to violence with violence, but rather show through the way we live and pray just how irrational it is to take another's life,' he added. An American university professor, whose grandfather had been involved in the Manhattan Project — the development of the first nuclear weapons used in the Second World War — led the restoration project for the bell. James Nolan, a sociology professor in Massachusetts, raised approximately €107,200 from American Catholics for the endeavour. At the unveiling of the restored bell in spring, 'there were people who literally wept,' recalled Mr Nolan. Many American Catholics he met were unaware of the painful history of Nagasaki's Christians. Converted to Christianity in the 16th century by European missionaries, they endured persecution by the Japanese shoguns; practising and spreading their faith in secret for over 250 years. This story was recounted in the novel Silence by Japanese Catholic author Shūsaku Endō — adapted for the big screen by Martin Scorsese in 2016. 'We are talking about centuries of martyrdom, torture, illegality, mockery and persecution because of their faith,' Mr Nolan emphasised, referring to the Japanese Catholics. American Catholics were inspired by 'their willingness to forgive and rebuild, and their devotion to prayer,' he added. The atomic bombings dealt the final blow to the Japanese empire, which surrendered on 15 August 1945, bringing the Second World War to a close. Yet historians continue to debate whether and to what extent these bombings hastened the end of the war and saved lives, given the suffering endured by the hibakusha — the survivors — who, among other hardships, faced lifelong discrimination and were at a very high risk of developing certain types of cancer.
