Latest news with #CampDavidAccords
Memri
2 days ago
- Politics
- Memri
Dr. Sherif Gindy, CAIR-Linked Imam in Michigan Friday Sermon: Jihad Is Due; Mosques in India Destroyed, Mosques in Europe Shut Down, and Women All Over the World Are Asked to Remove the Hijab because
In his May 23, 2025 Friday sermon at the Islamic Organization of North America (IONA) in Michigan, Dr. Sherif Gindy discussed the importance of Jihad. He said the reason mosques were destroyed in India, closed in the European Union, and Muslim girls were asked to remove their hijabs worldwide is because Jihad was 'ceased.' He explained that Jihad means defending Islam with force, power, and strength, as well as through non-violent means. He then quoted a verse from the Quran in which the Jews told Moses they would not enter the Holy Land until the 'ferocious people' left it. Gindy asked what would make these 'ferocious people' leave Jerusalem, saying it would not be 'negotiations, treaties, the Camp David Accords,' bur rather, he stated: 'They will not go out, except by force.' It is worth noting that Sherif Gindy (also spelled Sharif Gindy), who immigrated to the United States from Egypt, was listed as a board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Michigan chapter as of December 2023.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
The foreign policy titan who saw this moment coming
Ever since World War Two, the United States has boasted a storied bench of foreign policy titans – primarily men – who more or less managed to stay above partisan politics to focus on shaping the world order. Think of people like Henry Kissinger. George Kennan. Robert McNamara. Jim Baker. Among them is Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Polish immigrant who worked his way up from escaping World War Two, to becoming the US National Security Advisor under President Jimmy Carter. Brzezinski's life has as much history in it as just about anyone I can think of. His earliest memories were of living as a child in Germany and watching the Nazis rise to power. He spearheaded normalisation of US ties with China. He advised Jimmy Carter on how to handle the Iran Hostage Crisis. He was a key broker during the Camp David Accords. And he always believed the Soviet Union, the US's great foe, could be defeated, not just contained. Near the end of his life, Brzezinski had a warning for his adopted country. The Soviet Union was gone. The economy was strong. The US seemed invincible. But Brzezinski feared that a decline in US leadership was coming – and that it would be disastrous for both the US and the rest of the world. Ed Luce is a journalist at the Financial Times and author of the new book, Zbig. We spoke about why Brzezinski was such a prophetic figure in US foreign policy – and what he would have made of the current state of the world. It was a really eye-opening conversation; you can watch (or read) more of it below. Below is an excerpt from our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity. Katty Kay: Why choose Zbigniew Brzezinski? Why, in this moment, write about that person? Edward Luce: I was given tonnes of primary material, including the diaries he kept as national security adviser, where he would sort of speak paragraphs into his dictaphone every night, going home from the White House. I think his life was mostly dominated by the Cold War. So, when the Cold War ended, at a time when everyone else, or most other people, were triumphalist about the victory of the West and particularly of America, Brzezinski began warning that the rot now, from within, was America's major challenge. He accused Americans of hubris and of not understanding how quickly they could alienate Russia, Iran, China and fellow travellers. And that was quite prescient. And that's why the subtitle of my book is "America's great power prophet". He had a very good predictive record. KK: Was there something you learned writing this book, Ed, that made you think that this man seems relevant in 2025? EL: With a biography, you really need to get into the crucible where that character was made – and for Brzezinski, clearly it was interwar Poland, ending in this horrible conflagration where the Nazis and the Soviets divide the country and then raze it, essentially. In odd ways, it's not dissimilar to Henry Kissinger, whose Jewish extended family mostly died in the Holocaust and he coincidentally left Europe in the same year as Brzezinski: 1938. I think in both cases, but in very different ways, this shaped how they viewed the world, but one very similar way – which is that civilisation is inherently fragile; it's inherently unstable. I think that is something that both men, although they disagreed on so much, agreed on about America. It's that America somehow sees itself as standing apart from history and is not subject to its tragic laws. In 2025, with us living through what some people call the "revenge of geopolitics" that's going on around the world, it's very good for Americans to be reminded of the importance of understanding the value of what we have – and what we could be losing. A little bit like good health: you only rate it when you lose it. KK: As I went through the book, you keep coming across these issues around the world that America is still dealing with. There's Russia, there's the problems with Europe, there's the Middle East, of course the Iran hostage case, China – and it's the same issues, most of which have not been resolved. I wonder if there's anything in Brzezinski that would look at where we are today and say: "Maybe we didn't get it right". EL: I did a lot of interviews with Henry Kissinger for this book, and he said, "Look, I think what we don't understand so well in America is that history never stops. It goes on and on and on". If you look at how they both dealt with China, bringing China more into the American camp and breaking it away from the Soviets in the '70s. This was a brilliant strategic chessboard move, but of course it also seeded the rise of China, which is now a problem that America is indefinitely going to have to grapple with. Another is the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: a perfectly sensible, although controversial, decision by Brzezinski to fund the Mujahideen rebellion against the Soviets. It helped contribute to the demise of the Soviet Union, but that then creates problems down the line of Islamism and worldwide terrorism. History does go on and on. And it does require solutions for the short and medium term, but there is never a permanent solution to anything. I think that sort of grit and pessimism at the heart of these strategic thinkers is something that's quite valuable. It schools us to realise you have to deal with what's in front of you and if you aim to an unrealistic height, you're going to fall flat on your face. KK: Are there any of those big strategic thinkers today? EL: Look, I think America is full of the most extraordinary scholarship of all regions of the world. But you don't see any scholar who's able to become a scholar practitioner in the way that Brezenski or Kissinger or George Kennan were. It's not because they're not there, but I think the demand for them has decreased. Foreign policy has become much, much more political. It's become domestic politics. Politics doesn't stop at the water's edge, as people used to say. KK: In his later years, Brzezinski felt that America lacked a kind of grand, overarching strategy. But you look at the Trump administration now and whatever you might say about the tactics and the implementation, Trump does have an overall grand vision for America, doesn't he? EL: I think it's a grand series of impulses. I don't think it has a real strategy behind it. The core of the Trump vision is essentially that we live in a jungle and big predators are more powerful than small predators. Trump sees the Western Hemisphere as America's backyard – and therefore we can do what we like, even to Canada, even to friends. Ukraine is Russia's backyard. And Taiwan, I think by implication, is China's. I don't think Brzezinski would have agreed – well, I know he disagreed with that. He would probably be looking to stoke Russian paranoia about China just to keep them a little bit suspicious of each other so that they don't unite. Things like Russian fears that China wants the territory back that the czars seized from it in the 19th Century. The fact that Russia is probably going to be the biggest beneficiary of climate change and you'll see the Siberian tundra unfreezing and becoming agricultural. China has acute population pressures. There's a lot of material to play with there, if you want to be Machiavellian and to pry Russia and China apart. I think he – and probably Kissinger, too – would be looking at that kind of strategy. I think Trump's policies are pushing Russia and China closer together which, again, just in terms of chessboard logic, it's not smart to unite your enemies. Try and keep them divided. Try and stoke mutual suspicion. --
Shafaq News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's 4th Arab summit tests diplomatic comeback
Shafaq News/ Baghdad is set to host its fifth Arab League summit on May 17, 2025—marking a fresh bid to reclaim its place as a regional convener after decades of war, isolation, and political transition. 1978: Baghdad Leads Arab Backlash Iraq's summit history began in 1978 when Baghdad hosted its first Arab League meeting under President Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr, with significant involvement from then–Vice President Saddam Hussein. At the time, Iraq enjoyed relative political stability and used the summit to spearhead Arab opposition to Camp David Accords, Egypt's peace deal with Israel. The summit's outcome—suspending Egypt's Arab League membership and relocating the organization's headquarters from Cairo to Tunis—marked a pivotal shift in inter-Arab dynamics. Iraq positioned itself as a leading voice of pan-Arab nationalism and staunch opposition to separate peace deals with Israel. 1990: Summit Before the Storm In 1990, Iraq hosted its second summit, this time under Saddam Hussein's presidency and against the backdrop of economic turmoil following the Iran-Iraq War. Though the meeting addressed critical issues such as the Palestinian (The establishment of Israel after WW2) cause and Yemen's unification, it failed to defuse Iraq's escalating tensions with its Gulf neighbors—particularly Kuwait. Weeks later, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait plunged the region into crisis and pushed Baghdad into prolonged diplomatic isolation. 2012: A Cautious Return More than two decades later, Iraq re-entered the Arab summit scene in March 2012. Now under a new political system, the summit was hosted by President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki (Now the head of State of Law Coalition) amid a fragile security environment marked by ongoing bombings and sharp political divides. The Arab Spring had redrawn the regional map, and the Syrian crisis dominated the agenda. While many states sent only low-level delegations, the attendance of Kuwait's emir marked a diplomatic breakthrough. The summit offered Iraq a limited but significant chance to demonstrate that it could again function as a regional convener. 2025: A Bid for Leadership As Baghdad prepares for the summit, the stakes are higher. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's government has sought to recast Iraq as 'a bridge-builder in the Arab world,' following years of regional mediation efforts—including hosting rival powers during the Baghdad Conferences for Cooperation and Partnership in 2021 and 2022. The challenge now lies in turning symbolic participation into actionable leadership. With complex regional files on the table—Gaza reconstruction, the Syrian crisis, internal conflict in Libya and Sudan, and the absence of a unified Arab vision—simply organizing the summit will not be enough. Still, Iraqi officials view the summit as an opportunity to introduce a new Arab framework built on mutual respect, non-interference, and economic integration rather than division. If the summit can produce tangible outcomes—such as advancing Arab reconciliation or securing support for Gaza's rebuilding—it may mark a turning point in Iraq's reintegration into the regional political architecture. Even if the summit falls short of transformative decisions, officials believe its very convening in Baghdad sends a strong signal that Iraq has stepped out of the shadow of war and reasserted its voice in a region still searching for stability.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China and Egypt wrap first joint military exercise as Beijing looks to cozy up to American allies
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Egypt and China wrapped up their first-ever joint military exercises on Sunday, in a show of force involving the U.S.' top rival and one of its top recipients of military aid. Running from mid-April until Sunday, the drills consisted of joint aerial exercises, simulated air combat and modern warfare lectures. China deployed its J-10C fighter jets, KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft and Y-20 transport tankers in a display of its military prowess beyond Asia, according to footage posted by Chinese state media outlet CCTV. Egypt has, in recent years, also purchased large amounts of military machinery from Russia, prompting questions about how the U.S. should address a top Middle East ally and aid recipient growing closer to its biggest adversaries. Chinese Firm Aiding Houthi Attacks On Us Vessels "We've never seen a crisis like this," said Joel Rubin, a former senior State Department official who worked on the Egypt desk under former President George W. Bush and pens "The Briefing Book" on Substack. "Egypt is essentially flouting us right now and looking to China, looking for more stable, long-term partners after nearly four and a half decades of stability in terms of the peace deal under Camp David." Read On The Fox News App Egypt operates a number of U.S.-made aircraft - F-16 fighter aircraft, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters - and is slated to receive C-130 J transport aircraft. Egypt also possesses 32 American Patriot missile defense systems. The China-Egypt Eagles of Civilization 2025 is expected to bolster Beijing's ties to Africa's strongest military and a longtime strategic U.S. ally. Egypt has received roughly $1.3 billion each year in U.S. military aid since the Camp David Accords that normalized relations between Israel and Egypt. That figure puts it behind only Israel, which scores around $3.8 in U.S. military aid. Ukraine receives more aid than Egypt and Israel, but only since Russia's invasion – prior to 2022, it got between $200 and $350 million each year. Israel Approves Plan To Capture All Of Gaza, Calls Up Tens Of Thousands Of Reserve Troops When the Trump administration took office and froze all foreign aid, Egypt and Israel were the only two nations who were exempted from the freeze. Egypt partners with U.S. security forces across the region to fight terrorism in places like Iraq and Syria. The Camp David Accords, per Rubin, were the "final piece to the puzzle that peeled off the most important Arab military from the Soviet Union." Prior to the accords, Egypt was aligned with Russia's priorities in the Middle East. "It was about getting them into our column, and this is a sign they may be again moving into a different column." Around $300 million of U.S. military aid to Egypt can be conditioned on human rights concerns, and that money has been frozen and unfrozen in recent years due to complaints about Egypt's human rights record under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. "Cairo's hedging tactics are not new. This has been a slow and steady effort, and this exercise marks a clear escalation. For Cairo, they want to diversify their patrons. Washington has long conditioned its aid to Egypt on human rights and democratization efforts. While the U.S. has routinely issued waivers on these conditions and allowed the aid to flow, Cairo does not want to remain beholden to Washington," said Mariam Wahba, an Egypt-focused researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. However, with a new administration with little appetite for foreign aid, Egypt may be concerned that further aid cuts are on the table. "This exercise should certainly sound the alarm in Washington," said Wahba. The exercises, according to former Deputy Assistance Secretary of Defense Simone Ledeen, "are both about capability building and sending a geopolitical signal." "Egypt is hedging, showing the U.S. it has options," added Ledeen, who worked in the first Trump administration. "China is making clear it intends to expand its influence in the Mediterranean. Everyone should be paying attention." The latest development, according to Rubin, calls for "very agile diplomacy." "It's indicative of the broader global uncertainty and panic about the Trump administration's position towards international affairs," he said. "If we do threaten in a way that pushes them out, then even if we might feel justified morally, we could potentially be losing a crucial ally and partner, one that has significant impact on global shipping routes, counterterrorism work across the Arab Middle East, and we would be giving China a toe hold right into the heart of the Middle East at the worst possible time." Original article source: China and Egypt wrap first joint military exercise as Beijing looks to cozy up to American allies
Japan Forward
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Why the Rise of Lee Jae-myung Is Unnerving Tokyo and Washington
Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, is swiftly emerging to fill the vacuum left by President Yoon Suk-yeol's abrupt ouster. On April 4, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled to remove Yoon from office, citing his controversial declaration of martial law. Lee's ascent is already in full throttle. On Sunday, April 20, he secured a second decisive victory in the DP's primary. Recent polls show him outpacing top contenders from the ruling People Power Party in hypothetical head-to-head matchups. Barring any major shift in public sentiment or an unexpected alliance among his rivals, Lee appears well-positioned for the June 3 presidential race. Such a prospect, however, is rattling policymakers in Japan and the United States. Since taking office, Yoon has made revitalizing ties with Tokyo and Washington a cornerstone of his foreign policy. Those efforts culminated in two landmark agreements: the Camp David Accords and the Washington Declaration in 2023. But all of this now hangs in the balance, as a staunchly left-leaning — arguably anti-Japan and anti-American — candidate leads in the polls. From the outset, Lee has lambasted Yoon's Japan policy as one of "humiliation and subservience." He fiercely opposed the Yoon administration's third-party compensation plan for wartime labor victims — a workaround meant to resolve tensions stemming from the preceding Moon Jae In era. DP lawmakers hold a meeting denouncing Yoon's pro-Japan policy, calling it a humiliating concession. (©Park Chan-dae Facebook) In August 2023, amid Tokyo's release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Lee escalated his rhetoric, likening the move to a "second Pacific War." Lee has openly called for scrapping the wartime compensation scheme and has questioned the safety of Fukushima water release on several occasions. Lee and DP lawmakers march in protest against the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, denouncing it as nuclear terror. (©Park Chan-dae Facebook) Ruriko Kubota, a veteran journalist from The Sankei Shimbun , warned that Lee could reignite long-dormant historical disputes if elected. "We may see the wartime labor and other sensitive issues like the comfort women flare up again," she said. While Lee appears to have dialed down incendiary language, Kubota argues it's a calculated election strategy to sway undecided centrist voters. "For Lee, South Korea's establishment is synonymous with pro-Japanese collaboration," she said. "He's weaponized that resentment, turning anti-Japan sentiment into a driving force behind his political rise." "Animosity toward Japan runs deep, and it's dangerous to assume he's truly abandoned that position," Kubota added, cautioning against reading too much into his recent tone. Lee's long-standing animosity toward Japan has naturally extended into the regional security realm. In August 2023, for instance, while opposing deeper trilateral military cooperation with Tokyo and Washington, he said, "There can be no blind military cooperation with a Japan that shows not the slightest remorse for its past." His remarks notably came just days before the Camp David summit. Leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States meet at Camp David on August 18, 2023, for a trilateral summit. (©The White House) Even with escalating regional security concerns, the firebrand has branded Yoon's attempt to deepen security ties with Japan as an extreme pro-Japan policy. Such views are deeply embedded in his political record. In 2016, while serving as mayor of Seongnam, Lee described Japan as a "military adversary" capable of threatening South Korea's national security. Lee's steadfast resistance is rooted in two main reasons. First, he sees Japan's deeper military involvement as a gateway to remilitarization reminiscent of its imperial past — one that could ultimately threaten the contested territory of Takeshima [Dokdo]. The other stems from his insistence that security cannot be separated from unresolved historical grievances. Lee has repeatedly argued that meaningful military coordination with Japan must be "preceded by a reckoning with the past." Japan is not alone in its unease over Lee Jae-myung's ascent. Across the Pacific, American lawmakers and experts have voiced similar apprehensions. In a January 17 interview with the Chosun Ilbo, US Representative Young Kim said, "If the factions behind the impeachment in South Korea continue to steer the current situation, North Korea and China will seize this opportunity to weaken the US–South Korea alliance." Her remarks reflect growing concerns in Washington that Seoul's posture could shift dramatically under a left-wing leadership. CPAC Board Members Gordon Chang and Erik Prince discuss the rise of communist forces in South Korea during a CPAC event in February 2025. (©AT News snapshot) A recent vote in the National Assembly offered a glimpse of that trajectory. On March 13, 23 opposition lawmakers abstained, while 17 voted against a bill to strengthen military cooperation with the US. Ironically, most dissenters belonged to Lee's party — the same party that had introduced the resolution. Lee and his party's affinity for Beijing also raises red flags in the Trump circle, where containing China remains a core pillar of its diplomatic strategy. CAPTION: Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung meets with then-Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming, June 8, 2023 (©DP Facebook) Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung meets with then-Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming, June 8, 2023 (©DP Facebook) "From everything we've seen, Lee wants to take South Korea down a path of aligning with Beijing and drifting closer to socialism," said Gordon Chang, an American attorney and China expert. "If South Korea were to fall under a pro-communist regime, it would severely undermine President Trump's Indo-Pacific strategy." Beyond defense, Washington sees South Korea's leftward drift complicating collaboration in critical sectors such as civilian nuclear energy, shipbuilding, and economic security. While fears of unraveling hard-won détente between Seoul and Tokyo are warranted, some argue the current dynamics are more nuanced than the Moon era. "Political approaches rooted in anti-Japan rhetoric are losing their effectiveness," said Masatoshi Muto, former Japanese Ambassador to South Korea. "South Koreans are, by and large, becoming more favorable toward Japan, while Japanese interest in Korean culture, cuisine, and society continues to grow," he added. "The challenge now is how to cultivate this positive momentum." Other factors point to a more cautious but optimistic outlook. anti-Japan sentiment has been replaced by increasing anti-China sentiment. Japan Press Research Institute reported in a 2024 survey that 44% of South Koreans viewed Japan positively, marking a record high for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, negative perceptions of China have surged, especially among the younger generation. Much of the previous frictions, moreover, stemmed from the personal dynamics at the top. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Moon's relationship was defined by mutual distrust, with both leaders often benefiting domestically from their hardline policies. That tension-filled dynamic no longer exists. And so long as Seoul's cozy relationship with Tokyo remains intact, any serious recalibration with Washington remains unlikely. Author: Kenji Yoshida
