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Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Trump-Putin stalemate stokes fears of global conflict
As a journalist, it has struck me in recent months how the people I meet — friends and acquaintances — have stopped discussing the state of the world whenever we sit down for a chat. At a recent gathering, there was even a rule to steer clear of politics, news and the chaos the world is witnessing. The few who still appeared to care revealed, in their questioning, a deep anxiety of what is to come, with some fearing the worst, including another world war. Amid the uncertainty and persistent fog of political discord enveloping our world, fatalistic thoughts have become dominant and a natural reaction is for people to evade the subject of conflict. However, polls reveal that war is on people's minds everywhere, especially in Europe. A recent survey by YouGov found that between 41 and 55 percent of respondents in France, the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain believe that another global conflict is likely in the next five to 10 years, with the vast majority also expecting that nuclear weapons will be used. In Britain, 89 percent of those questioned believed their country would be involved, while in Italy the figure was 66 percent. Russia is ranked by Europeans as the major obstacle to peace, with 82 percent seeing Moscow as a moderate to major threat Mohamed Chebaro According to the poll, Russia is ranked by Europeans as the major obstacle to peace, with 82 percent seeing Moscow as a moderate to major threat. Islamist terrorism came second, especially for people in Germany. But the surprise is that US President Donald Trump's controversial foreign policies, including threats to abandon Europe's defense, side with Russian leader Vladimir Putin against Ukraine and annex Greenland, have led people in Germany, France and Spain to rank the US as a threat to peace on the continent. Despite these fears, I believe that total war is still some distance away and is unlikely, unless a breakdown in communication takes place between the big powers. Nevertheless, all parties are hardening their postures and this is increasingly being felt by citizens, increasing anxiety levels and threatening participation and trust in traditional channels and institutions. The effects of the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the avoidable conflicts elsewhere, the neglect of global warming and its implications, the widening gap between rich and poor, and an unrestrained digital realm magnifying discord are compounded by a political stalemate between the big powers. Recent outbursts by Trump directed at Putin increase this sense of uncertainty and fear. The US leader prides himself on being a deal-maker capable of stopping wars, knocking reason into hotheads and solving historically, geographically and geopolitically complex conflicts at the stroke of a pen. Trump's deal-maker image has been dented and his ability to live up to his own boasting is being threatened by Putin Mohamed Chebaro However, his recent emotional attack on the Russian leader reflects a realization that this deal-maker image has been dented and that his ability to live up to his own boasting is being threatened by none other than his Russian counterpart. People believed Trump was sincere about seeking peace, but his methods of achieving it seem warped, intensifying risks and threats, as sensed by those polled in Europe. A change of tack is urgently needed. As everyone is witnessing, the world cannot survive more chaos and shortcomings. The chaotic policymaking that characterized Trump's first administration is reaching new heights in his second. Cooperating with allies before foes could be a conduit for bringing conflicts to a close, or at least keeping them under control, offering the White House what Trump yearns for most — to be seen as presiding over a mighty America that can reduce the threat of world wars, not increase them.
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Prison officers should be armed with lethal weapons to crack down on Islamist terrorists, Tories say
Prison officers should be armed with lethal weapons to crack down on Islamist terrorists in jail, the shadow justice secretary has said. Highly trained teams should also be equipped with tasers, stun grenades and baton rounds to tackle dangerous criminals in high-security jails, Robert Jenrick said. The plan is taken from a series of recommendations by counter-extremism expert and former prison governor Ian Acheson. It comes after a prison officer at high-security prison Long Lartin in Worcestershire was stabbed on Friday morning with a weapon Sky News understands was brought in from outside the prison. It also follows several attacks on prison officers in jails. In April this year, the Manchester Arena bomb plotter, Hashem Abedi, allegedly assaulted prison staff by throwing hot oil on them and then launching a stabbing attack, injuring three officers. At Belmarsh prison, Southport killer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of throwing boiling water over an officer through the hatch in his cell door earlier this month. Mr Jenrick said: "Islamist gangs and violent prisoners in our jails are out of control. It's a national security emergency, but the government is dithering. If they don't act soon, there is a very real risk that a prison officer is kidnapped or murdered in the line of duty, or that a terrorist attack is directed from inside prison." He said he commissioned Mr Acheson to conduct a rapid review into measures the government could adopt. The measures include removing all radical Islamist imams working in prisons, immediately rolling out high-collar stab vests to frontline officers, and mandating the quarterly release of data on religious conversions in prison and faith-based incidents. It also recommended legislating to overturn the De Silva ruling to strip back judicial interference in operational decisions by governors to isolate extremists. Mr Jenrick added: "We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails. "That means arming specialist prison officer teams with tasers and stun grenades, as well as giving them access to lethal weapons in exceptional circumstances. "If prison governors can't easily keep terrorist influencers and radicalising inmates apart from the mainstream prisoners they target, then we don't control our prisons - they do. We must take back control and restore order by giving officers the powers and protection they need." Mr Acheson said: "Too often what goes wrong behind the walls of our high security jails passes unnoticed, as does the bravery of the men and women in uniform who deal every day with terrorists and other highly dangerous offenders. "Robert Jenrick is right - the threat to officer safety is now intolerable and must be met decisively by the government. "The balance inside too many of our prisons has shifted away from control by the state to mere containment and the price is soaring levels of staff assaults and wrecked rehabilitation. Broken officers can't help fix broken people - or protect the public from violent extremism." A Ministry of Justice source said: "The government considers the introduction of lethal weapons into prisons would put prison officers at greater risk." They added: "The last government added just 500 cells to our prison estate, and left our jails in total crisis. In 14 years, they closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate, staff assaults soared, and experienced officers left in droves. Now the arsonists are pretending to be firefighters. "This government is cleaning up the mess the last government left behind. We are building new prisons, with 2,400 new cells opened since we took office. And we take a zero-tolerance approach to violence and extremism inside."
