Latest news with #Heine
AllAfrica
19-07-2025
- Politics
- AllAfrica
'Active nonaligment' on the march in a multipolar world
In 2020, as Latin American countries were contending with the triple challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, a global economic shock and US policy under the first Trump administration, Jorge Heine, research professor at Boston University and a former Chilean ambassador, in association with two colleagues, Carlos Fortin and Carlos Ominami, put forward the notion of 'active nonalignment.' Polity Books Five years on, the foreign policy approach is more relevant than ever, with trends including the rise of the Global South and the fragmentation of the global order, encouraging countries around the world to reassess their relationships with both the United States and China. It led Heine, along with Fortin and Ominami, to follow up on their original arguments in a new book, 'The Non-Aligned World,' published in June 2025. We spoke with Heine on what is behind the push toward active nonalignment, and where it may lead. Active nonalignment is a foreign policy approach in which countries put their own interests front and center and refuse to take sides in the great power rivalry between the US and China. It takes its cue from the Non-Aligned Movement of the 1950s and 1960s but updates it to the realities of the 21st century. Today's rising Global South is very different from the 'Third World' that made up the Non-Aligned Movement. Countries like India, Turkey, Brazil and Indonesia have greater economic heft and wherewithal. They thus have more options than in the past. They can pick and choose policies in accordance with what is in their national interests. And because there is competition between Washington and Beijing to win over such countries' hearts and minds, those looking to promote a nonaligned agenda have greater leverage. Traditional international relations literature suggests that in relations between nations, you can either 'balance,' meaning take a strong position against another power, or 'bandwagon' – that is, go along with the wishes of that power. The notion was that weaker states couldn't balance against the Great Powers because they don't have the military power to do so, so they had to bandwagon. What we are saying is that there is an intermediate approach: hedging. Countries can hedge their bets or equivocate by playing one power off the other. So, on some issues you side with the US, and on others you side with China. Thus, the grand strategy of active nonalignment is 'playing the field,' or in other words, searching for opportunities among what is available in the international environment. This means being constantly on the lookout for potential advantages and available resources – in short, being active, rather than passive or reactive. So active nonalignment is not so much a movement as it is a doctrine. Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, right, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser attend the first Conference of Non-Aligned countries in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1961. Photo: Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images via The Conversation The notion of active nonalignment came up during the first Trump administration and in the context of a Latin America hit by the triple-whammy of US pressure, a pandemic and the ensuing recession – which in Latin America translated into the biggest economic downturn in 120 years, a 6.6% drop of regional gross domestic product in 2020. ANA was intended as a guide for Latin American countries to navigate those difficult moments, and it led us to the publication of a symposium volume with contributions by six former Latin American foreign ministers in November 2021, in which we elaborated on the concept. Three months later, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the reaction to it by many countries in Asia and Africa, nonalignment was back with a vengeance. Countries like India, Pakistan, South Africa and Indonesia, among others, took positions that were at odds with the West on Ukraine. Many of them, though not all, condemned Russian aggression but also wanted no part in the West's sanctions on Moscow. These sanctions were seen as unwarranted and as an expression of Western double standards – no sanctions were applied on the US for invading Iraq, of course. And then there were the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resulting war in the Gaza Strip. Countries across the Global South strongly condemned the Hamas attacks, but the West's response to the subsequent deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians brought home the notion of double standards when it came to international human rights. Why weren't Palestinians deserving of the same compassion as Ukrainians? For many in the Global South, that question hit very hard – the idea that 'human rights are limited to Europeans and people who looked like them did not go down well.' Thus, South Africa brought a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice alleging genocide, and Brazil spearheaded ceasefire efforts at the United Nations. A third development is the expansion of the BRICS bloc of economies from its original five members – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – to 10 members. Although China and Russia are not members of the Global South, those other founding members are, and the BRICS group has promoted key issues on the Global South's agenda. The addition of countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia has meant that BRICS has increasingly taken on the guise of the Global South forum. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leading proponent of BRICS, is keen on advancing this Global South agenda. All three of these developments have made active nonalignment more relevant than ever before. I'll give you two examples: Angola and Argentina. In Angola, the African country that has received most Chinese cooperation to the tune of US$45 billion, you now have the US financing what is known as the Lobito Corridor – a railway line that stretches from the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Angola's Atlantic coast. Ten years ago, the notion that the US would be financing railway projects in southern Africa would have been considered unfathomable. Yet it has happened. Why? Because China has built significant railway lines in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, and the US realized that it was being left behind. For the longest time, the US would condemn such Chinese-financed infrastructure projects via the 'Belt and Road Initiative' as nothing but 'debt-trap diplomacy' designed to saddle developing nations with 'white elephants' nobody needed. But a couple of years ago, that tune changed: The US and Europe realized that there is a big infrastructure deficit in Asia, Africa and Latin America that China was stepping in to reduce – and the West was nowhere to be seen in this critical area. In short, the West changed it approach – and countries like Angola are now able to play the US off against China for its own national interests. Then take Argentina. In 2023, Javier Milei was elected president on a strong anti-China platform. He said his government would have nothing to do with Beijing. But just two years later, Milei announced in an Economist interview that he is a great admirer of Beijing. Why? Because Argentina has a very significant foreign debt, and Milei knew that a continued anti-China stance would mean a credit line from Beijing would likely not be renewed. The Argentinian president was under pressure from the International Monetary Fund and Washington to let the credit line with China lapse, but Milei refused to do so and managed to hold his own, playing both sides against the middle. Absolutely. When people ask me what the difference is between traditional nonalignment and active nonalignment, one of the most obvious things is that the latter is nonideological – it can be used by people of the right, left and center. It is a guide to action, a compass to navigate the waters of a highly troubled world, and can be used by governments of very different ideological hues. Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentina President Javier Milei at the 66th Summit of leaders of the Mercosur trading bloc in Buenos Aires on July 3, 2025. Photo: Luis Robayo / AFP via Getty Images / The Conversation There is little doubt that the liberal international order that framed world politics from 1945 to 2016 has come to an end. Some of its bedrock principles, like multilateralism, free trade and respect for international law and existing international treaties, have been severely undermined. We are now in a transitional stage. The notion of the West as a geopolitical entity, as we knew it, has ceased to exist. We now have the extraordinary situation where illiberal forces in Hungary, Germany and Poland, among other places, are being supported by those in power in both Washington and Moscow. And this decline of the West has not come about because of any economic issue – the US still represents around 25% of global GDP, much as it did in 1970 – but because of the breakdown of the trans-Atlantic alliance. So we are moving toward a very different type of world order – and one in which the Global South has the opportunity to have much more of a role, especially if it deploys active nonalignment. The notion of active nonalignment was triggered by the first Trump administration's pressure on Latin American countries. I would argue that the measures undertaken in Trump's second administration – the tariffs imposed on 90 countries around the world; the US leaving the Paris climate agreement, the World Health Organization and the UN Human Rights Council; and other 'America First' policies – have only underscored the validity of active nonalignment as a foreign policy approach. The pressures on countries across the Global South are very strong, and there is a temptation to give in to Trump and align with US. Yet, all indications are that simply giving in to Trump's demands isn't a recipe for success. Those countries that have gone down the route of giving in to Trump's demands only see more demands after that. Countries need a different approach – and that can be found in active nonalignment. Jorge Heine is outgoing interim director of the Frederick S Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Arab Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Arab Times
Kuwait U-18 handball team eyes strong showing at World Championship in Cairo
KUWAIT CITY, July 10: The Kuwait junior handball team is set to hold an overseas training camp in Croatia and Slovenia at the end of July, in preparation for the World Junior Championships, scheduled to take place in Cairo from August 6 to 17. The tournament will feature 32 teams divided into eight groups, with Kuwait competing in Group A alongside Sweden, Austria, and Portugal. The team, composed of players born in 2006, continues its rigorous daily training at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex under the guidance of Danish head coach Heine and national assistant coach Saud Mufreh. Training is held in both morning and evening sessions, focusing on improving physical fitness and endurance before transitioning to tactical preparations during the European camp. Faisal Saywan, Director of National Teams at the Handball Association, affirmed that the team's preparation plan is progressing well. He emphasized that the squad includes some of the most promising talents from the youth ranks, stating: "We have a strong group of young players capable of rising to the occasion on the international stage. We fully trust their ability to represent Kuwaiti handball with pride and honor."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mark Heine, CEO and Chairman of Fugro, Presented with the 2025 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award
Mr. Mark Heine, CEO of Fugro receives the Freddy Heineken Award Washington, D.C., May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mr. Mark Heine, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Fugro, is the recipient of the 2025 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award. The award is named for Freddy Heineken and honors an entrepreneur who has made a substantial impact to the economic ties between the Netherlands and the United States. The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award is co-organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the U.S. Congressional Caucus of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Netherland-America Foundation. Fugro, a Dutch multinational company that specializes in Geo-data acquisition, is a pioneer in mapping, modelling, and monitoring the Earth's surface and subsurface. Heine leads Fugro's more than 11,000 employees in 52 countries. In the United States, Fugro employs 1,400 people in 17 locations in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and California. Heine has been with the company for nearly 25 years. Under his leadership, Fugro has transitioned from focusing primarily on the oil and gas sector to offering a diverse portfolio of services across the energy, infrastructure, and water markets. By leveraging advanced techniques in mapping, modelling, and monitoring Geo-data, Fugro empowers its clients to make informed decisions, helping to reduce risk and uncertainty in both the built and natural environment. In the US, Fugro's work takes many forms. For example, after Hurricane Helene hit areas in Florida and Georgia in 2024, Fugro used high-definition aerial images to map the impact of the storm. The company is also working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to map the state's seafloor to improve coastal resilience. In Kentucky, Fugro performed a geotechnical study to support the site investigation for a new bridge in Ballard County. And in Michigan, the company is surveying and evaluating the geophysical conditions for the construction of twin small modular reactors for an existing nuclear power plant. Upon receiving the award, Mr. Heine said, 'At Fugro, we see infrastructure as essential to how societies function and evolve. It influences how we live, how we grow, and how we recover from disruption. Whether guided by established policy or new federal investment, our focus is constant: to ensure every dollar spent delivers lasting value, resilience, and opportunity.' The award was presented to Mr. Heine by Dutch Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar and Ms. Fien Bertrams, Senior Vice President Heineken USA. Freddy Heineken came to the United States in the 1940s to expand Heineken's market. Combining his Dutch business skills with American marketing techniques, Freddy Heineken built the foundation of what is today a global brand. Ambassador Tazelaar said, 'As CEO of Fugro, Mark Heine represents one of the leading Dutch companies that actively invest in the US. Together, those Dutch companies support more than 1 million American jobs. Fugro is but one shining example of Dutch companies bringing its expertise to bear on this side of the Atlantic, and for that we are grateful.' The Holland on the Hill Heineken Award ceremony took place as part of the Netherland-America Foundation's Ambassadors' Award program. Members of Congress who are also members of the Dutch Caucus including Representative Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-1), and Representative Beth van Duyne (R-TX-24) attended the event. Earlier in the evening, Mr. Heine participated in a panel discussion on 'Future Proof Infrastructure.' The speakers from the public and private sectors noted that increasing energy production and manufacturing in the United States will require increased sustainability of our infrastructure. Heine's remarks underscored that 'future proof' is not a buzzword but a mandate. He stated, 'Infrastructure is more than the roads and bridges we drive on. It's integrated systems, electrical grids, and energy pipelines. These systems are being tested by natural disasters. Future proofing our infrastructure is a proactive and necessary approach to develop solutions to adapt to today's challenges to our environment.' Mr. Heine joins an illustrious group of business leaders presented with the Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award, including: Stu Sjouwerman of KnowBe4 in 2024, Klaas van Lookeren Campagne of CitizenM in 2023, Richard DeLuca Jr., of Merck in 2022, Peter Oosterveer, of Arcadis in 2021, Michelle Browdy of IBM in 2020, Alexander R. Wynaendts of Aegon in 2019, David Hyman of Netflix in 2018, Dick Boer of Ahold Delhaize in 2017, Victoria B. Mars of Mars Inc. in 2016, Paul Polman of Unilever in 2015, and Werner Vogels of in 2014. Attachment Mr. Mark Heine, CEO of Fugro receives the Freddy Heineken Award CONTACT: Carla Bundy Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 202-274-2632 in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mark Heine, CEO and Chairman of Fugro, Presented with the 2025 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award
Washington, D.C., May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mr. Mark Heine, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Fugro, is the recipient of the 2025 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award. The award is named for Freddy Heineken and honors an entrepreneur who has made a substantial impact to the economic ties between the Netherlands and the United States. The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award is co-organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the U.S. Congressional Caucus of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Netherland-America Foundation. Fugro, a Dutch multinational company that specializes in Geo-data acquisition, is a pioneer in mapping, modelling, and monitoring the Earth's surface and subsurface. Heine leads Fugro's more than 11,000 employees in 52 countries. In the United States, Fugro employs 1,400 people in 17 locations in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Dakota, and California. Heine has been with the company for nearly 25 years. Under his leadership, Fugro has transitioned from focusing primarily on the oil and gas sector to offering a diverse portfolio of services across the energy, infrastructure, and water markets. By leveraging advanced techniques in mapping, modelling, and monitoring Geo-data, Fugro empowers its clients to make informed decisions, helping to reduce risk and uncertainty in both the built and natural environment. In the US, Fugro's work takes many forms. For example, after Hurricane Helene hit areas in Florida and Georgia in 2024, Fugro used high-definition aerial images to map the impact of the storm. The company is also working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to map the state's seafloor to improve coastal resilience. In Kentucky, Fugro performed a geotechnical study to support the site investigation for a new bridge in Ballard County. And in Michigan, the company is surveying and evaluating the geophysical conditions for the construction of twin small modular reactors for an existing nuclear power plant. Upon receiving the award, Mr. Heine said, 'At Fugro, we see infrastructure as essential to how societies function and evolve. It influences how we live, how we grow, and how we recover from disruption. Whether guided by established policy or new federal investment, our focus is constant: to ensure every dollar spent delivers lasting value, resilience, and opportunity.' The award was presented to Mr. Heine by Dutch Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar and Ms. Fien Bertrams, Senior Vice President Heineken USA. Freddy Heineken came to the United States in the 1940s to expand Heineken's market. Combining his Dutch business skills with American marketing techniques, Freddy Heineken built the foundation of what is today a global brand. Ambassador Tazelaar said, 'As CEO of Fugro, Mark Heine represents one of the leading Dutch companies that actively invest in the US. Together, those Dutch companies support more than 1 million American jobs. Fugro is but one shining example of Dutch companies bringing its expertise to bear on this side of the Atlantic, and for that we are grateful.' The Holland on the Hill Heineken Award ceremony took place as part of the Netherland-America Foundation's Ambassadors' Award program. Members of Congress who are also members of the Dutch Caucus including Representative Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-1), and Representative Beth van Duyne (R-TX-24) attended the event. Earlier in the evening, Mr. Heine participated in a panel discussion on 'Future Proof Infrastructure.' The speakers from the public and private sectors noted that increasing energy production and manufacturing in the United States will require increased sustainability of our infrastructure. Heine's remarks underscored that 'future proof' is not a buzzword but a mandate. He stated, 'Infrastructure is more than the roads and bridges we drive on. It's integrated systems, electrical grids, and energy pipelines. These systems are being tested by natural disasters. Future proofing our infrastructure is a proactive and necessary approach to develop solutions to adapt to today's challenges to our environment.' Mr. Heine joins an illustrious group of business leaders presented with the Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award, including: Stu Sjouwerman of KnowBe4 in 2024, Klaas van Lookeren Campagne of CitizenM in 2023, Richard DeLuca Jr., of Merck in 2022, Peter Oosterveer, of Arcadis in 2021, Michelle Browdy of IBM in 2020, Alexander R. Wynaendts of Aegon in 2019, David Hyman of Netflix in 2018, Dick Boer of Ahold Delhaize in 2017, Victoria B. Mars of Mars Inc. in 2016, Paul Polman of Unilever in 2015, and Werner Vogels of in 2014. Attachment Carla Bundy Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 202-274-2632 [email protected]
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit focuses on precision health care and AI
Health care technologies and trends shaping the industry's future were the focus Friday of Missouri Southern State University's Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit. Crystal Lemmons, dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences Education, said the summit was open to everyone in the community. The theme centered around precision health care, which means what works for one person might not work for someone else, she said. 'Precision health care is an integral part of what medicine is and where we're headed in the future,' Lemmons said. 'The term means we are looking at personalized health care. We are moving away from a one-size-fits-all medicine model and getting into looking at an individual's life, their genetics, their environment and lifestyle. We are understanding that is the key to tailoring treatments to get a much better diagnosis with our technology.' In addition to speakers, there was a lunch presentation on the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center under construction on the campus, displays, students presenting research from the summit's scholar program and a virtual reality section for people to tour the new building. With construction of their new facility, MSSU continues as the educational cornerstone for the region, Lemmons said. 'We know regionally we're experiencing shortages in our health care workers,' she said. 'We are try to meet that demand by bringing awareness. Secondly, education is the cornerstone to closing that gap. Learning is the key for that.' The summit's keynote address featured Marilyn Heine discussing 'Strengthening the Focus on Precision Healthcare with an AI Twist.' She is a member of the American Medical Association's board of trustees, an emergency medicine and hematology oncology physician in southeast Pennsylvania, and clinical assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. Heine said precision health care and artificial intelligence continue to shape the future of health care. Precision health care improves effectiveness, enhances patient safety to lessen potential risks and side effects, and has better outcomes to improve quality of life. For example, Heine said this takes the form of looking at someone's personal factors, like a history of substance abuse, and external factors, such as living in an area of high pollution, to diagnose and treat a patient. AI can help with examining and monitoring these factors at a much higher level than humans can. AI doesn't supplant the physician, it guides them, Heine added. 'AI is crucial and drives precision health care,' Heine said. 'As clinicians, we rely heavily on pattern recognition, but AI does that to a different level. AI augments our human ability to analyze and interpret data that is complex and has patterns. It also efficiently helps clinicians to develop and deliver a tailored approach.' Heine used the example of a doctor seeking to improve care for a diabetes patient in a rural area without easy access to health care. The doctor can use AI-based mobile health to continuously monitor the patient's glucose and use an AI-based wearable to monitor the patient's heart rate. In the future, AI may be able to determine if the patient is following their medication regime. Heine continued that it's important to realize AI's limitations, including limitations on access to appropriate data and present bias that is not fully addressed in the AI models. The AMA also realizes the need to establish the issue of liability if an AI model is wrong. In the end the potential benefits to patients are worth addressing these concerns, she said. 'Through effective policy and advocacy, education and collaboration we can work to overcome barriers and strive to realize the potential of precision health care,' Heine said. Lincoln Greek, a MSSU junior and nursing major, said the summit was a good opportunity to learn about new things happening in the medical world. It's important for students to learn and grow as nurses, Greek said, and it's good practice for their future to engage in continuing education. He plans on starting out as a nurse with a local ICU and possibly becoming a practitioner in the future. 'This summit is technology based, so I'm looking forward to understanding the trend of technology and how we can implement it in the future for nursing,' Greek said. 'I think things like AI will play a bigger role, especially with diagnosing accurately. We live in the here and now, so people might not understand where the future is headed.' Did you know? In addition to Heine, the summit featured Haval Shirwan, with MU Nextgen Precision Healthcare, talking about cancer prevention; R. Gabe Linke, 3D Imaging and Advanced Visualization program manager at Children's Nebraska, talking about the evolving role of 3D imaging; and Jeffrey Staudinger, from Kansas City University, talking about genomic insights and colon cancer.
