Latest news with #foreignpolicy
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
From Gaza to Greenland, Macron breaks with Trump on global flashpoints
From Gaza to Greenland, French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be taking increasingly bolder diplomatic stabs at President Donald Trump's foreign policy even though such gestures don't "carry weight" as Trump pointed out last week after the French leader declared his intention to recognize a Palestinian state. "French Presidents from Charles de Gaulle onwards have reveled in the idea that they are a natural counterweight to U.S. foreign policy on the international stage," Alan Mendoza, executive director of the U.K.-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital Monday. Charles de Gaulle was France's long-serving leader in the 1950s and 1960s and was famously resistant to U.S. global dominance, withdrawing his country from NATO's military command structure in a bid to increase its military independence and criticizing U.S. policies in Eastern Europe and Vietnam. Such contrarian actions, Mendoza said, "have in many ways defined the French Fifth Republic, with larger-than-life characters thrusting their views onto the world stage. "The difference now is that France matters far less globally than it did 60 years ago," he said, adding that a weakening of the European country's economy and its military might "means that where once de Gaulle could roar, now Macron whimpers." "What was once a sign of French strength and confidence now therefore looks more like a desperate attempt to escape irrelevance," said Mendoza. In a dramatic announcement last week, Macron said that at the United Nations General Assembly in September France intends to declare its recognition of a Palestinian state, even as Palestinian terror groups continue to battle Israel in the Gaza Strip. The statement drew condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said such a move "rewards terror." It was also criticized by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the decision "reckless" and "a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th." He said the U.S. strongly rejected such a plan. Trump merely dismissed Macron's Gaza move, telling reporters at the White House Friday "what he says doesn't matter." "He's a very good guy. I like him, but that statement doesn't carry weight," the president said. This is not the first time the president has discounted Macron as inconsequential. Last month, after the French president speculated about Trump's reasons for leaving the G7 summit in Canada early and returning to Washington, the president wrote on his Truth Social platform, "Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!" In the same post, Trump said Macron was "publicity seeking." The disparaging comments came after Macron directly contradicted Trump's foreign policy by stopping on his way to the summit in the semi-autonomous Arctic territory of Greenland, which Trump has said he wishes to acquire. "Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken," Macron declared in a diplomatic stab at Trump's foreign policy and seemingly an attempt to rally support from other European countries to stand up to the U.S. Asked about Trump's ambitions for Greenland, Macron, according to Reuters, said, "I don't think that's what allies do. … It's important that Denmark and the Europeans commit themselves to this territory, which has very high strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity must be respected." In February, the French president paid his first visit to the White House since Trump's return to power, and while the meeting appeared to be warm, it also came amid tension over the U.S. approach to the Russia-Ukraine war. Hours before the meeting, the U.S. voted against a United Nations resolution drafted by Ukraine and the European Union condemning Russia for its invasion. Tensions between Macron and Trump are not personal, said Mendoza, but they are also not totally ideological. They stem from Macron's "desire to be relevant and to stand for something," he said. "The French are famous contrarians, but they do it for the sake of being contrarian." Reuel Marc Gerecht, a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the Washington, D.C., think tank, said Macron was no "different from most European leaders. … Trump just isn't their cup of tea." "Most view Trump as a convulsive, hostile force who views America's historic relationship with Europe as transactional," he said. "Macron, like most French leaders, defines himself in part against the U.S.," Gerecht added, explaining that, traditionally, France and America "had a 'mission civilisatrice' or a competitive enlightenment mission." "The American way has been enormously appealing in Europe since World War II, but it has come in part at the expense of the French, who have culturally lost a lot of ground to the Anglophones, especially the Americans," he said. "Consequently, many Frenchmen have a love-hate relationship with the U.S." On Macron, Gerecht added, "He is part of the French elite. They are a bright lot who punch way above their weight, but, educationally, temperamentally, they are nearly the opposite of Trump."
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Take an independent tack on China, Wang Yi urges South Korea's new foreign policy chief
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has used his first official phone call with his new South Korean counterpart to call on Seoul to oppose 'decoupling' and to pursue an independent foreign policy. In his call with Cho Hyun on Monday, Wang urged South Korea to promote a 'stable, sustainable and predictable' China policy and to deepen pragmatic cooperation, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said the two ministers spoke for about 45 minutes, reaffirming their shared commitment to advancing the bilateral strategic cooperative partnership in a 'steady and mature' manner. 'They agreed to work together to ensure that the upcoming Apec summit in Gyeongju serves as a new turning point in bilateral ties and to deliver tangible outcomes in practical cooperation that can be felt by the peoples of both countries,' Yonhap reported, citing South Korea's foreign ministry. Beijing seeks to reset its ties with the newly installed leadership in Seoul under President Lee Jae-myung
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Commentary: Prabowo wants a global role for Indonesia
SURABAYA, Indonesia: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived at the BRICS Summit in Brazil this month, eager to showcase Indonesia's growing presence on the global stage. Instead, his BRICS debut was quickly overshadowed by his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, announcing that his administration would proceed with a 32 per cent general tariff on Indonesian goods entering the US, first announced in April. A day later, Mr Trump announced an additional 10 per cent would be slapped on all BRICS members, including Indonesia, its newest member. Although Mr Prabowo - who took on the top job just nine months ago - later managed to negotiate the tariff down to 19 per cent, describing it as the result of a ' tough negotiation ' during a phone call with Mr Trump, the episode cast a pall over his broader efforts to elevate Indonesia's foreign policy as a hallmark of his presidency. Indonesia's accession to BRICS in January marked a turn towards a more assertive foreign policy, a clear departure from Mr Prabowo's predecessor, Joko Widodo, who had prioritised domestic issues. Ahead of the BRICS summit, the Indonesian foreign ministry had described Mr Prabowo's intent as positioning Indonesia as a "bridge-builder" amid growing global uncertainties. BIG FISH IN A BIG POND Rather than anchoring Indonesia's foreign policy to ASEAN centrality as his predecessors did, Mr Prabowo, through BRICS and other efforts, is clearly seeking bigger ponds where Indonesia may become a significantly bigger fish. Just as Mr Widodo sought to be remembered for transforming Indonesia's physical infrastructure, Mr Prabowo appears keen on being remembered as a geopolitical heavyweight. His participation in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, was telling. At that forum, Mr Prabowo claimed Indonesia's BRICS accession process had been one of the fastest of all countries. He also explained his decision to attend the SPIEF instead of the G7 Summit in Canada to which he had been invited as a guest. "It is not because I didn't respect the G7, but because I gave my commitment to attend this forum before they invited us.' He added that Indonesia, by tradition, has always been non-aligned and that it "respect all countries'. A REALIST Mr Prabowo's interest in geopolitics is not new. As defence minister (from 2019 to 2024), he drew fire after pitching a controversial peace plan for the war between Russia and Ukraine at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2023. His proposal included the creation of a demilitarised zone and an eventual United Nations-sponsored referendum in the 'disputed territories'. Ukraine's then foreign ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, rejected it outright, saying there were no disputed territories and that Russia's withdrawal from all the occupied territories was non-negotiable. That episode revealed Mr Prabowo's realist outlook and the priority he gives to hard power in international relations over international laws and conventions. That posture has continued into his presidency. During a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Jakarta in May, he declared: "We must acknowledge and guarantee Israel's rights as a sovereign country," adding a caveat that "Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognises Palestine, Indonesia is ready to recognise Israel". No previous Indonesian president has dared to offer an explicit promise to recognise the state of Israel, let alone throwing in some form of security guarantee. Yet, apart from his blunt language, Mr Prabowo had in fact barely shifted Indonesia's traditional stance vis-a-vis Israel. It has been a key element of its foreign policy to withhold diplomatic recognition and avoid ties with Tel Aviv as long as there is no independent Palestinian state. Now he has appeared to make, by the tone of his language at least, Palestine's independence a foreign policy priority. He has, moreover, signalled his willingness to work with Israel to achieve this objective, even if he has never elaborated how. In April, Mr Prabowo underlined his resolve to nudge along a resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict by offering to temporarily shelter 1,000 Palestinians impacted by the war in Gaza. If carried out, this will represent Indonesia's most concrete commitment to the Palestinian cause to date. Central to Mr Prabowo's approach is his ambition to usher in an age in which Indonesia 'will rise as a great country'. In this, he echoes Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, who had sought to bypass the two-bloc nature of the post-war world by drawing the non-aligned countries together as a third force. Mr Prabowo's real challenge remains how to balance Indonesia's role as a middle-ranking power amid global power rivalries. But what is becoming increasingly clear is that he will use all the influence at his disposal to raise Indonesia's prominence and stature and, by extension, the potential to make his own personal legacy more memorable than those of his predecessors.
LBCI
2 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Trump says EU will send more aid to Gaza
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the European Union will send more aid to the Gaza Strip, adding that he plans to ask British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for assistance. Speaking alongside Starmer in Scotland, Trump said he had spoken with Israeli officials and told them they might need to take a different approach. Reuters
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Philippines' Marcos Jnr rails against corruption in State of the Nation address
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivered his shortest State of the Nation address (Sona) to date on Monday, as he mostly sidestepped foreign policy issues and used the occasion to launch a blistering attack on public infrastructure corruption. During the speech that lasted an hour and 10 minutes, Marcos Jnr made no mention of China and referred to the United States only in passing. The focus on corruption and a lack of insight into external developments suggests a calculated bid by him to bolster his domestic support and avoid stoking tensions with other countries, according to analysts. 'Then as now, our foreign policy remains the same. The Philippines is a friend to all. The Philippines is an enemy to none. That will be our main focus as we, the Philippines, host the Asean summit in 2026.' The president offered no comment on rising maritime tensions in the South China Sea, where the Chinese coastguard and militia vessels have repeatedly confronted Philippine forces in recent months. His only reference to the US came in the context of Manila's 'debt' to Washington for helping in the modernisation of the Philippines' police and military. Vergel Santos, a veteran journalist and former publisher of BusinessWorld, told This Week in Asia that the president's position was clear despite his short speech. 'I think he has made it clear enough he will resist China. And I can somehow understand he skipped the subject because it's evident enough he has chosen to side with the US,' Santos said, noting that American forces now had access to nine military bases across the Philippines.
