Latest news with #AbdelhaqAzzouzi
See - Sada Elbalad
14-04-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
The Principle of Ambiguity and The Course of History
By Prof. Abdelhaq Azzouzi Throughout history, scholars of international relations and the sociology of political events have often discussed principles and theories that summarize conceptual frameworks built by the human mind to link certain principles to specific outcomes. These frameworks interpret various phenomena through a deductive system and define causal relationships between strategic variables. They assist decision-makers in shaping their strategies, strengthening public policies, and avoiding pitfalls and errors. Today, with the current occupant of the White House imposing tariffs on countries worldwide, repeatedly backtracking on decisions, and facing intense scrutiny from all nations over his plans, which remain shrouded in mystery, it is evident that the United States is adopting a strategy of ambiguity. This phase is likely to continue for a long time. The principle of ambiguity will have significant repercussions on international markets, the structure of the new world order, future conflicts, and the lives of millions of individuals across the globe. In a message delivered to the United States Congress on December 2, 1823, American President James Monroe announced the Monroe Doctrine. This principle aimed to guarantee the independence of all nations in the Western Hemisphere against European intervention. It forbade the creation of new colonies in the Americas and restricted the expansion of existing American colonies, promoting non-intervention and non-occupation. The Monroe Doctrine achieved its intended results. In March 1947, President Harry Truman introduced the Truman Doctrine, which sought to assist free peoples resisting armed minorities or external pressures. According to Truman's understanding, totalitarian regimes are always fueled by poverty and deprivation, thriving when a people's hope for a better life dies. The Truman Doctrine successfully raised awareness among the American people of their responsibility to defend vulnerable nations and demonstrated America's readiness to oppose appeasement tactics, halting the anticipated communist victory in Greece after the British government decided to cease its aid. Following this, in June 1947, President Truman appointed General George Marshall as Secretary of State. Marshall announced his plan to support Europe economically, known as the Marshall Plan. Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov famously referred to the Marshall Plan as a new form of colonialism. Under the Marshall Plan, the United States spent more than 12 billion dollars to support the economies of Western Europe. This assistance had tangible effects not only on economic recovery but also on political stability in the aging European continent. In 1968, the struggling Soviet Union announced the Brezhnev Doctrine, named after leader Leonid Brezhnev. This principle was similar to the Truman Doctrine but operated in the opposite direction, aiming to support movements hostile to Western interests and intervening directly in the internal affairs of sovereign nations. The Brezhnev Doctrine resulted in the strengthening of Soviet-Cuban relations, the Soviet intervention in Prague in 1968, and the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. In 1989, the end of the Cold War was symbolized by a surprising new principle. When Mikhail Gorbachev's spokesperson was asked about the relevance of the Brezhnev Doctrine amid democratic waves sweeping Hungary and Poland, he responded that the principle now guiding events was the Sinatra Doctrine. This paved the way for a surge of democracy across Eastern Europe. Today, a new Principle of Ambiguity emerges under President Trump's administration. Some might have preferred to label his strategy the 'Madman Strategy,' echoing Richard Nixon's approach intended to convince North Vietnam that he was willing to do anything, including the use of nuclear weapons, to end the Vietnam War. However, in President Trump's case, the principle he applies is ambiguity, uncertainty, and unpredictability in economic, financial, and geopolitical arenas crucial to the future of nations worldwide. Trump is a leader who understands what he says and does, yet his true intentions remain impossible to predict. One must master the art of strategic intelligence, remain calm, avoid rash responses, and realize that the world has changed. The era of operating under the structured rules of the World Trade Organization and traditional diplomacy has ended. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Arts & Culture Arwa Gouda Gets Married (Photos)
See - Sada Elbalad
06-04-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Facts About International Negotiations
By Prof. Abdelhaq Azzouzi I recommend that anyone interested in understanding the concepts of negotiations and international relations—particularly as taught in the literature of universities and decision-making centers in the United States—should read Donald Nuechterlein's book 'America Overcommitted: United States National Interests in the 1980s.' In this book, Nuechterlein defines national interests as: 'The perceived needs and desires of a sovereign state in relation to other sovereign states that constitute its external environment.' The nature of the strategic environment, as described in the same book regarding the development of policy and strategy, implies a more comprehensive mode of thinking. It refers to: 'The needs and desires of a sovereign state in relation not only to other sovereign states but also to non-governmental actors, coincidences, and circumstances in an emerging strategic environment described as the desired end state.' This inclusive definition reveals the dynamic nature of the strategic environment, which is subject to a number of actors, coincidences, and interactions. It also involves both external and internal components. Nuechterlein identified four core American interests: 1. Homeland defense 2. Economic prosperity 3. A preferred world order 4. The spread of values The value of clearly and precisely defining these interests lies in their utility for formulating sound policy and strategy. Precision is a crucial feature in creating good policy and strategy. It clears up confusion, sharpens vision, and provides clarity, enabling the elimination of intellectual obscurity that is unacceptable in international relations and comparative political science. Rethinking the "Preferred World Order" Focusing on the notion of a preferred world order brings up the need for a precise understanding of its mechanisms and outcomes, as well as how to integrate successfully within its frameworks and master its algorithms. This brings into question the concept of value-spreading mentioned by Nuechterlein, which appears less accurate in describing American foreign policy—particularly under President Donald Trump, who effectively buried that idea in favor of other priorities. Trump grasped the secret behind China's Belt and Road success: that China is not an ideological or evangelizing state. Unlike Western nations such as the U.S. and France, which attempt to export their models and believe that no political openness or societal progress can be achieved without adopting not only their intellectual, cultural, and social models, but also their economic and political systems. Thus, Western nations created development agencies, human rights organizations, and conditioned loans to developing nations on adherence to global human rights principles and political openness. They also established think tanks—often state-funded—that rank countries based on their respect (or lack thereof) for global human rights frameworks and categorize them as democratic, semi-democratic, or authoritarian. The End of the Evangelical Model Such rhetoric no longer holds sway in Trump's doctrine. China, for example, so long as its territory and sovereign interests remain unharmed, pursues a non-interventionist foreign policy that operates quietly and pragmatically without interfering in the sovereign affairs of other states. It pays no attention to Western 'evangelism,' rankings, or the classifications made by research institutions. It promotes a principle that any country's economic success does not necessitate another's failure, refuting the friend-enemy binary and instead embracing a win-win logic. This understanding clarifies why Trump decided to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and withdraw from certain international organizations. A New Doctrine of International Negotiation Returning to the notion of a preferred world order, there's the issue of multidimensional international negotiations: strategic, security, economic, financial, and industrial. These are areas where the U.S. president excels, managing to disorient adversaries or force them into full compliance with his terms. Negotiations, as we teach our university students, are not a science governed by fixed mathematical rules that help the negotiator or diplomat reach desired outcomes. Rather, they are an art form that relies on experience, foresight, and the ability to influence the future. They require: - Deep knowledge of the issue at hand - A well-informed assessment of options and alternatives - A level of mastery similar to internal medicine, which diagnoses and treats complex inter-organ diseases Today's international negotiations—whether concerning the Russia-Ukraine crisis, territorial disputes, or tariff issues—are all driven by a new Trumpian doctrine. This doctrine may reveal the starting point, but it hides the end goal, making it impossible to predict outcomes. Negotiators thus find themselves in a highly uncertain environment, where conventional expectations collapse. In this context, the negotiator must possess a keen strategic mindset, along with enough knowledge and expertise to extract the key components of this uncertain phase of negotiations, in order to reach targeted objectives and fulfill intended goals. This becomes especially difficult when one of the parties is today's United States of America. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Egypt confirms denial of airspace access to US B-52 bombers News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia News Australia Fines Telegram $600,000 Over Terrorism, Child Abuse Content Lifestyle Pistachio and Raspberry Cheesecake Domes Recipe Arts & Culture Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's $4.7M LA Home Burglarized Videos & Features Bouchra Dahlab Crowned Miss Arab World 2025 .. Reem Ganzoury Wins Miss Arab Africa Title (VIDEO) News Israeli PM Diagnosed with Stage 3 Prostate Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple
See - Sada Elbalad
03-03-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Social Media Networks, Public Opinion Formation
Dr. Abdelhaq Azzouzi The Saudi Media Forum, in its fourth edition this year, demonstrated a culture of productivity and creativity, bringing together over 2,000 speakers and media professionals from fields such as politics, energy, media, economics, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. Participants engaged in 80 discussion panels and knowledge exchanges, along with 11 interactive initiatives and experiences. I was honored to speak at this vibrant intellectual and media event about the impact of new media on public opinion—a topic of great importance, as it shapes viewpoints and influences policies worldwide. This virtual world has become an inseparable part of daily life for children, teenagers, young adults, ordinary citizens, politicians, statesmen, political parties, nations, business leaders, and corporations. It is now a necessity in mass communication, making it impossible to ignore. It has also disrupted traditional audio-visual media, as influence is no longer limited to elites. Social media has become an open space where numerous actors contribute to shaping public discourse. Social media platforms have gained widespread acceptance among the public, offering the advantage of instant and real-time interaction with published content. People can now engage with news while sitting at home, on a bus, on an airplane, or in classrooms and university halls. Whoever controls these platforms effectively holds the keys to minds and hearts. Former U.S. President Donald Trump understood this power during his election campaign and allied himself with Elon Musk, the most influential figure in social media. In exchange for Musk's help in running his campaign using this new digital landscape, Trump promised him significant responsibilities and open doors. Trump recognized social media as a powerful, effective, and reliable tool. It has continued to attract more users across all ages, demographics, and social levels. The result was clear: social media helped Trump deliver his messages to the masses, undermine his opponents, attract Republicans and even many Democrats to his side, and gain unconditional support to implement his policies, even when they defied conventions. The power of social media lies in its ability to influence and shape public opinion in the political sphere, using a language accessible to all audiences and available in multiple languages—unlike traditional media. However, this influence has created unprecedented social challenges, such as digital addiction. This addiction, similar to other forms of dependency, affects mental health, social relationships, and daily activities. Today, psychiatric clinics are filled with patients suffering from digital addiction. If sociologists were to conduct field studies, they would likely find a significant rise in such cases, highlighting a serious issue that requires precise strategies and policies to combat and mitigate its effects. Moreover, social media platforms are difficult to monitor and regulate. Governments lack the necessary infrastructure to fully control digital content or shut down these networks. The influence of social media extends beyond domestic affairs to impact international strategic environments. Several European countries, including Norway, France, Germany, and Spain, have recently voiced strong concerns over Elon Musk's interference in their electoral processes. They accuse him of using social media to manipulate political dynamics, promote regressive ideologies, and incite hate speech and misinformation within their internal political arenas. For example, Musk has made public endorsements encouraging votes for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Amid Germany's political struggles, the AfD has gained significant momentum in recent legislative elections. Similarly, far-right parties across Europe recently gathered in Madrid, with Musk's overt and covert support. The event saw the participation of prominent right-wing figures, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Austria's far-right Freedom Party, France's National Rally led by Marine Le Pen, and the Dutch Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders. During the forum, distinguished journalist Rima Maktabi asked me about issues related to digital begging, online delinquency, and misinformation. I responded by emphasizing the challenge of balancing freedom of expression with the need to uphold universally accepted values. This involves regulating and monitoring social media content in a way that aligns with common human principles. However, this is not a task for a single country or organization. Instead, it requires strengthening regional and international alliances to negotiate effectively with major global tech companies and establish a more accountable digital ecosystem.
