DONALD Trump hailed a “major breakthrough” as he brokered a peace deal between Balkan arch-rivals Kosovo and Serbia – but how should we view the President’s move?
Talks with North Korea, firing renowned hawk John Bolton and promising to withdraw troops from the Middle East have all been wielded by a Team Trump hoping to pose their candidate, once again, as the peacemaker.
As Redaction Politics has stressed repeatedly, this is all a facade – but let’s engage for the sake of argument with the notion of ‘Trump the pacifist’.
Richard Grenell, the administration’s special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo, wrote in The Hill that the deal “demonstrates the achievements of President Trump and his administration’s sound engagement throughout the world.”
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He added: “When the U.S. government prioritizes diplomacy over force, and understanding over threats, the world stands to benefit.”
Mr Grenell’s last sentence is certainly correct – unfortunately, as we have seen for the countless week running, Trump’s own law enforcement doesn’t appear to understand the same philosophy.
Speaking of diplomacy, contributing editor James Moules spoke to experts about the prospects of building on the President’s engagement with North Korea (not the sabre-rattling part, mind) – and whether Trump or Biden is best placed to bring about peace.
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Another region Trump has bucked his anti-interventionist facade conspiciously is in Venezuela and Iran, two nations the State Department have come down hard on during this administration.
Now, the two appear to be sharing an alliance of convenience against Washington – but should Caracas really be purchasing missilies from Tehran, or is it diplomatic suicide? We spoke to Professor Daniel Hellinger for the answer.
NEW ZEALAND ELECTIONS
Switching our attention to competent leaders, October’s election in New Zealand should yield strong electoral results for Jacinda Ardern.
But it’s not a shoe-in – and our Kiwi correspondent Richard Hansen looks at the challenges facing Labour.
JAMAICA DECIDES
As expected, the JLP beat out the PNP comfortably in the Jamaican elections, representing the continued demise of the austerity-embracing centre-left.
But did it even matter who won? LANDS’ Christophe Simpson discussed the election exclusively with us.
DELAWARE SENATE ELECTION
If you’re in Delaware, set your alarms bright and early for September 15 – that’s when Jess Scarane is looking to cause an upset against Chris Coons.
She penned an exclusive opinion piece for Redaction Politics.
CANADIAN GREEN PARTY
Our series on the Canadian Green Party leadership candidates continues as Scott Costen talks to Amita Kuttner.
LOOKING FORWARD
The last seven seats of the Iranian legislative assembly will be elected this week – the conservatives swept the majority of elected positions back in February, so expect much of the same.
Featured Image: White House @Flickr
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