Latest news with #foreignrelations
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Elite US universities accused of prioritising foreign interests over American taxpayers
Centre of the American Experiment President John Hinderaker has criticised elite American universities, accusing them of cultivating 'unholy relationships' with foreign governments while turning their backs on the American taxpayers who fund them. 'University like Harvard gets billions of dollars in American taxpayer money, but they don't think that they are an American institution. They don't care,' Mr Hinderaker told Sky News host James Morrow. 'The last thing they care about is American taxpayers. 'They think they are a global institution and they train their students to be citizens of the world, and I think Donald Trump properly questions whether there's any reason why American taxpayers should be subsidising these operations to the tune of many billions of dollars.'
Al Jazeera
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump's treatment of Netanyahu vs other heads of state
Trump's treatment of Netanyahu vs other heads of state Compare & Contrast Trump's treatment of Netanyahu vs other heads of state We compare and contrast how US President Trump treated the Israeli prime minister in the Oval Office versus other foreign leaders.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Carney meets with U.S. delegation in Ottawa
Prime Minister Mark Carney and some of his most senior ministers met in Ottawa on Friday with top U.S. delegates. The five American senators are all members of the influential Senate committee on foreign relations. As David Akin reports, strengthening support for a strong Canada-U.S. partnership topped the agenda.
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
PM Wong: New Singapore govt will be steady global partner with both US and China, serve all citizens equally
SINGAPORE, May 24 — The first priority of Singapore's new government is to secure an assured place for the country in a changed world, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after leading the swearing-in of the new Cabinet line-up on yesterday. Wong, who also serves as Finance Minister, said Singapore cannot afford to stand still and must adapt nimbly to shifting global dynamics. 'We will deepen our relations with the major powers, especially America and China. We will stay friends with both without being caught in their rivalry. We will engage openly and honestly with each in a consistent and principled manner,' he said in his speech at the end of the ceremony at the Istana, here. He added that Singapore would also strengthen ties with friends both near and far, while seeking new partnerships in regions such as Africa and South America, where the country does not as yet have much presence. The government will also ensure that Singapore remains a trusted, reliable and respected voice on the global stage. Wong said in a world of shifting alliances, Singapore will be a steady and constructive partner — one that is willing and able to contribute to peace and stability, to advance dialogue and fraternity, and support a rules-based global order. 'Our goal is not just to navigate this uncertain world, but to help shape it for the better by working with like-minded partners, upholding shared principles and values, so that small nations too have a place under the sun,' he added. Meanwhile, Wong pledged that the government would use its mandate to serve all Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, religion, or political preference. The Prime Minister said his new team — comprising a mix of experienced and new ministers — is committed to serving Singaporeans to the best of their abilities. 'Our mission is clear — to always put Singaporeans at the centre of all we do, to listen to your concerns and to respond decisively,' he said, adding that every Singaporean will have a say in shaping the country's way forward. Speaking in Malay, Wong also said the new government would continue to strengthen ties with the Malay/Muslim community and work hand in hand with them. — Bernama
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Trump's slapdown diplomacy reduces Oval Office meetings to spectator sport
America has a new spectator sport: it's unruly, made for prime time, and the venue is the Oval Office. In Wednesday's bout, President Donald Trump was in the red corner, facing off against his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa . The guest had come for talks about trade and investment. He found himself in the diplomatic equivalent of an arm and head choke. Trump hectored him over debunked claims that white South African farmers are being killed in large numbers and kicked off their land – claims Ramaphosa rejected. The US president even dimmed the lights to show a montage of video clips purporting to show violence against whites. Ramaphosa quietly pointed out that most victims of crime in South Africa were black. Experts are still trying to figure out what the latest Oval Office ambush means for America's foreign relations. READ MORE 'It doesn't exactly encourage people to want to come and sit down with Trump – who knows how they're going to be treated?' John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser in his first term, told the Financial Times. 'I think it's counter-productive.' That could have profound implications for Trump's future dealings with leaders such as Chinese president Xi Jinping , who would want to avoid such a public altercation at all costs. 'This has got to reinforce Xi's existing concerns about having unscripted moments with foreign leaders,' said Stephen Wertheim, a historian of American foreign policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It wasn't the first time Trump had publicly upbraided a visiting dignitary. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy was subjected to a similar tongue-lashing in February, berated by Trump and JD Vance for failing to show enough gratitude to the US, in a bruising encounter that raised fears of a full rupture between the two allies. Such public rows are a gift for Moscow and Beijing , who see them as undermining the US's international prestige, say experts. American soft power has already been harmed by the dismantling of USAID, the US agency for international development, which led to the closure of hundreds of life-saving health programmes around the world. 'Engagements like that are making China's point for it,' said Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 'They have lent credence to China's talking point that it's a reliable partner.' 'Champagne corks will be popping in Russia and China,' said Christoph Heusgen, who served as national security adviser to former German chancellor Angela Merkel . 'The US is going to massively lose influence in the world as a result of incidents like this.' America's international standing is already in decline. According to the latest Democracy Perception Index survey, conducted in April, the share of countries with a positive image of the US is now 45 per cent, down from 76 per cent last year. The perception of Trump was also negative in 82 of the 100 countries surveyed. By contrast, Russian president Vladimir Putin was viewed negatively in 61 countries and Xi Jinping in only 44. 'This spectacle in the Oval Office will only contribute to the [US's] unpopularity,' said Wertheim. The new version of diplomatic mixed martial arts taking place in the Oval Office grew from humble origins. Photo ops there were always modest affairs, with the president and his guest shaking hands and exchanging platitudes for five to 10 minutes before wranglers ushered out the press pool and the action moved to the Cabinet Room. Trump has shuffled the cards. The photo ops are now attended by senior cabinet members, including Vance, as well as the full gamut of Maga media, and have turned into full-scale press conferences, which the president visibly enjoys. 'The entire royal court's there now,' said Bolton. During his first term, Trump rarely criticised his guests publicly, limiting himself to small gestures of disdain, such as refusing to shake hands with Merkel for the TV cameras in 2017. But, as the encounters with Zelenskiy and Ramaphosa show, the president's appetite for a full public takedown has only grown. He has also used the photo ops to heap praise on politicians who are aligned with his ideological agenda, such as President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, whom he personally thanked for helping with his campaign to deport illegal immigrants. Some world leaders have been able to parry Trump's verbal attacks. At a meeting in the White House in February with French president Emmanuel Macron , Trump claimed that the EU was 'loaning the money to Ukraine [and] they'll get their money back'. Macron placed his hand on Trump's arm and contradicted him. 'No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60 per cent of the total effort ... We provided real money, to be clear.' Mark Carney , the newly elected Canadian prime minister, also used his White House appearance to firmly reject Trump's claim on Canada , saying: 'There are some places that are never for sale.' Trump got the last word, however, launching into a tirade about how the US was paying for the lion's share of Canada's defence. But the encounter with Ramaphosa was, for many observers, simply puzzling. The US and South Africa had much to discuss: trade and investment, the future of Brics, the G20 summit that's being held in Johannesburg in November. Instead Trump became fixated on false claims of a genocide against white Afrikaner farmers . Bolton questioned whether the claims had been vetted by US experts on South Africa – who would doubtless have cast doubt on their validity – ahead of the meeting. 'If not, what does that tell the other leaders of the world that sheer propaganda, if it sinks into Trump's brain, suddenly becomes what he talks about in public to the head of a foreign government?' he said. − Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025
