Latest news with #globalleaders
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Recognizing a Palestinian state now will complicate future peace efforts, experts warn
Amid a flurry of recent global headlines declaring an all-out famine in the Gaza Strip, the leaders of France, Britain and Canada, as well as some other countries, declared their intentions to formally recognize a Palestinian state as a way of ending the nearly two-year war. Yet, the announcements — a direct response to global headlines and shocking photographs of allegedly starving children — may become hollow statements after the Israeli government on Friday said it would expand the military operation in Gaza as the only way to defeat Hamas, the designated Palestinian terror group whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked the devastating war, and restore peace. Recognition of a Palestinian state by a growing number of states could come as soon as next month's United Nations General Assembly. Yet with Hamas still present in Gaza and still holding at least 50 hostages, and with the other Palestinian leadership, the West Bank's Palestinian Authority, weak and corrupt, will that recognition undermine efforts to reach both a short- and long-term solution to the decades-old intractable conflict? "I assume there is a combination of considerations here — some related to foreign policy, others to domestic politics — but the basis is still the naive belief that a Palestinian state is the right way to solve the conflict," Meir Ben Shabbat, Israel's former national security advisor who now heads the Misgav Institute for National Security, told Fox News Digital. Ben Shabbat, who led the National Security Council from 2017 to 2021, said that from the perspective of French President Emmanuel Macron, "the initiative itself is what matters, not its content or chances of success." "It's doubtful whether he has considered the consequences this might have, even within the Palestinian camp itself," Ben Shabbat said. Last week, Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas political bureau official based in Qatar, told Qatari news network Al Jazeera that international recognition of a Palestinian state was "one of the fruits of the Oct. 7 attack.""Why are all these countries recognizing Palestine now?" he said, according to a translation from Arabic by non-profit organization MEMRI. "The overall outcome of Oct. 7 forced the world to open its eyes to the Palestinian cause and to act forcefully in this respect. (They recognize now) that the Palestinian people deserve freedom and their own state." Israeli leaders have warned that recognizing a Palestinian state at this juncture would be a clear reward for terrorism, and it will certainly do little to strengthen the position — or popularity — of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been accused of corruption and who has refused to hold democratic elections for 20 years. International recognition of a Palestinian state is also unlikely to change the reality on the ground in Gaza or the West Bank, both of which have changed physically and demographically since initial plans for a two-state solution were drafted as part of the Oslo Accords some 32 years ago. "In practical terms, the effects of unilateral recognition are quite limited," Ben Shabbat said. "The recognition does not address borders, and, in fact, most of the world has already recognized a Palestinian state when it was accepted as a U.N. observer state (in 2012)."HAMAS ENDGAME IS 'LONG-TERM' AND IS PLAYING OUT FOR ALL TO SEE AS ISRAEL PUSHES DEEPER INTO GAZA "The main impact of these declarations is psychological —the momentum they might generate and the foundation they lay for potential future practical decisions," he said. Gayil Talshir, a political scientist and expert on Israeli trends and public opinion from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said the steps to recognize a Palestinian state were "just empty declarations" that could actually end up "worsening the situation." "It's a reaction to images instead of thinking about diplomacy and the process of how to make a real change," she said. By contrast, the "New York Declaration" issued last week by the Arab League, which called on Hamas to release all the hostages, disarm and end its rule of Gaza forges a more promising path to peace, she said. "What is the political imagination that stands behind the French declaration of support of Palestine if it doesn't say that Hamas should not be part of such a state or that the Palestinian Authority, which is completely corrupt, should not be part of it," said Talshir. "A declaration may feel very righteous for France and Canada and the rest of these states, but it actually complicates the situation further and maybe even distances an option that could materialize in the future," she added. "instead of building a process in which you have international supervision over Gaza and maybe also over the occupied Palestinian territories and gradually build Palestinian capabilities of self rule, they are just standing with Hamas against Israel." Among some Palestinians, too, the idea of statehood, while welcomed, feels far out of reach. "Practically speaking, I can't see this will happen anytime soon. It has to happen through long-term negotiations," said Huda Abu Arqoub, a Palestinian peace-building activist, referring to the idea of a Palestinian state coming to life. "For Palestinians watching what is happening in Gaza, something inside us has died. And with that kind of despair, we just don't have the luxury right now to think of the day after or of a two-state solution. "Once this war is out of the picture, maybe we can breathe, maybe we can regroup, maybe we will be open to having other solutions rather than just the Oslo-based solution," said Abu Arqoub, who acts as an advisor on peace to the European Union and some Arab states, including Saudi Arabia. Instead of an international community "just taking sides," she added, "there must be a transitional period for Palestinians to regain some sort of trust in the system, in the two-state solution, and to give us a choice whether we want to be part of a political entity that runs for elections or not."
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hiroshima marks 80 years since atomic bombing as aging survivors frustrated by growing nuke threat
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Hiroshima on Wednesday marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about growing support among global leaders for nuclear weapons possession for deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them.
Washington Post
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Japan's aging atomic bomb survivors speak out against nuclear weapons
HIROSHIMA, Japan — Eighty years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , many of the remaining Japanese survivors are increasingly frustrated by growing nuclear threats and the acceptance of nuclear weapons by global leaders. The U.S. attacks on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and three days later on Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people by the end of that year. Others survived but with radiation illness.
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Peer Coaching Is A Secret Weapon For Successful Global Executives
Tom Roberts, Founder of Cranberry Leadership. Coaching global leaders to adapt, lead, and thrive globally. The moment I know a potential client is in trouble is when I hear them say: "I'm good." Not "I've got support." Not "I've got people I can go to when it gets tough." Just that quiet, confident brush-off: "I'm good." Spoiler from my company's extensive interviews with expat execs: It's almost never true. Especially not for expat executives. Because what we see in our research is that "I'm good" usually means "I'm alone." You Don't Need A Map; You Need Fellow Travelers Especially if you're leading across borders and cultures, the cost of going it alone is high. Not immediately, but eventually. It shows up in slower adaptation. Stalled influence. Decisions that sound right in the boardroom but fall flat in the field. The leaders who plateau rarely realize they're plateauing—not at first. Because they're not failing. But success has gotten ... quiet. Fewer breakthroughs, less feedback, more meetings, less clarity. A creeping sense that progress has slowed, but no one's saying so out loud. Often, what breaks this pattern isn't a new strategy but a new circle. 'None Of Us Is As Smart As All Of Us' I love this quote from Kenneth Blanchard because I've found it to be true. I'll give you a personal example. A fellow expat executive invited me to dinner one evening. I assumed it would be casual—two professionals unwinding, trading stories. And it was ... for a while. Then he looked up and said, "Everything I've tried isn't working. I thought I'd have figured it out by now. I don't even know if I'm leading the right way for this market. Some days I literally feel like I'm losing who I was." That moment cracked something open. He was being vulnerable, real. What followed was more a lifeline than a vent. Then the magic started emerging. We weren't trading frustrations; we were solving each other's problems, even the ones we hadn't realized we were allowed to admit. And that's exactly what peer coaching can unlock when done right. Why Expat Leaders Stay Silent Too Long Most global executives arrive in-market with one goal: to prove they've got it handled. After all, that's what got them the job in the first place: competence, confidence and a track record of success. But unfamiliar markets don't reward solo heroics. They require fast adaptation, deep context and emotional resilience. And the truth is, most leaders don't want to admit—especially to HQ—that they're struggling to make things work. That silence slows everything down. Progress, morale, strategy ... all drag when the leader at the top feels isolated. The irony? Everyone's wrestling with the same unspoken questions. But nobody wants to be the first to say it out loud. The Spark That Changes The Room I've facilitated many peer coaching groups for international executives. The early sessions always feel the same. People walk in with their game face on. They scan the room. They calculate: Do I stay quiet and observe? Try to impress? Or dare to be real? Then it happens: Someone breaks the surface. "I'm just going to come out and say this ... I can't seem to motivate my team here. Nothing's landing." "My work has slowed down so much since arriving here. I used to be decisive. Now I'm second-guessing everything. Worse yet, my peers and boss see it." These aren't admissions of failure. They're acts of leadership. They project what Brené Brown calls "the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change": vulnerability. Once it's spoken, it gives permission for everyone else to set down their armor. And that's when the room shifts—from a table of professionals to a circle of fellow travelers. Why Peer Coaching Works When Other Tools Don't Plenty of organizations offer onboarding, executive training, even cultural playbooks. These are useful, but in my experience, they often live in theory. They don't meet people in the middle of the mess. Peer coaching does. It's not a meeting. It's not a workshop. It's a trusted group of five to seven leaders who are each navigating complex, high-stakes environments—and have no incentive to posture. When it works, it becomes a place for what Ken Blanchard famously said: "None of us is as smart as all of us." Here's what starts to happen: Leaders stop trying to "perform." Questions come more freely. Conversations deepen. Shared respect builds momentum. People leave not just feeling better, but thinking clearer. And perhaps most importantly, the emotional isolation fades. When a leader realizes they're not the only one struggling, everything changes. Confidence returns. Curiosity reawakens. The team feels the shift before the calendar does. Just like the African proverb says, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." Let's Stop Pretending You (Or One Of Your Reports) Don't Need This Most expats don't think they need help. That's fine. Most of them also plateau within 18 months. Not because they weren't skilled, but because they mistook silence for success. That plateau can look like a bump in the road, but more often than not, our advisors report that the plateau is a serious and critical time to reevaluate. But what if you looked for help before you hit that plateau? If you think you don't need peer coaching, ask yourself: When was the last time someone outside HQ challenged your assumptions ... and you thanked them for it? You don't need a rescue squad; you just need people who can see what you can't. Yet. Because global leadership rewards adaptation. And the best way to adapt isn't alone—it's together. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
SBS Australia
06-07-2025
- Business
- SBS Australia
Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff deadline looms amid inflation concerns
With the implementation of US President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs, some countries are now scrambling to reach a deal. Few countries have managed to make secure deals with the US ahead of the deadline, raising concerns for the global economy. On the 2nd of April this year, United States President Donald Trump stoked panic among global leaders, announcing sweeping tariffs on all imports to the US. After upending global financial markets and igniting a global trade war, only a few days passed before the administration ordered a 90-day pause on the measures. With an end to the ninety days fast approaching and only a few deals reached, fears are mounting over potential impacts on the global economy. Donald Trump says he's signed and is ready to send letters to 12 countries so far, outlining the various tariff levels they'll face. "I did, I signed some letters, and they'll go out on Monday, probably 12. Twelve different amount of money, different amounts of tariffs, and somewhat different statements. " JOURNALIST : "Mr. President, which countries will receive those letters on Monday?" TRUMP: "It'll be announced, I have to announce it on Monday, I can't do it now." Despite the administration's claims a pause would allow ample time to strike their goal of 90 deals in 90 days, most of those deals never materialised. Agreements were made with some countries, first with the U-K, then China, and most recently Vietnam. After a pact was made with Vietnam however, Chinese officials raised concerns about it's impact on Chinese trade. Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman He Yongqian says China may take countermeasures. "The imposition of the so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' by the United States on its global trading partners is a typical unilateral and bullying act. China has always firmly opposed it. We have noticed the relevant situation and is assessing the deal. China's position is consistent. We are happy to see all countries resolving economic and trade disputes with the United States through equal-footed consultation, but we firmly oppose any country reaching trade deals by sacrificing China's interests. If this happens, the Chinese side will resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests." In India, which faces 26 per cent tariffs, officials say they're ready to make deals in the national interest but won't be rushed into reaching the US deadlines. Japanese and South Korea leaders are scrambling to reach a deal, with negotiators engaging in lengthy discussions with US officials over the weekend. South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung says negotiating a deal has been a difficult process. "It's clear that the tariff negotiations are not easy. At this point, I can't confidently say whether they'll be concluded by July 8. We're doing our utmost. What's crucial is that the outcome must be mutually beneficial for both sides. However, even now, it's not entirely clear what each side precisely wants — those details are still being worked out." Officials also say they're closing in on a framework agreement with the European Union, which would avert 50 per cent tariffs. Talks in Washington could go down to the wire, but officials say the E-U is willing to accept 10 per cent blanket tariffs in exchange for an extension and possible concessions on a 25 per cent car tariff. Simon Schuetz is head of communications at the German Association of the automotive Industry. He says the industry will struggle under the proposed terms. "So, for our industry it is very important that in the upcoming week there will be a solution. We are quite aware that it is impossible in this short time to do a whole trade deal with all the details. So we are asking for first deals for the important domains like the automotive industry, because the current tariffs that we are facing are something that we cannot live with in the future that is very toxic for our industry. So Europe is really asked to find a deal with the USA now and then in the aftermath, they can do the details." With European investors bracing for the looming impact of tariffs, European stocks declined on Friday. Poland is Europe's largest furniture exporter and the world's third largest, with the US being one of the country's biggest markets. Dominik Czylkowski is the CEO of NOTI, a Polish furniture company. He says the US market is crucial to success. "That's a big market, and that's a big partnership for us. So, of course, we cannot cut that from day to day. And of course we have to solve the issue together and handle this situation for next few weeks until we will find the best solution for us, but mainly for our customers." Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has confidence the US tariffs won't impact Australia's economy. As well as the 10 per cent baseline tariff, Australian steel and aluminium exports to the US face a 50 per cent tariff. Mr Albanese told Sky News he expects the 10 per cent on all Australian imports to stay in place. "We know that no country has a better tariff, if you like, level than ten percent. Now we'll continue to put our case as we as we do, we are in a position where you know on July 9 that won't really have an impact on us, because that's about other countries who have higher rates overnight. " REPORTER: "We won't get a letter on July 9? We won't get a determination?" ALBANESE:" We're on 10 per cent" REPORTER: "That's what we're going to stay on after next week? " ALBANESE: "Well, I assume that will be the case. " Also speaking to Sky News, opposition trade spokesperson Kevin Hogan says the Prime Minister ought to be doing more. "I think he's waving a white flag, Andrew, and I don't know why he'd be saying that before the announcement. We have seen carve outs for some countries. We know the UK have had a bit of a carve out on the steel and aluminum tariffs. Remember, steel and aluminum tariffs have gone up to fifty percent. They're not at ten percent. Countries have got carve outs to that. We've seen carve outs, Mexico have got a few carve outs. Canada have got a few carve outs from what tariffs they initially had as well." While it's clear the tariffs will hit global economies hard, experts say the US economy is already facing the consequences of Mr Trump's policy. According to analysis by the JPMorganChase Institute, mid-sized businesses in the US face an estimated $82.3 billion in additional costs if the US maintains a 10 per cent universal rate on all imports. No senior US official has been more vocal about this than Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve. Despite Mr Trump's public demands and attacks, Mr Powell says he is keeping US interest rates on hold while waiting to see how the administration's trade strategy pans out. Testifying to Congress late last month [[24/06]], he explains why. "The effects of tariffs will depend, among other things, on their ultimate level. Expectations of that level, and thus of the related economic effects, reached a peak in April and have since declined. Even so, increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity. The effects on inflation could be short-lived, reflecting a one-time shift in the price level. It's also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent. Avoiding that would depend on the size of the tariff effects, on how long it pass through fully into prices. And ultimately on keeping longer term inflation expectations well anchored."
